Huaqing Hot Springs aka: 华清池

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.