Daming Palace Ruins, Xian (must see)

The Daming Palace was one of the best known palaces of the Tang Dynasty that ruled Xian for more than 250 years. Today the ruins of the old palace that was burnt by fires are being carefully reconstructed by the efforts of the Chinese Government who have declared the site as a National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit.

The rebuilt Daming Palace was opened for public viewing in 2010. The Emperors of the Tang Dynasty lived and conducted affairs of the State from here. The Tang Emperor Li Shimin built it as a summer palace for his father. At the time it was a grand structure that covered an area of 1.2 square miles. Nine gates led to the original palace. It was divided into two sections. The emperors conducted state affairs in the Qian Chao section and lived in the Nei Ting section. Beside the main palace, there were many smaller palaces and gardens and a pond called the Taiye Pond covering an area of 1.6 hectares. The Daming Palace was burned completely by fires towards the end of the Tang Dynasty.

The complete restoration of all the palace buildings is expected to be finished in late 2012. Visitors can view two thirds of the restored buildings and the surrounding park for free. A fee is charged for viewing the Cultural Relics Preservation and Exhibition area that occupies one third of the restored structure.