Huaqing Hot Springs
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Northwest China (西北) » Shaanxi (陕西) » Xi'an (西安) » Mount Lishan (骊山) » Huaqing Hot Springs (Huaqing Chi, 华清池)Huaqing Hot Springs (Huaqing Chi, 华清池) | |
| Address: | Xi'an, Shaanxi |
| Phone: | 029-83812003 83812004 83812970 |
| Web site: | http://www.hqc.cn |
| Price Range: | RMB 40 (Dec. through Feb.) ~ RMB 70 (Mar. through Nov.) |
| Hours: | 9:10AM to 5:00PM |
| Level: | AAAAA |
| Tourist Rating: |  |
| Short Description: | Huaqing Hot Spring is located at the foot of the Lishan Mountain, a branch range of the Qinling Ranges, and stands 1,256 meters high. Covered with pines and cypresses, it looks very much like a dark green galloping horse from a long distance, and thus giving the name of the Lishan Mountain (Li means a black horse). |
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[edit] Description
Huaqing Hot Springs is located about 35 kilometers east to the city of Xi'an, at the foothill of the Lishan Mountain. The place attracts visitors year around mainly because of its vivid and colorful romantic love story of Emperor Xuanzong (685-762) and his concubine Yang Guifei of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Chinese equivalent of Romeo and Juliet.
[edit] History
Huaqing Hot Springs are named after famed Tang concubine Yang Guifei. But the springs and it buildings were built as early as during Western Zhou Dynasty (1100 BC-711 BC), and have been in use for around 3000 years. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, it became a primary imperial summer residence. At one time, the emperor, his concubine and his high-ranking officials spent almost six months at the Huaqing Hot Springs Palace. During that period, two generals rose up against their emperor, damaged the capital and severely weakened the whole country, and eventually lead to the collapse of the Tang Dynasty.
Today, you can take a dip in the waters once reserved for members of the emperor's court. For RMB 70, you can have a bit of privacy at the Huaqing Hot Spring Bathhouse; for a mere RMB 20 you can soak with the masses in the public bathhouse (bring your own towel for the latter). The springs is said to have remained so pure after so many years because the essence of Yang's beauty infused the waters at her death.
Huaqing Hot Springs was also the site of the so-called Xi'an Incident of 1936. Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek was house arrested by his own Marshal Zhang Xueliang at the Five-Room Pavilion where Chiang Kaishek made a temporary stay. Marshal Zhang Xueliang triggered the incident to force his leader to turn his attention from fighting the Communists to focus on fighting the invading Japanese. Today a pavilion marks the spot up the hill where Chiang Kaishek was house confined.
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[edit] What to see
The Tang dynasty Emperor Xuan Zong and his favorite lady, Yang Guifei, used to make their home at Frost Drifting Hall (飞霜殿) in winter days. When winter came, snowflakes were floating in the air, and everything in sight was white. However, they came into thaw immediately in front of the hall. It owed a great deal to the warm vapor rising out of the hot spring. Today this place is called the Frost Drifting Hall.
Close by the Frost Drifting Hall lies the Nine Dragon Pool (九龙湖). According to legend, the Central Shaanxi Plain was once stricken by a severe drought in the very remote past. Thus, by the order of the Jade Emperor (the Supreme Deity of Heaven), an old dragon came at the head of eight young ones, and made rain here. Yet when the disaster was just abating, they lowered their guard so much that it became serious again. In a fit of anger, the Jade Emperor kept the young dragons under the Jade Causeway (玉堤), with the Morning Glow Pavilion and the Sunset Pavilion built at both ends of it respectively, to make the young dragons spout cleat water all day long to meet the needs of local irrigation. Besides, he had the old dragon confined to the bottom of the Roaring Dragon Waterside Pavilion situated at the upper end of the Jade Causeway, and obliged him to exercise control over the young.
The Nine-Bend Corridor west of the Nine Dragon Pool leads directly to the Marble Boat, which resembles a dragon boat on the water surface. In the Marble Boat lies the Nine Dragon Tang (九龙汤) (the Nine Dragon Hot Spring where Emperor Xuan Zong used to take baths). At the head of his court ladies and hundreds of his officials, he would come to the Huaqing Palace to spend his winter days in October of the lunar calendar and return to Chang'an City as the year drew to its close. The Nine Dragon Hot Spring was originally built with crystal jade, whose surface was decorated with the carvings of fish, dragons, birds and flowers. In it twin lotus flowers also carved with white jade could be seen as well. The spring water welled from the break of an earthen jar, and spouted up to the lotus flowers, hence the name Lotus Flower Tang (莲花汤) (the Lotus Flower Hot Spring).
The Guifei Bathing Pool was where Yang Guifei, Emperor Xuan Zong's favorite lady, used to take bath. It was originally built with white jade, and in its center blooming flower spouted water like a spring. The pool looked very much like a Chinese flowering crabapple; Hence its name the Chinese Flowering Crabapple Hot Spring or the Lotus Hot Spring (海棠汤) …
Lady Yang used to make a stay in this pavilion to see sights or to air her hair after a bath. Therefore, it was named the Hair Airing Pavilion (晾发台). Whether the sun was rising or setting, the pavilion was aglow with sunshine; hence the name the Flying Roseate Pavilion.
Southwest of the Guifei Bathing Pool stands a brick-built pavilion. On its head three big Chinese characters “Xi Jia Lou” (Fine Sunset-Bathed Pavilion) are inscribed according to the model of the most celebrated according to the model of the most celebrated Chinese calligrapher, Yu You Ren, here is the source of the spring water.
At this spa there are four hot springs. They have an hourly flow of 112 tons, and a constant temperature of 43°C. The spring water contains lime, sodium carbonate, sodium sulphate and other minerals, which makes it suitable for bathing and considerable treatment of quite a few diseases such as dermatitis, rheumatism, arthritis and muscular pain. The Fine Sunset-Bathed Pavilion marks the first source of the spring water, which was discovered some 3,000 years ago, roughly in the Western Zhou dynasty. Its water flow averages 25 tons per hour.
[edit] Direction
Situated at the northern foot of Mt. Lishan in Lintong County, 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from Xian. You can take bus #914 or tourist bus 5 (306) at the East Square of Xian Railway Station.
[edit] Fees/Hours
- RMB 40 (Dec. through Feb.)
- RMB 70 (Mar. through Nov.)
- Opens from 9:10AM to 5:00PM
- Recommended time for a visit: 1.5 hours.
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