During the Tang Dynasty (618 – 690 and 705 – 907 AD), the city of Chang'an (now present day Xi'an) had the largest population of any urban center, a bastion of cosmopolitan life. Emperor Gaozong relocated the imperial court to not-yet-completed Daming Palace in 662, where the lineage of Tang emperors would reside for the next 220 years.

Today, Daming Palace is a huge 12 square kilometer park, with two thirds of its space open to the public free of charge. Original relics are on display in a museum, and some of the original palace constructions are viewable as well. Most of the park, however contains reconstructions of the buildings which stood centuries ago.