CHINA 5A TRAVEL
Most travelers pair Huaqing Palace with the Terracotta Army - the two are 10 minutes apart by Bus 306 - with the classic plan being warriors in the morning and the palace in the afternoon, or the palace first if you want the mountain. Arrive early or late to dodge tour-group waves, budget 2-3 hours for the gardens, and consider staying into the evening: the night show is the reason many visitors come at all.
Suggested Itinerary
- Morning: baths and history
Enter by the west gate and start at the Tang Imperial Bath Museum and the Yang Guifei 'emerging from the bath' statue, then walk on to Wujian Hall to see the Xi'an Incident bullet holes. - Midday: Nine-Dragon Lake and gardens
Loop past Feishuang Hall, Nine-Dragon Lake, Changshengdian and the Furong Garden lakes and waterfall; grab lunch near the gates and browse the cultural-creative store by the exit. - Afternoon: up Mount Li
Take the cable car (base outside the gate) or the steep footpath toward the beacon tower, stopping at Bingjian Pavilion where Chiang Kai-shek was captured in 1936. - Evening: the night show
Return for 'The Song of Everlasting Sorrow' on Nine-Dragon Lake - book seats ahead, and note that the last sessions start after 23:00 in peak season.
What to See
Haitang Pool
The crabapple-shaped stone bath built for Yang Guifei - bigger in person than photos suggest - at the heart of the bath museum.
Wujian Hall's bullet holes
The 1936 lodge where Chiang Kai-shek stayed; look closely for the bullet marks left from the night of December 12.
Nine-Dragon Lake & Feishuang Hall
Tang-style halls and stone balustrades doubled in the lake's reflection - the classic postcard shot of the palace.
Changshengdian immersive show
The Hall of Eternal Life hosts a multi-floor, high-tech immersive show on the Xuanzong-Yang Guifei story; sessions are limited, so check the last entry time when you arrive.
Mount Li beacon tower
The ridge-top fire-signal tower of King You's legend, with wide views over the palace and the Wei River plain.
Bingjian Pavilion
The hillside pavilion marking the spot where Chiang Kai-shek was found hiding in 1936 - a sightseeing-car ride or steep climb above the palace.
Photo Gallery
Tips from Real Travelers
Food & Drink
Lintong pomegranates & fresh juice
Lintong is one of China's top pomegranate regions; autumn stalls around the scenic area sell the fruit and its freshly pressed juice.
Huojing persimmons
Small, honey-sweet seedless persimmons unique to Lintong, at their juicy best in late autumn.
Shi zi mo & buckwheat hele noodles
Crisp stone-baked flatbread and chewy buckwheat hele noodles - two Lintong street-food classics.
Gourd chicken & Xi'an classics
Gourd chicken, a golden whole bird shaped like a gourd, anchors local banquets; biangbiang noodles, roujiamo and liangpi are everywhere nearby.
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