Daming Palace National Heritage Park

Daming Palace National Heritage Park
大明宫国家考古遗址公园

Address: 585 Ziqiang East Road, Xincheng district, Xi’an city, Shaanxi province
Hours: 8:30 am-7 pm (April 15-Oct 15)
8:30 am-6 pm (Oct 16- April 14)
General admission: 60 yuan ($9.23)
Tel: (+86-29)82200808

The most glorious and amazing architectural complex of the three major palaces in Chang’an, the capital city of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Daming Palace (literally, Palace of Great Brightness) was constructed in 634 for Li Yuan (the founder of the Tang Dynasty, r. 618-26) and was used as the imperial power center for over 200 years.

Covering over three square kilometers -- a size equal to that of Central Park in New York -- it features 11 gates and more than 40 proven sites of palatial structures, most of which are located around Taiye Lake, the center of the inner court in the northern section of Daming Palace. The southern areas, or the outer court of the palace, were composed of halls of Hanyuan, Xuanzheng and Zichen. The major road in the palace, Danfengmen Avenue, was as wide as 176 meters.

The archeological park not only preserves the original landforms of the palace, but also marks a great expansion of the public space of Xi’an. Visitors can fully recall the historical charms by visiting the park, as it perfectly retains the original layout.