Daming Palace

Daming Palace National Heritage Park

The reconstructed Danfeng Gate of the Daming Palace
Established	1 October 2010
Location	Xi'an, China
Coordinates	34°17′02″N 108°57′58″E / 34.284°N 108.966°E / 34.284; 108.966
Type	Archaeological site and history museum

The Daming Palace ("Palace of Great Brilliance") was the imperial palace complex of the Tang Dynasty, located in its capital Chang'an. It served as the royal residence of the Tang emperors for more than 220 years. Today, it is designated as a national heritage site of China. The area is located northeast of present-day Xi'an, Shaanxi Province.

The palace was originally known as Yong'an Palace, but was renamed to Daming Palace in 635. In 662, after renovations to the palace, it was renamed to Penglai Palace. In 670, it was named to Hanyuan Palace or Yuan Palace. Eventually, in 701, the name of the palace became Daming Palace again.

At the founding of the Tang dynasty in 618, the Taiji Palace (太极宫), built in the previous Sui dynasty, was preserved as the imperial residence. Its north entrance, known as the Xuanwu Gate, was the site where prince Li Shimin killed two of his brothers, including the crown prince, at the bloody palace coup known as the Xuanwu Gate Incident in 626. The same year, he was crowned as Emperor Taizong, as his father Emperor Gaozu yielded the throne and became the retired emperor.

In 632, chancellor Ma Zhou charged that the retired Emperor Gaozu was living in Da'an Palace (大安宮) to the west, which he considered an inhospitable place as it was built on low-lying lands of Chang'an that was plagued by dampness and heat during the summer. According to him, ever since Emperor Taizong moved to the countryside during the summers, his retired father was left behind in Chang'an to suffer in the summer heat. However, his father would always decline any invitation to spend the summer together when Emperor Taizong eventually did invite him. Ever since the bloody palace coup of the Xuanwu Gate Incident in 626, it seemed that father and son had drifted apart to an extent that their relationship never healed.