The Huaqing Pool (), also known as the Huaqing Palace (), is a complex of imperial gardens known for its hot springs at the northern foot of Mount Li, Qinling, approximately east of Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
History The permanent springs that constitute the Huaqing Pool utilize naturally occurring geothermal heat and have a documented history of almost three millennia, having served as the site of several palaces built by past Chinese rulers, including King You of the Zhou dynasty, Qin Shi Huang of the Qin dynasty, and Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty, who expanded the complex.
Under the Tang dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong renovated the complex as Wenquan Palace in 723 and renamed it Huaqing Palace in 747; the site is famous as the setting of Xuanzong's romance with his consort Yang Guifei. The palace suffered considerable damage during the An Lushan Rebellion, though its legacy has received lasting commemoration, including in Bai Juyi's Chang Hen Ge:
This site was also the scene of the 1936 Xi'an Incident, when Chiang Kai-shek was kidnapped by generals Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng, who forced him into a United Front with the Chinese Communist Party to oppose Imperial Japan.Ray Huang, China: A Macro History (New York: M.E. Sharpe, 1997), p. 4.
Present The Huaqing Pool is today a popular tourist spot, managed by the Shaanxi Tourism Group and classified as an AAAAA scenic area by the China National Tourism Administration.
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