Printed in the June 2009 issue of ChinaGrooves

By Michael Kan

More than 2,000 years ago, Xi’an had a palace that dwarfed all others. Or so the legend goes.

This royal mansion stretched on for almost 100 miles, making it so vast that the palace encompassed different climate levels. Numerous treasures and beautiful women inhabited its confines. All the while hundreds of thousands of prisoners had labored to build the grand structure.

They called it Epang Palace, and it was just one of several famous undertakings China’s first emperor ordered during his reign.

Tourists in Xi’an can still visit the palace today. But don’t expect the same grandeur that so many myths have perpetuated over the last two millennia.

To the west of the city is located the new palace, a rebuilt replica constructed in the same area where the ruins of the original can be found.

Although Epang Palace was known for it lavishness, historical records also note that it was burned down in revolt after the first emperor’s death. The resulting fire lasted for three months.

Since then, it was always assumed the famed palace had existed. But recent archaeological excavations have found only a few ruins of the actual structure, suggesting that it may have never been completed. (So much for a palace filled with treasures and beautiful women).

How much of Epang palace is made up of legend may never be fully known. But the new palace tries to recapture the spirit of the long gone monument.

Construction on this tourist attraction began in 1994, and was completed in 2000. In creating it, the builders based it upon what the palace might look like, while incorporating elements from the Qin Dynasty, the time period in which China’s first emperor ruled.

While the new palace only resides in one climate zone, covering about 160 acres, it still manages to summon its own luster with its architecture and art.

At the entrance are two rows of imposing statutes, colored in gold and fashioned after Chinese historical figures. And inside are the various buildings. One includes the ShangTianTai 上天台, a tower with a group of Terracota warriors all kneeling before it. One story is that the tower was built to keep an eye out east for Xu Fu, a sorcerer who w

as sent to find the elixir of life for the first emperor.   

A lake known was also built on the palace grounds, where in the center lies an island holding the first emperor’s sleeping chambers.

But of all the structures at the place, the largest is the front palace. An open hall leads up to it, followed by a path of stars. On the stairs is a golden statue of the first emperor, who looks down upon his palace with a regal stare.

Cost: 38 RMB

Time: 9:00 to 16:00

Bus routes: 302, 521, 720, 901 to 秦阿房宫