The Tang Dynasty poet Cui Lizhi has a poem "Thousands of officials look at Chang'an, and all countries worship Hanyuan". Among them, "Hanyuan" refers to the political center and symbol of the Tang Dynasty - Daming Palace. Daming Palace was originally a summer palace built by Tang Taizong Li Shimin for Emperor Li Yuan, Tang Gaozong moved to Daming Palace to listen to the government, and since then it has officially become the main court meeting place of the Tang Dynasty. However, after suffering from the Huangchao Uprising and the burning of Chang'an City by Zhu Wen, the Taizu of the Later Liang Dynasty, the Daming Palace fell into ruins.

The ruins of Daming Palace are located in the north of Ziqiang East Road and the south of Xuanwu Road in Xi'an City, which is a wedge-shaped shape that is wide in the south and narrow in the north, with a circumference of 7.6 kilometers and an area of about 3.2 square kilometers. There are nine city gates in the palace, the south is the main gate of Daming Palace, Danfeng Gate, and the east and west are Wangxian Gate and Jianfu Gate respectively. The Danfeng Gate seen on the ground is a restored building, the interior is the ruins park, and the inside is the main body of the Danfeng Gate foundation site.

Most of the palaces of Daming Palace no longer exist, or only the remaining brick foundations can be seen. The park is very empty, except for the Taiye Pond, which has not been destroyed. Taiye Pond was first dug in the Zhenguan or Longshuo period, the original Penglai Mountain in the pool, and now only the mound is left as a ruin. The area of the Taiye Pool is about 16,000 square meters, which is divided into two pools, east and west, and there are channels in the middle. Its water source comes from the Longshou Canal from the south, and there is a culvert that communicates with the outside of the palace.

The scale of Daming Palace is huge, and walking is time-consuming and laborious, so the scenic area specially launched a battery car and a sightseeing train as a means of transportation. The small train is 10 yuan more expensive than the battery car, but the ride experience is better. It not only plays the most basic role of transportation, but also can be stopped at any time, and becomes a beautiful scenery in the scenic landscape. The road in the Daming Palace scenic area is smooth and wide, if you don't want to take a sightseeing car, cycling is also a good way to visit the Daming Palace.

The outside of the Daming Palace is free, and the inside court needs to buy tickets, but the ticket price does not match the feelings of tourists. There are few exhibits in the museum, and the outside of the museum is more like an ordinary park, which has nothing to do with the Daming Palace itself, and many tourists think that they have been deceived. In fact, the Daming Palace is more suitable for the local citizens of Xi'an to travel and recreation on weekends, and it is very pleasant to walk or ride a bicycle outside the Daming Palace in the afternoon.

Duration: 1~3 hours

Tickets: Free for the Outer Dynasty, 60 yuan for the Inner Dynasty

Tips: 1. Bring a camera, 2. Ride a bicycle in a circle, 3. Picnic on the lawn.