Afang Palace in the Xi'an Outskirts

The Palace of the First Emperor of China – Afang

The famous Afang Palace complex was built on the south bank of the Wei River at the foot of Li Mount, in 212. This is the first palace, built by order of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who united China's land and initiated the construction of the Great Wall of China. The Palace name – Afang is translated as “near the capital”. Afang was to become a symbol of the power of the First Emperor of China, so the architects cared of special pomp and splendor of the building.

The palace complex area of 150 square meters could easily accommodate 10,000 emperor’s subjects and 16-meter banners of the imperial army. The palace building was richly decorated with patterned tiles and murals with images of birds, animals and other elements of skillful decoration.

Unfortunately, the time has almost completely destroyed the palace. So in 1995, it was rebuilt on its historic site. Out the original buildings there are Palace Chambers of six countries, Front Hall, Gates hitting a stone, Lanchi Palace gallery, lying bridge, altar and terrace. Some of the palace buildings managed to preserve the frescoes that look remarkably bright, though they were painted more than 18 centuries ago.

The Afang Palace, re-built by the restorers with the help of written records and ancient drawings, is recognized as one of the masterpieces of Chinese architecture and certainly worthy of the attention of tourists. Every day the visitors are offered organized performances on the Qin era, such as “Qin Shi Huang Ascends the Throng” or “Dispatching Generals for Battle”, and on public holiday and weekend - live shows with fireworks. The Afang Palace is not only a tourist attraction, but also a popular place for family recreation. It has also fishing facilities, arranges theatricalized palace feasts and other interesting entertainment.