华清池
(huá qīng chí)

Huaqing Pool

Bubbling hot springs where power and lust collide

Featuring hot springs, mild weather and breathtaking scenery, Huaqing Pool (also called Huaqing Palace) was the favored site for many Chinese emperors to build palaces away from the capital.

At the northern foot of Mount Li and about 30 kilometers east of Xi’an, now capital of Shaanxi Province, this place was first built into an imperial resort by King You of the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046–771 BC).

During the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BC), Qin Shi Huang, also known as the First Emperor of China, named it Lishan Tang or the Spring of Mount Li.

Later, during the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD), the place was further expanded into the Li Palace.

However, it was during the reigns of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) that the place underwent massive reconstruction and was renamed Huaqing Pool or Huaqing Palace.

Since this place was built upon numerous hot springs, which were first found more than 6,000 years ago, Huaqing Pool became the “winter palace” for Tang emperors.

They usually came with a massive entourage in early winter and did not leave until the following spring.

The palace complex boasted a great number of majestic imperial buildings, lakes, gardens and of course, hot spring pools.

The hot spring pools were known for their exquisite designs.

Lotus Pool, covering an area of 400 square meters, used to be the bathing and swimming pool built for Emperor Xuanzong.

Guifei Pool, or Imperial Consort Pool, was built in a graceful shape resembling the begonia flower. It was designed for high-ranking imperial concubines.

In addition to the grandiose imperial architecture and bubbling hot springs, Huaqing Pool earned further fame due to the many dramatic historical events that occurred at this site.

It started with the popular story about Tang Dynasty Emperor Xuanzong and his romance with Yang Yuhuan, also known as Yang Guifei (Imperial Consort Yang).

Born in today’s Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, Yang was known as one of the top four beauties in ancient China.

The emperor loved Yang so much that he spent almost all his time with her, ignoring nearly 3,000 other concubines. Yang spent several winters at Huaqing Pool during Xuanzong’s reign.

Taking advantage of the emperor’s doting, Yang later became extremely arrogant. As a result, many court officials and generals blamed her for interfering in state affairs, and causing widespread corruption and nepotism in the imperial court.

During a rebellion against Tang rule, imperial guards staged a mutiny as Emperor Xuanzong fled the capital with Yang. They demanded she be put to death.

Despite his great reluctance, the emperor ordered her execution.

Their romance has since been rendered into a great number of poems, history books and operas. It remains one of the most popular love stories in the country.

Huaqing Pool was also the scene of the dramatic Xi’an Incident in 1936.

Chiang Kai-shek, then the president of the Republic of China, was kidnapped at Huaqing Pool by Zhang Xueliang, a warlord from northeast China, and Yang Hucheng, a patriotic general.

They demanded Chiang form a united front with the Communist Party of China to fight the Japanese invaders. Chiang eventually was released after he agreed to the alliance.

Today, Huaqing Pool has been turned into a park and is listed as a 5A Scenic Area by the National Tourism Administration.

Pictorial dictionary

·　台基　(tái jī) platform or terrace

Taiji, one of the basic elements of Chinese architecture, is a type of platform or terrace made of rammed earth or stones. In ancient China, they were used as the foundations of buildings. The main purpose was to elevate the buildings above the ground to keep them away from moisture and erosion.

Like other Chinese architectural elements such as roofs and bay width, the different types of terraces indicate the hierarchy of the buildings.

One higher type of taiji was called xumizuo(须弥座), or Sumeru pedestal, which was a high base with decorated mouldings. The style came from the pedestals used for Buddhist statues in India. Such platforms were employed in ancient China for main buildings in palaces or important temples.

The highest hierarchy of taiji was a stack of several xumizuo, which were only used for the top-grade buildings, such as the three main halls in the Forbidden City in Beijing or the main hall in the Temple of Confucius in Qufu, the birthplace of the Chinese philosopher.