An outdoor model shows the entire layout of the original Daming Palace strutures. Daming Palace was the residence for Tang Dynasty emperors in Chang'an, now Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. Photo taken April 9, 2015. (Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/William Wang)

During the Tang Dynasty (618 – 690 and 705 – 907 AD), the city of Chang'an (now present day Xi'an) had the largest population of any urban center, a bastion of cosmopolitan life. Emperor Gaozong relocated the imperial court to not-yet-completed Daming Palace in 662, where the lineage of Tang emperors would reside for the next 220 years.

Today, Daming Palace is a huge 12 square kilometer park, with two thirds of its space open to the public free of charge. Original relics are on display in a museum, and some of the original palace constructions are viewable as well. Most of the park, however contains reconstructions of the buildings which stood centuries ago.

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