Stories about Huaqing Hot Spring

Through the west gate visitors can visit Nine-Dragon Pool, the Lotus Flower Pool and the Frost Drifting Hall rebuilt in 1959 in Tang architectural style.

There is a legend about the Nine-Dragon Pool that a severe drought once happened in central Shaanxi. The Jade Emperor (the Supreme Deity of Heaven- a legendary figure) ordered a dragon with his eight sons to produce rain. The dragons got slack just as the disaster was abating, and the drought became much more severe. That is why replicas of young dragons were submerged under the Jade Causeway, with the pavilions of Brilliant Dawn and Glowing Sunset built on each side. The dragons spout clear water all day long. And the old dragon was confined to the bottom of the Murmruing Dragon Pavilion at the upper end of the Jade Causeway.

Located on the Xixiu Ridge (the West Embroidery Ridge) of Mt. Lishan, the remains of the beacon tower of the Western Zhou dynasty are easily identified. In ancient times, this beacon tower, built at the top of the mountain, was used to give alarms of border attacks. Once the enemy pressed towards the border, a signal would be sent from the beacon tower.

In the 8th century BC on the top of the mountain, King You of the Western Zhou Dynasty set fire at the beacon tower and fooled his sovereign rulers in order to see a smile on the face of Baosi, his most favorite concubine. He set fire again and again and no one believe him any longer. As the result, King You was killed by Quanrong (a then minority tribe) and his state was overthrown. This is a very famous story called "The Sovereign Rulers Are Fooled By The Beacon Tower" in China's history.

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Accroding to the legend, Qin Shihuang, the first Emperor of the Qin Dynasty , was spat and got sores on his face because he wanted to take liberties with a fairy maiden. And then the fairy maiden forgave him and hinted him to wash his sore face in the hot spring. To his surprise, his faces become well soon. So the Hot Spring was also called "Fairy Lady Spring".

This Hot Spring was the resort palace of many emperors in following dynasties. Emperor Xuanzong used to spend winter in the company of Yang Guifei (Lady Yang) - his favorite concubine in the Hall of Fluttering Frost. The hall gains its name due to the slightly milky mist and vapor over the pool year around. In winter, the snowflakes soon thaw immediately in front of the Hall because of the lukewarm vapor rising out of the hot spring. They were intoxicated in their own pleasures and put the state affairs away. It caused the rebellion of An Lushan and made the prosperous Tang Dynasty begin to decline.

The site of Xi'an incident can be seen also inside the Huaqing Palace, known as Double Twelfth incident started by General Zhang Xueliang and Xueliang and Yang Hucheng, in which Chiang Kaishek was forced to agree the proposal to fight against Japanese invaders.