Epang Palace

The Epang Palace (E-pang Palace; also Ebang Palace; simplified Chinese: 阿房宫; traditional Chinese: 阿房宮; pinyin: Ēpánggōng; Wade–Giles: E1-p'ang2-kung1)[1] in western Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China, was a palace complex of Qin Shi Huang, emperor of China. Construction of the palace began in 212 BC. With the exception of its front hall, it was never completed according to findings by Chinese archaeologists.[2]

Illustration of Epang Palace

When the anti-Qin rebel Xiang Yu entered the already surrendered capital Xianyang in 206 BC, he had the city slaughtered and pillaged, and burnt the unfinished Epang Palace to the ground.

According to David W. Pankenier, its dimensions during the Han are described by Sima Qian as constituting 693 m long × 116.5 m wide, its rammed earth foundation platform measures 1,320 m east to west, 420m north to south, and 8 m in height.[3]

Since 1961, the site of the palace is listed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (1-151).

See also

References
  1. Discussed in reference works together with other Chinese palaces under the umbrella term Ruins of the Xianyang Qin Palace (Ruins of the Sienyang Ch'in Palace; Chinese: 咸阳秦宫殿遗址; pinyin: Xiányáng Qín Gōngdiàn Yízhǐ; Wade–Giles: Hsien2-yang2 Ch'in2 Kung1-tien4 I2-chih3).
  2. http://english.people.com.cn/200412/28/eng20041228_168965.html Epang Palace Legends Blasted
  3. "The cosmic center in Early China and its archaic resonances", “Oxford IX” International Symposium on Archaeoastronomy Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 278, 2011, Clive L.N. Ruggles, ed. p.299. Available on Academia.edu as of July 7, 2013.
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