This imperial palace is the largest palace architectural complex in the world, covering an area 4.5 times that of the Forbidden City, which is the current Imperial Palace, and 13 times larger than the Royal Palace of the Louvre in France.
The most luxurious and expansive palace in the world is not the Forbidden City, nor the Louvre in France, and not even Buckingham Palace of the British royalty, but rather the Da Ming Palace located in Xi’an, China.
Da Ming Palace is the royal palace complex of the Tang Dynasty.
The Da Ming Palace does not belong to the Ming Dynasty, but rather to the Tang Dynasty, and it is the largest of the three main palaces in the Tang Dynasty’s capital, Chang’an (which includes Da Ming Palace, Tai Chi Palace, and Xingqing Palace).
This palace is also known as Dong Nei, a royal palace complex of the Tang Dynasty located in the northeastern part of Chang’an. The Da Ming Palace served as the national political center for 234 years, where 17 Tang emperors from Gaozong to Wu Zetian managed state affairs.
The name “Da Ming Palace” appears in the Book of Songs – Da Ya: “As the sun rises, it is called Da Ming” (translated: As the sun rises high, it is called Da Ming).
So, how magnificent is the Da Ming Palace?
The construction of the Da Ming Palace began in the 8th year of the Zhenguan era (634 AD) during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang. Originally, this area was part of the imperial garden of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and later Emperor Taizong built the Yong’an Palace for his father, Li Yuan.
Da Ming Palace was constructed during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang.
After Emperor Gaozong ascended the throne, he found the Tai Chi Palace (the current residence of the emperor) too damp and initiated a major expansion of the Da Ming Palace in the 2nd year of Longsong (662 AD), renaming it Bóng Lai Palace and moving there. In 670, the palace was renamed again to the Hán Yuán Palace before reverting to its old name, Da Ming Palace, in 705.
This palace complex is the largest palace architectural complex in the world, occupying over 354 hectares, which is 4.5 times the area of the Forbidden City and 13 times the area of the Louvre.
The entire palace complex can be divided into two main sections: the outer court and the inner palace. The outer court was mainly used for court ceremonies, while the inner palace primarily served residential and leisure purposes. The main gate of the Da Ming Palace is the Danfeng Gate, connecting to a main axis road that is 176 meters wide.
The main axis of the Da Ming Palace features three large halls: Hán Yuán Hall, Xuān Zhèng Hall, and Zǐ Sī Hall, collectively known as the Three Great Halls.
Next to the Tai Yi Pond is a structure known as the Lín Dè Hall, which was the venue for grand state banquets of the Tang Dynasty.
Next to the Tai Yi Pond is a structure known as the Lín Dè Hall, which was the venue for grand state banquets.
Lín Dè Hall spans over 10,000 square meters, equivalent to six Tai He Halls of the Forbidden City. Historical records indicate that Emperor Daizong of Tang invited over 3,500 advisors and soldiers to this location for a banquet, yet it could not fill all the space available.
The Three Great Halls of the Da Ming Palace are connected along the main axis, arranged according to the architectural design of “front hall, back room.” This architectural design structure was also emulated by subsequent dynasties such as the Song, Yuan, and Ming to build their own palaces. A prime example is the Forbidden City, where the three main halls (Tai He Hall, Zhong He Hall, and Bao He Hall) are aligned on a central axis.
In 2010, the National Park of the Da Ming Palace was established to display and protect the heritage site.
Unfortunately, this magnificent Da Ming Palace was engulfed in flames three times during the late Tang Dynasty, leaving only ashes behind. Specifically, during the reign of Emperor Xizong of Tang, the Da Ming Palace faced continuous military conflicts and in 896, Zhu Wen (who later forced the last Tang emperor to abdicate the throne to him) ordered the palace to be set on fire. The legend of this largest palace in the world thus faded into obscurity.
Today, Xi’an (Shaanxi, China) still holds the remnants of the Da Ming Palace. In 1961, the State Council of China included the Da Ming Palace ruins in the list of nationally protected cultural relics. In 2010, the National Park of the Da Ming Palace was established to display and protect the heritage site. By 2014, the Da Ming Palace was recognized as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Silk Road.
