The prairie was once the summer resort area for emperors of the Liao (907–1125), Jin (1115–1234), and Yuan dynasties.Įvery summer, the prairie is full of nasturtiums, looking like a golden ocean from a distance. Jinlianchuan Prairie is part of the Xilingol Grassland on which Xanadu was built. Xanadu was greatly damaged due to unceasing wars with the Mongols to the north during the Ming Dynasty, leaving only a grassy mound, crumbling walls, and ruined curbs for the later generations to ponder over and dream about. On its right side are the Mongolian cavalry, and on the left side are the ministers of the Yuan Dynasty, including Liu Bingzhong, Kublai's Chinese advisor, who designed and built Xanadu, and Marco Polo, the Venetian explorer who served at Kublai's court between 12. In the center of the statues, it is the huge statue of Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty. The statues symbolize the 750-year history of the site of Xanadu, the 34 years of Kublai Khan’s reign, and the Yuan Dynasty. There is a group of statues that are about 7.5 meters high, 34 meters long, and 6 meters thick. Grassland Area of Xanadu 4 Things to Do at Xanadu 1) Admire the Huge Statue of Kublai Khan The site of Xanadu is located in Inner Mongolia’s grassland area and, for sure, the best time to visit there is June to September with mild temperatures and lush grassland scenery. The east, west, and south neighborhoods outside of the Outer City wall had markets, stores, and civilian residences. To the north and west of the Imperial City lies the Outer City, with an imperial garden in the north and the imperial workshops in the south. The Imperial City is in the southeast corner of the Outer City sharing part of its wall. The government office area is in the south of the Imperial City, Qianyuan Temple is in its northeast, and Longguang Huayan Temple in its northwest. The stone blockwork Imperial City wall surrounded the City Courtyard. River water was diverted into a pool in the center of the City Court. ![]() Its main buildings include the Crystal Palace, Great Joy Palace (Hongxi Palace), Solemnity and Serenity Pavilion (Muqing Pavilion), and Great Peace Pavilion (Da’an Pavilion). The City Court wall was made of bricks with watchtowers at its four corners. It also had a Mongolian-style palace, and is surrounded by the vast Jinlianchuan grassland with traditional yurt-style buildings of the nomads. It is a very traditional construction style of the HanChinese majority, composed of the City Courtyard, the Imperial City and the Outer City, with the Shangdu River (Neidianhe) in the south and the Longgang Mountains in the north. Xanadu has a square perimeter of about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles), about 2.25 kilometers (1.4 miles) from north to south and 2.25 kilometers from east to west. To learn more about the history of Kublai Khan and his Yuan Dynasty, feel free to contact us for a tour there with an expert guide. The Site of Xanadu has been open to the public since July 15th, 2011 and was listed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO on June 29th, 2012. Soon after, the prefecture city was stripped of its status and changed to a border guard post, which was in turn finally abandoned in 1430, the 3rd year of the Ming Dynasty. In 1369, the second year after the Ming Dynasty replaced the Yuan Dynasty, Shangdu’s name was changed back to Kaiping Prefecture. Kaiping City/Prefecture was renamed Shangdu (Xanadu in Mongolian) and served as the summer capital where the emperors escaped from the heat of the southern capital of Dadu ( Beijing) and conducted state affairs along with their senior officials each summer. In 1271, Kublai Khan, Genghis Khan's grandson ascended to the throne in China and changed the country’s dynasty name from Song to Yuan. ![]() Initially known as Kaiping City, Xanadu was built in 1256, the 50th year of the Mongol Empire, 23 years before the full establishment of the Yuan Dynasty (1279–1367) in China. Suited to: anyone, especially history lovers.Popular activities: learning about the history of Kublai Khan, the Yuan Dynasty, and the Mongolian Empire Jinlianchuan grassland activities. ![]() Chinese: 元上都 Yuán Shàngdū /ywen shung-doo/ ‘Upper Capital’.You’re welcome to contact our Inner Mongolia expert for more information if you can’t find what you need. Scroll down to find key travel info and things to do at Xanadu. It rivals Pompeii of Italy in its historical value. The Venetian explorer Marco Polo praised it as “the richest city on earth” in the late 13th century. Xanadu, or Shangdu, meaning ‘Upper Capital’, reflects a combination of the farming culture of China's Central Plains and the nomadic culture of north China. As a ‘key cultural relic unit’ of China, the site of Xanadu served as the summer capital of the Yuan Dynasty during the 13th and 14th centuries.
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