Huaqing Hot Springs

Huaqing Hot Spring or Huaqing Palace has been the site of a famous imperial bathing pool for over 3,000 years. Read on travel tips on it's location, history, a household love story in China, what to see, ticket price, opening time etc.. 

It is located at the foot of Lishan Mountain, 30 km. (19 mi.) east of Xi'an City in Shaanxi Province. Huaqing Palace is situated at No. 38 Huaqing Road, Lintong District, Xi'an City.

At present, there are all together four hot spring sources in the site. The bathing site, covering an area of 3,000 sq.m. (32,292 sq. ft.), houses more than a hundred bathing pools with a capacity of 400 people at a time.

According to historical records, the hot spring was discovered in Zhou Dynasty when the king You had his palace built there.

Since then emperors of several generations like Qin, Han and Sui Dynasties followed suit. During Tang Dynasty, the splendid and luxurious Huaqing Palace was built and Huaqing Hot Spring came into being because of it.

However, most part of the architecture there was destroyed in wartime and the present Huaqing Hot Spring is the result of the reconstruction work in 1959.

Nowadays, Huaqing Palace is divided into three sections: east, west and south. East Section is characterized by a number of famous bathing pools such as the Lotus Pool, Begonia Pool, Star Pool and the Prince Pool all of which used to be the exclusive bathing place for Emperor Xuanzong, concubine Yang guifei, Emperor Taizong and the then prince respectively.

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In west section you'll find various kinds of pavilions and other spectacular buildings with an ancient architectural style.

The time-honored, well known Lishan hot spring lies in the south section of the palace. With rich mineral substances and a stable temperature of 43 C (109 F), it's particularly effective in curing various kinds of diseases like arthritis and rheumatism.

Speaking of Huaqing Hot Spring, the love story of Emperor Xuanzong and his concubine Yang Guifei, one of the four most enchanting ladies in ancient times couldn't be missed, for it's right the place where Xuanzong used to spend wintertime in the company of Yang.

He was so fascinated by Yang's beauty that he spent day and night with her paying little attention to state affairs.

The emperor even built Liyuan, the first imperial musical and art academy in Chinese history, to satisfy his personal pleasures.

You can appreciate their love story by watching a evening show here called the Song of Eternal Sorrow, the highlighting performance of Tang Dynasty Music And Dance Show. Learn more about it in the grey box in the end.

In recent years, numerous stone carvings, inscriptions, and sculptures have also been discovered there together with an ancient well which was used by Yang exclusively at that time.

Besides, the wonderful Jiulong Lake at the foot of Lishan Mountain is also worth mentioning with its stunning scenic views and mirror-like lake surface.

Final travel tips for you: ticket price of Huaqing Palace varies by season, but you need to pay 70 RMB (11.6 USD) at most for a visit.

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