Huaqing Hot Springs

The original hot spring as been diverted to a covered bathhouse area where you have to pay on top of the entry fees. The only other hot spring outlet is an enclosed area where two pipes tapped into the spring and are set as a water feature of some sort. Again, you have to pay to try the spring water.

The spring water is non volcanic – so very little, if at all any sulfur,more of a carbonate thermal spring.

The original bath pools and structures remained and the history behind each of them is interesting. Due to the upcoming 2008 Olympics large renovation is underway. Curiously they didn’t fence of the construction area; tourists and workers share the same area, which I find a bit odd.

I hope the renovation does not further commercialise this historical site..

A tip I have for non Chinese speaking tourists – I find some of the guides are very poorly versed in Chinese history but they make up for it with wild story telling so make sure you know your history, unless you are happy to hear just stories they make up. And don’t worry, the average Chinese tourists get fooled by these type of guides too – the tourist guides are only there to make money, unfortunately, in any way they can

If you’re heading out from Xi’an to visit the Terracotta Warriors site, Huaqing Hot Springs is a good secondary destination. Located at the foot of Lishan Mountain, the hot springs at Huaqing have been a favored location since early dynastic times and was enjoyed by a succession of dynastic leaders.

Today, the park is a combination of restored (in 1959) Tang-style buildings and ancient excavated structures, all located on a scenic hillside surrounded by pleasant gardens. Admission was reasonable – 30 or 40 yuan, as I recall.

My favorite story about this beautiful spot is of the Tang dynasty emperor Yang Guozhong, who spent so much time here diddling his favorite concubine that his military judgment suffered, leading to the eventual success of the An Shi rebellion, which in turn is credited with contributing to the ultimate downfall of the Tang dynasty – a situation which cannot possibly have looked good on Yang’s resume.