Huaqing Pool, also known as Huaqing Palace, is famous at home and abroad for its 3,000-year history of royal gardens and 6,000-year history of hot spring utilization. Located at the northern foot of Lishan Mountain in Lintong District, Xi'an City, 30 kilometers away from Xi'an in the west, adjacent to Lishan Mountain in the south, and adjacent to the Weishui River in the north, it is an ancient Chinese palace famous for its hot springs. The rulers of the Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui and Tang dynasties regarded This Feng Shui treasure was the official palace where they had a banquet and had fun. It is also famous at home and abroad for the love story between Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and Concubine Yang.
Historical documents and archaeological excavation data prove that Huaqing Pool has a 6,000-year history of hot spring utilization and a 3,000-year history of royal garden architecture. In 1982, Huaqing Pool was listed as one of the first batch of key scenic spots in the country. On May 8, 2007, Huaqing Pool Scenic Area was approved as a national 5A tourist attraction. In January 2015, it was merged with the two major scenic spots "Lishan" and upgraded to "Huaqing Palace".
On April 13, 2018, at the 2018 China Northwest Tourism Marketing Conference and Tourism Equipment Exhibition, it was shortlisted for the "100 Magical Northwest Scenes" and ranked second.
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Huaqing Pool, located about 30 kilometers east of downtown Xi'an, has been a hot spring bathing resort since ancient times. It is said that King You of the Western Zhou Dynasty once built a palace here. It was added several times and was renamed Huaqing Pool during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. It was a bathing place for the royal family and princes and ministers of the Tang Dynasty. Among them, "the hot spring water washes away the fat" is a portrayal of Yang Guifei bathing here (you can see the statue of the imperial concubine bathing when you enter the gate).
Today's Huaqing Pool was expanded based on the architecture of the Qing Dynasty. Nowadays, tourists can only visit scenic spots within the scenic area. If they want to bathe in hot springs here, they must stay at a hot spring hotel in the scenic area.
Huaqing Pool also plays an important role in the history of China’s modern revolution. The “Xi’an Incident” that shocked both China and foreign countries took place here. The Huaqing Pool Scenic Area completely retains the five rooms of the former site of Chiang Kai-shek’s palace (located in the south of the scenic area). The walls still retain bullet marks from the fierce battles between soldiers. Behind the tiger spots on the mountainside of Lishan Mountain is the "Bingjian Pavilion" (original name: Zhu Jiang Pavilion, in the Lishan Scenic Area, you need to purchase an additional Lishan ticket to enter).
At present, the main attractions in the Huaqing Pool Scenic Area include: Tang Huaqing Palace Yutang Site Museum, Xi'an Incident Site, Tang Liyuan Site Museum, as well as Feishuang Hall, Zhaoyang Hall, Changsheng Hall, Huanyuan and Yuwang Hall and other iconic buildings.
The "Yu Tang Site Museum" contains the ruins of "Lotus Soup" and "Begonia Soup", which were the imperial soup pools used by Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty and Concubine Yang Guifei. The "Lotus Soup" pool is shaped like a stone lotus and was used for the emperor to bathe; the "Begonia Soup" pool is shaped like a begonia and was used for noble concubines to enjoy. Currently, only two large pits made of stones can be seen.
The large-scale real-life historical dance drama "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" launched by Huaqing Pool Scenic Area in 2007 lasted about 90 minutes. The multimedia video drama "Xuanjing Changsheng Palace" launched in 2012 has become a new model for the digital transformation of traditional museums.
The performance of "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" is only available from April 1st to October 31st, and is divided into single and double performances. Only double performances will be held on Fridays, Saturdays and statutory holidays, while single performances will be performed at other times. There is no unified ticket price for performances, and tickets are sold at different price points based on location and area. The ticket price in the east and west zones is 258 yuan, and the ticket price in the central zone is 288 yuan on weekdays (298 yuan on holidays).
There is a tour guide service point and scenic area sign at the gate of the scenic area. There are hot spring hotels in the scenic area, providing hot spring bathing and accommodation services. After checking into the hotel, you can visit the scenic spots for free with your hotel room card.
Huaqingchi Scenic Area is adjacent to Lishan Forest Park. Take bus No. 5 (306) at the entrance of the scenic spot and head east. You can reach the Qin Terracotta Warriors in about an hour.
Reference materials Baidu Encyclopedia - Tang Huaqing Palace