Where was Cuiwei Palace in the Tang Dynasty?

Cuiwei Palace, one of the famous royal palaces in the Tang Dynasty. It is located south of the ancient capital Xi'an, at the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains, southeast of Qinghua Mountain, and south of the Luanzhen Street Office of Chang'an District, Xi'an today. It is 19 kilometers away from the center of Xi'an and located at the foot of Cuiwei Mountain, with an altitude of 1,568 meters.

Cuiwei Palace was built by Yan Lide, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, for Li Shimin, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, to spend his summer vacation. After it was built in the 21st year of Zhenguan (647), Taizong began to spend the summer here and handle government affairs. The palace is a "garden on Congshan Mountain", with its main entrance facing north and named Yunxia Hall, the court hall named Cuiwei Hall, and the sleeping hall named Hanfeng Hall. Next to it is the Prince's Palace. The main entrance opens to the west, named Jinhua Gate, and the palace is named Anxi Palace. In April of the 23rd year of Zhenguan (649), Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty came to Cuiwei Palace for the last time. In May, he died in the Hanfeng Hall of Cuiwei Palace on Zhongnan Mountain. Both "Yuanhe Prefectures and Counties Map" and "New Tang Book·Geographical Records" state that Cuiwei Palace was abandoned as a temple in Yuanhe. Luo Tianxiang of the Yuan Dynasty also inherited this statement in "Leibian Chang'an Chronicles·Temple Views". During the Kaiyuan and Tianbao years (713-755), the poet Li Bai and his friends traveled west from Ziwu Valley in the late autumn of one year, and wrote "Reply to Chang'an Cui Shaofu Shu Feng's Visit to Zhongnan Cuiwei Temple and Emperor Taizong's Jinshaquan Meeting": " When I first climbed up Cuiwei Ridge, I rested in the golden sand spring, brushing against the frost and making waves. "It can be seen that by the time when Li Bai lived, Cuiwei Palace had been abandoned as a temple.

After Cuiwei Palace was abandoned as a temple, it became a Tantric resort. Xuanzang, the most famous mage in the Tang Dynasty, translated Buddhist scriptures in Cuiwei Palace after returning from Tianzhu. The place where he lived was called Hongyuan Court. In the third year of Taiping and Xingguo's reign (978), Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty, it was renamed Yongqing Temple, and later returned to its original name. In the middle of Ming Dynasty, few people came here, so the monument was sealed with moss. In the temple, there are existing relic stupas from the Jin Dynasty, Buddhist statues from the Tang Dynasty, Zhu Chengyong's poem "Cuiwei Temple" by Binzhu Taoist Zhu Chengyong, and the "Rebuilding Yongqing Temple Abbot's Compilation Stele" erected in the 37th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1609). In addition, there are a large number of Cultural relics such as simple tiles, slab tiles, square bricks with lotus red patterns, etc. ?

In May of the 23rd year of Zhenguan (649), Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was critically ill. Before his death, he summoned Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang and asked them to assist the prince in governing the country. On the same day of the same month, Taizong died in the Hanfeng Hall of Cuiwei Palace at the age of 52. Prince Li Zhi ascended the throne as Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty.