Huaqing Pool

Huaqing Pool (traditional Chinese: 華清池; simplified Chinese: 华清池; pinyin: Huáqīng chí) or the Huaqing Hot Springs are a complex of hot springs located in an area characterized by mild weather and scenic views at the northern foot of Mount Li, one of the three major peaks of the Qin Mountains. The Huaqing hotspring pools are located approximately 25 km east of Xi'an (formerly Chang'an, the western capital of the Tang Dynasty), now in the province of Shaanxi, China. Built in 723 by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty as part of the Huaqing Palace (華清宮). The hot springs became famous as the supposed scene of Xuanzong's love story with his Precious Consort Yang Guifei.[1] The Huaqing Pool utilizes natural geothermal heating, as was taken advantage of by the rulers of various Chinese dynasties. This site was the scene of the Xi'an Incident in 1936, when Chiang Kai-shek was kidnapped by former warlord Zhang Xueliang and forced to participate in a United Front with the Chinese Communist Party to oppose Japanese encroachment on China.[2] Huaqing Pool is now an important tourist spot.

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History

A long history, documented for almost three millenia, includes the locations of several palaces built during the reigns of past Chinese dynastic rulers, including King You of the Zhou Dynasty and Qin Shi Huang of the Qin Dynasty, and a greatly expanded version by Wu Han of the Han Dynasty. Then in the Tang Dynasty, under emperors Taizong and Xuanzong, the palace structure was rebuilt and renamed as the Huaqing Palace. However, during the events associated with the An Lushan rebellion, there was much damage done to the site.

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See also

References

  1. ^ China: Five Thousand Years of History & Civilization (Hong Kong: City University of Hong Kong Press, 2007), p. 770.
  2. ^ Ray Huang, China: A Macro History (New York: M.E. Sharpe, 1997), p. 4.

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