Mount Li is located in the southern part of Lintong District, Xi'an, 25 kilometers away from the downtown area. It is a branch of the Qinling Mountains, stretching 10 kilometers from east to west with an altitude of around 1,000 meters. In ancient times, it was known as Lantian Mountain. There are two versions about the origin of its current name. Some say it was once the territory of the ancient Li Rong State, hence the name Mount Li. Others hold that the mountain resembles a sleek black steed when viewed from afar. Dense woods cover the mountain, with lush green pines and cypresses everywhere.

Halfway up the mountain stands the Laojun Hall, the ruins of the Chaoyuan Pavilion of the Tang Dynasty Huaqing Palace. Du Chang, a poet of the Song Dynasty, depicted this scenic spot vividly in his poem: Having traveled scores of miles across the south,

I reach Huaqing beneath the waning moon and evening breeze.

Sharp west winds sweep over Chaoyuan Pavilion,

Rustling through poplars like pattering rain.

Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty believed in Taoism, and the Chaoyuan Pavilion was where he worshipped Laozi. A stone statue of Laozi once enshrined here was said to be crafted by Yuan Jia'er, a renowned sculptor of the Tang Dynasty. The statue is now preserved in the Xi'an Stele Forest. To the east of the pavilion lies the Hall of Eternal Life of the Huaqing Palace.

Further uphill from the Laojun Hall is the Old Mother Hall, dedicated to the Goddess of Mount Li. At the mountain's summit sits the Beacon Tower. Legend has it that Bao Si, the concubine of King You of the Zhou Dynasty, was a woman of great beauty. Though doted on by the king, she never smiled. To amuse her, the king, misled by treacherous advice, lit beacon fires to fool the feudal lords. The concubine finally broke into laughter, yet the king eventually lost his kingdom. This story has been passed down through ages as a notorious tale.

On the mountainside, there is a narrow passage formed between two huge boulders, barely wide enough for one person to climb through. A pavilion once stood beside it, originally named the Righteous Spirit Pavilion. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was renamed the Chiang Kai-shek Capture Pavilion, and later changed again to the Xi'an Incident Pavilion.

At the foot of Mount Li lies the famous Huaqing Hot Spring. Natural hot springs were discovered here as early as 2,700 years ago, and successive dynasties including the Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang built palaces and resorts around them. Particularly in the Tang Dynasty, the grand and magnificent Huaqing Palace was constructed, spanning dozens of li around the mountain. Du Mu, a celebrated Tang poet, wrote in his Quatrains on Passing Huaqing Palace: Looking back at Chang'an, brocade-like hills unfold;

Gates on the peak open one after another.

A rider stirs up red dust, and the imperial concubine smiles —

No one knows fresh lychees are on their way. The lines present a vivid picture of the palace's prosperity in its heyday.

Thick forests cloak Mount Li. At sunset, golden sunlight bathes the ridges, lending the mountain an enchanting glow. As an old verse goes: At dusk, rosy clouds spread across the sky; one might mistake the glow for beacon fires from the west. This breathtaking view, known as Sunset Glow over Mount Li, ranks among the Eight Great Sights of Guanzhong.

8:00 – 18:00

No.3 East Ring Road, Lintong District, Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province