Just outside of the city of Xi'An is a palace built in 723 by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (replacing earlier palaces built during previous dynasties).
The palace makes use of local hot springs and features multiple bathing pools. Apparently, the palace is interesting historically because it sheds some light on royal bathing culture. It is most famous, however, for being the setting of a great Chinese love story. Yang Guifei was married to one of Emperor Xuanzong's sons, but soon caught the emperor's attention. She soon became his most favored concubine. Unfortunately, subsequent political unrest was blamed on her (sometimes directly, sometimes for distracting the emperor from more important matters), and she was later put to death.
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| "Crabapple pool", supposedly in the shape of a crabapple flower, the pool was built in 747 especially for Yang Guifei. |
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| "Star pool", extending further to the left, is supposed to be shaped like the big dipper. |
The grounds of the palace are quite pretty.
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| It's a story that captivates many people, drawing crowds to the site. |
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| The emperor and his concubine. |
The palace is also important in modern history for being the site of the Xi'An incident in 1936, during which Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the Nationalists, was kidnapped from the palace. Subsequent negotiations led to a truce in the Chinese Civil War so as to unite against the Japanese invasion.
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