(1) Contribution to the Silk Roads' OUV Located in the Guanzhong Basin and in the north of Site of Chang’an City of Tang Dynasty, Site of Daming Palace is a site of imperial palace that represents th ...

(1) Contribution to the Silk Roads' OUV

Located in the Guanzhong Basin and in the north of Site of Chang’an City of Tang Dynasty, Site of Daming Palace is a site of imperial palace that represents the Chang’an City of Tang Dynasty, the east origination of the Silk Roads in its flouring period. It witnesses the civilization and ritual culture of an empire in the East when its agricultural civilization reached its crest. It also witnesses the significant momenturn that Tang Empire contributed to the development of the Silk Roads.

(2) General Information

The site of Daming Palace was located on Longshou terrace, north of present-day Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, northeast of Chang’an in Tang Dynasty. The Palace was built alongside the north city wall of Chang’an. The construction was launched in the eighth year of Zhenguan (634), but was halted without completion. In the second  year of Longshuo (662), the construction continued and was completed next year. Daming Palace was the royal residence and power center of Tang Dynasty. Archaeology proved that the site covered an area of 3.42 square km, with a rectangular south part and ladder-shaped north part. There were three gates on the south side55, two on the west56, one on the east and three on the north side. Jiacheng (small palaces) were built outside the east, north and west sides of the palace wall. East inner garden was built on the southeast corner of the palace. From south to north, the palace had three parts, the court, chamber and garden. The south end of the axis was Danfeng Gate, the grand gate of the Daming Palace. Walking along the axis road, people reached the Hanyuan Hall of the front court, Xuanzheng Hall of the middle court, and Zichen Hall of the inner court in sequence. Penglai hall, the royal chamber was also built on the axis. The northmost part was the garden part, with Taiye Pool and Penglai Hill. Linde Hall west of the Taiye Pool served as a place for banquets and informal audience to diplomatic envoys. Government offices and some halls, pavilions and Taoist temples could be found alongside the axis. The remains of Daming Palace of Chang’an mainly include: gates remains like Danfeng Gate, palace wall remains, architecture remains like Hanyuan Hall, Linde Hall, Sanqing Hall, Dafu Hall, Wangxian High-Platform Pavilion, water system and bridges remains like Taiye Pool and Longshou branch stream site, roads(including corridors) remains like Yudao Road, and so on.

(3)Attributes

The axis-symmetrical layout of the palace and the grandness of the royal architectural complex elaborately embraced the ritual culture in the agriculturally thriving period during the Tang Dynasty as well as the open andinclusive culture of the Tang royalty.

As representative remains of Chang’an of Tang, the star ting point of the Silk Roads in its prosperity, the south-north arrangement of front court, middle court, inner cour t, chamber and garden, symmetrical layout, as well as its magnificent architecture remains like Danfeng Gate and Hanyuan Hall, reflected distinct ritual characteristics and witnessed the advanced development of economy and culture of Tang Empire (7th-10^th centur y) in the time when the ancient agricultural civilization of China reached its peak.

Linde Hall, serving as the imperial palace where Tang hosted its diplomatic envoys, witnessed the unique cultural attraction of oriental metropolitan city at the Silk Roads and demonstrated the openess and inclusiveness of Tang Empire.

In Tang Dynasty, Daming Palace was the royal chamber and kernel of power. According to history in Old Book of Tang and New Book of Tang, many key decisions on Western Regions administration, including setting up protectorate, prefecture and county in Western Regions, military towns “Four Garrisons of Anxi” and Jimi Prefectures, were made in the Daming Palace. The Daming Palace site witnessed how the Tang Empire, with its high-level economic, political, military, and cultural power, promoted the smooth transport and development of the Silk Roads.