Huaqing Hot Springs situated at the northern foot of Mt. Lishan in Lintong
County, 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from Xian City, Huaqing Hot Spring is famed
for both its dainty spring scenery and the romantic love story of Emperor
Xuanzong (685-762) and his concubine Yang Guifei in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
Its long history and location among the wonderful landscapes of Xian should
entice any visitor to visit and bathe in this hot spring.
It is said that King You built a palace here during the Western Zhou
Dynasty (11th century BC-711 BC). Additions were subsequently made by the First
Emperor Qing (259 BC-210BC) and Emperor Wu during the Western Han Dynasty (206
BC-24). During his reign, the Emperor Xuanzong spent dizzying amounts of his
funds to build a luxurious palace, changing its name to Huaqing Hot Spring or
Huaqing Palace. Over the course of 41 years in his days, he visited the palace
as many as 36 times. The palace thus has a history of 3,000 years and the
hotspring a history of 6,000 years! Ranked among the Hundred Famous Gardens in
China, it also has the status as a National Cultural Relic Protection Unit and a
National Key Scenic Area.
Entering the gate which bears the inscription 'Huaqing Chi' (Huaqing Hot
Spring) by Guo Moruo, a noted literary in China, visitors are greeted by two
towering cedars. By continuing inward passing two symmetrical palace-style
plunge baths and turning right, you will see the Nine-Dragon Lake. Despite the
fact that the lake is artificial with an area of 5,300 square meters (6339
square yards), it constitutes one of the main enchanting sceneries in the
Huaqing Palace. You will see lotus floating on the water and emitting sweet
fragrance, and a white marble statue of Yang Guifei - recognised as one of the
four most beautiful women in ancient China - stands tall by the lake like a shy
and appealing fairy. Mirrored in the lake you will see a surrounding complex of
constructions interspersed with willows and rocks, including Frost Flying Hall
(Feishuang Hall) in the north, Yichun Hall and Chenxiang Hall respectively in
the east and west as well as Nine Bend Corridor and Dragon Marble Boat. The
magnificent Frost Flying Hall used to be the bedroom of Emperor Xuanzong and
Yang Guifei, with red supporting pillars and fine-patterned carving. Living in a
place so full of spice must have made the inhabitants invigorated and
pleased.
Walking southwards through Dragon Marble Boat and several pavilions, you
will find the Site of Imperial Pool, which is the only one of its kind to be
discovered in China. The five remaining pools are the Lotus Pool, Haitang Pool,
Shangshi Pool, Star Pool and Prince Pool. The lotus-like Lotus Pool was made for
the Emperors' bath, the Haitang Pool resembling a Chinese Crabapple was intended
for concubines, and the Shangshi Pool was designated for officials. It is said
that the former Star Pool had no roof and nothing to cover its four sides.
There, must have been possible to truly experience the eternal beauty of Yang
Guifei.
Huan Garden is the former garden of the Huaqing Palace. There lie the Lotus
Pavilion, Viewing Lake Tower (Wanghu Lou), Flying Rainbow Bridge (Feihong Qiao),
Flying Glow Hall (Feixia Ge), and Five-Room Hall (Wujian Ting). In popular
legend, the Flying Glow Hall was once the place where Yang Guifei would overlook
the scenery and cool down her long hair. The Five-Room Hall was built in the
late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It was the shelter of Empress Dowager Cixi after
the Eight-Power Allied Force captured Peking in 1900, and was also the temporary
residence of Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party during
the world-famous Xian Incidence in 1936. The Huan Garden also features a
large-scale mural carrying the inscription 'Yang Guifei Was Summoned to Serve
the Emperor in Huaqing Hot Spring'. Composed of 90 white marbles, the mural is
9.15 meters (30 feet) long and 3.6 meters (11.8 feet) high. Depicting the scene
of the feast in which Emperor Xuanzong summoned Yang Guifei, it reflects the
prosperity of the Tang Dynasty. Odes of Huaqing Hot Spring are also witnesses of
past politics, economy and art.
By visiting the Huaqing Hot Spring, you will not only enjoy the scenery,
but also taste the joy of imagining yourself back in the days of the Tang
Dynasty.
The first pleasure to experience is to have a bath in the imitational
Guifei Pool. With an even temperature of 43 degree (109 F), the ever-flowing
water of the hot spring contains minerals and organic materials that have
therapeutic effects on the skin. Water originating from four spring reaches a
discharge level of 112 tons per hour. In the bath pool, you can experience the
same comfort as did the Emperor Xuanzong or Yang Guifei.
After the discovery of remains of Tang operas and entertainments, the
Exhibition Hall of Tang Art was built in 1995. Here, you can enjoy dance
performances imitating the Tang style and a Chinese tea ceremony in the
teahouse.
In the palace of Huaqing Hot Spring, visitors who are interested in
calligraphy will be delighted to discover the inscriptions collected there.
Currently, the inscriptions include in total 7 steles, 16 stones with poems, 7
stone inscriptions, 4 stone carving, and an additional 69 tablets discovered in
1949. All of them represent elite work in the field of calligraphy art and
materials of their kinds.