National Parks of ChinaOverview
| Province | Shaanxi |
| Mountains | Qinling Mountains |
| Latitude, longitude | 34.37, 109.21 Google Maps |
| Themes | Spring, Geothermal, Ancient Building, Palace, Culture, Mountain, Hot springs, Imperial palaces & gardens |
About
Mount Li (Lishan), also called Xiuling, rises south of Lintong at the northern foot of the Qinling range; its highest point, Jiulongding, is 1,302 m. It is named for its resemblance to a black horse (li) seen from afar. King You of Zhou is said to have built a palace here; the First Qin Emperor made it the Lishan Baths, and the Tang emperor Xuanzong enlarged it into the Huaqing Palace, also called the Huaqing Pool for its hot springs. About 30 km east of central Xi’an, it is famous for the story of Xuanzong and his consort Yang Guifei.
The east section bears a gilded plaque “Huaqing Pool” in the hand of Guo Moruo and contains the Lotus and Flying Rosy Cloud pavilions and the Five-Room Hall; the Ode to the Hot Spring stele on the spring wall is a gem of Chinese stone inscription. The middle section is the museum of the Tang imperial baths: the Lotus, Crabapple, Crown Prince, Shangshi and Star baths, with an exhibition hall. The west section has the Nine-Dragon Lake and the Feixia Hall, and a large mural in 90 pieces of white marble, 9.15 m by 3.6 m, showing Xuanzong receiving Yang Yuhuan at the hot-spring palace for the first time in 740.
When the Xi’an Incident broke out in 1936 Chiang Kai-shek was staying in the Five-Room Hall. Halfway up the mountain, by the Striped Tiger Rock, stands the Remonstrance Pavilion, once called the “Catch Chiang Pavilion”.
On the western ridge is the famous Taoist Laojun Hall. On the summit is a beacon tower: legend places here the story of King You lighting the war beacons to make his favourite Baosi smile, “one smile that lost the kingdom”.
Nearby
| World Heritage | Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor and the Terracotta Army 7km, Daming Palace 24km, Xingjiao Temple Pagoda 35km, Dafosi Grottoes 136km |
| National parks | Mount Hua 81km, Wulao Peak 130km, Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor 135km, Qiachuan, Heyang 139km |
| AAAAA attractions | Daming Palace Scenic Area 24km, City Wall and Forest of Steles Historical and Cultural Scenic Area 27km, Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and Tang Paradise Scenic Area 28km, Qianling Mausoleum Scenic Area 94km |
| AAAA attractions | Banpo Museum 18km, Qujiang Ocean Polar Park 27km, Hancheng Lake 28km, Guangren Temple 28km |
| Historic cities | Xi'an 27km, Xianyang 46km |
| Cities | Xi’an 29km |
| Historical sites | Huaqing Palace Site <1km, Jiangzhai Site 1km, Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang 5km, Eastern Qin Mausoleums 5km |