page_title: Chang'an
section_title: West Palace
hierarchical_section_title: Chang'an / Sui and Tang periods / Locations and events during the Tang dynasty / West Palace
caption_attribution_description: The Jingyun Bell, cast in 711 during the Tang Dynasty. 247 cm high and 6,500 kg. On display at the Xi'an Bell Tower in Xi'an, PRC. Tourists can ring the bell for a fee.
context_page_description: Chang'an was an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese since it was a capital that was repeatedly used by new Chinese rulers. During the short-lived Xin dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace"; the old name was later restored. By the time of the Ming dynasty, a new walled city named Xi'an, meaning "Western Peace", was built at the Sui and Tang dynasty city's site, which has remained its name to the present day.
  Chang'an had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo in the city's suburb. Also in the northern vicinity of the modern Xi'an, Qin Shi Huang of the Qin dynasty held his imperial court, and constructed his massive mausoleum guarded by the famed Terracotta Army.
  From its capital at Xianyang, the Qin dynasty ruled a larger area than either of the preceding dynasties. The imperial city of Chang'an during the Han dynasty was located northwest of today's Xi'an.
context_section_description: The West Palace to the north included:
  An archery hall
  Polo grounds
  Elaborate Gardens
  Five large water ponds and three different streams
  A cuju football field
  A drum tower
  A bell tower
  The residence of the Crown Prince, dubbed the 'East Palace'
  The Flank Court, where women were incarcerated for the crimes of their husbands and other menfolk of the family they remained loyal to.
  The school for palace ladies
  The Seat of the Eunuch Agency
caption: The bronze jingyun bell cast in the year 711 AD, measuring 247 cm high and weighing 6,500 kg, now located at the Bell Tower of Xi'an
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