The city of Chang'an occupied about 30 square miles, excluding the palace area. There were fourteen avenues running from north to south and eleven avenues running east to west. These varied in width from 70 to 150 meters and were bordered by ditches which were planted with trees. The west and east sides of Chang'an were divided by the 500 foot wide Zhuque Avenue which ran from the main Mingde gate in the southern wall to the Zhugiao gate into the imperial enclave at the north of town.

Chang'an was divided into over one hundred walled sections, each having four gates which were opened and closed according to the curfew laws. The beating of drums signaled the closing and locking of the gates at night, after which time no one was allowed in the streets except the soldiers patrolling on horseback. Bells were rung in the morning to announce reopening of the gates. While these measures were mainly for security, the divisions in the city were also useful in the compilation of the registry of citizens which was used to collect taxes and draft soldiers for the imperial armies.

There were three Tang palaces in Chang'an but the Daming Palace located in the northeast section of Chang'an was the grandest of them all. The first Tang emperor lived in the Imperial Palace which stood at the center of the northern city wall at the end of Zhuque Avenue. The Daming Palace was built at the northeast edge of the city in 634 by Taizong, the second emperor, for his retired father. The third emperor, Gaozong, moved his entire court to the new palace in 663. The palace complex occupied an area of 3.2 square kilometers (1.24 miles) and was divided into two main areas, the inner court and the front court.

The royal family and their servants lived in the inner court at the back of the Daming Palace complex in the many halls, courtyards and pavilions built in the gardens around Taiye Pond. A large area to the north of Chang'an and abutting on the Palace grounds was reserved as the Imperial Park.

The front court where the official business of the empire was conducted was centered around the Three Great Halls. The Hanuan Hall in front of the palace was the main hall and was used for national ceremonies. This was a U-shaped structure, the right and left sides connected by a gallery and topped with watchtowers. The Linde Hall, located on higher ground to the west of the Taiye Pond, was actually a group of three adjacent structures built around courtyards and linked by corridors on the outside. Here the emperors held banquets and musical entertainments, and received foreign envoys. The Xuanzheng Hall was also called the Middle Court and lay to the north of the Hanyuan Hall. It was here that the emperor held court and issued proclamations. Nearby were several government office buildings.

Just north of the Xuanzheng Hall, the Zichen Hall housed the confidential ministry offices. In this building the emperor held discussions with his ministers, and sometimes hosted large celebrations. The Sanqing Hall was located in the northwest corner of the Daming Palace and was used by the imperial family as a Taoist temple.

The old Imperial Palace became known as the Palace City. The buildings were used as guesthouses for foreign envoys and included a court for receiving them. Along the wide main street, Danfengmen Street, were luxurious hotels, the villas of high officials, and the palaces of provincial representatives. Also living in the Palace City were hostages from various lands who were regularly detained in the capital to ensure the friendship of their noble or royal relatives. Since these were often princes, they were for the most part respected and allowed to lead lives of luxury and idleness, sometimes even being given a nominal rank at court.

Wars in the late ninth century destroyed the Daming Palace. Beginning in 1957, archaeologists have uncovered the sites of the Hanyuan, Linde and Sanqing halls, several pavilions and Taiye Pond.


sources:
Schafer, Edward H. The Golden Peaches of Samarkand. University of California Press, 1985.
Jacques Gernet. A History of Chinese Civilization. Cambridge University Press, 1982.
Daming Palace Site
China Culture Information Net
Image of Emperor Taizong is from Wikimedia Commons and is in the Public Domain.