Brief Introduction

Chang’an, or Xi’an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, was the center of the world more than 1,000 years ago.

Daming Palace, located in the center of the capital, had witnessed the ups and downs in the country and the world for centuries.

The palace had memorized the flourish of the Tang Dynasty in its heyday, the noise and dust in the women polo field, the extravagant entertainment events and the splendid ceremonies.

It is hard for us who live in the modern time to imagine how magnificent and luxuriant the Tang Dynasty in its heyday was, as there was no film or video or photo to record the history in that time. However, we can have a glimpse of that historical moment from the ruins of the Daming Palace.

We are simply passersby in the eyes of Daming Palace. But in our eyes, Daming Palace means glory and pride.

Culture is the soul of a nation. Cultural relics is the mark of the nation’s civilization. As the political, economic and cultural center of the Tang Dynasty -- the strongest and richest dynasty in the Chinese nation’s history, Daming Palace had reached the peak of Chinese ancient architecture arts.

The ruins of the gallant palace construction group have been preserved and protected as the Daming Palace National Cultural Relics Park has been building. Daming Palace has begun to revive.

In light of the principle that protecting the cultural relics means protecting the Chinese nation’s culture and civilization, the Daming Palace National Cultural Relics Park has been under preservation and protection and will open to the public in October 2010.

The preservation of the Tang Dynasty palace will become a milestone in the history of protection historical relics and creating modern civilization.

In the dawn of the opening up of the Daming Palace National Cultural Relics Park, we have collected certain pieces of history of the great construction in hope to record and review its history.

After more than 100 years of research and investigation, and benefited from the experience and thoughts of people from several generations, we have presented the book which contains 45 pictures, selected from more than 1,000 pictures. We hope the picture book could let you have a taste of the city’s history and people’s memory and expectation of the Daming Palace.

US writer Joel Kotkin said in his book The City: A Global History, that a city’s greatness has relies on the city dwellers’ deep love of their own city.

Whatever a symbol or an artistic conception, an image or a soul, the Daming Palace has been bearing Xi’an dwellers’ deep love. Because it is China’s memory and Xi’an’s future.

Planning: Ren Xi’an

Editor: He Jianchao

Associate Editor: Liu Lei, Ge Chao, Jin Xiaowei

Executive: Zhao Yuan, Wu Keji, Liu Xiaoshi, Su Lei, Tian Dongyang, Wang Wenjing, Bai Chuan