Mount Li

A bird's eye view of Huaqing Pool  from Mount Li

Mount Li is located in Lintong District in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. As part of Huaqing Pool, the mountain is close to the Museum of the Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses. It once belonged to Lirong Country in the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC - 771 BC), hence its name. It has been a royal garden since the Zhou Dynasty, so many imperial villas are found in the area. Evergreen pine and cypress trees are found on the mountain making it resemble a black horse.

Mount Li has been the tourist destination of many emperors throughout ancient China's history. Many legends about the emperors can be heard here. In ancient times, the mountain used to be the place where Nvwa (the goddess who according to Chinese legend created human beings) did her Rocky melting and Sky-hole patching to save the world. The world famous Emperor Qin Shi Huang built his mausoleum at the foot of the mountain and left the magnificent Terracotta Warriors and Horses. In Tang Dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong and the beauty Yangguifei's sorrowful yet beautiful love story happened here. Even in Qing Dynasty, when escaping from Beijing to Xi'an during the war, Empress Dowager Cixi still went here for a few moments of pleasure.
 

 Sunset Pavilion (Wanzhao Ting)
The sunset on the mountain is one of the eight scenic sights in Guanzhong (the area between the Loess Plateau and Qinling Mountain in Shaanxi). The Sunset Pavilion (Wanzhao Ting) was built to appreciate the splendid sunset. From the pavilion one can have a bird's eye view of the Huaqing Pool, the East Garden and the Wei River.

 Remonstrance Pavilion (Bingjian Ting)
The Remonstrance Pavilion (Bingjian Ting), signifies where Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng (both generals of the Republic of China) caught Chiang Kai-shek (the President of the Republic of China) and forced him to fight against the Japanese invaders during the Anti-Japanese War (1937-1945).

Remonstrance Pavilion

Beacon Tower

 Beacon Tower (Fenghuo Tai)
The Beacon Tower is where the battlefield report was passed and troops deployed in ancient China. At the end of the Western Zhou Dynasty, King You married a beauty Baosi, but she never smiled once they were married. In order to make her laugh, he lightened the signal fire and teased the vassals. Later when the aggressors intruded, King Zhou lightened the fire but no vassal came to rescue him and the Western Zhou Dynasty was then vanquished.

 Laojun Palace (Laojun Dian)
Laojun Palace is the place where Lao Zi is worshiped. Lao Zi was an ancient Chinese philosopher and the founder of Taoism. The Laojun Palace is a Taoism Temple. It is said that in Tang Dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong has accidentally seen Lao Zi's manifestation twice in the temple. The white jade statue of Lao Zi was once worshiped in the temple, however during the Tang Dynasty it was partly destroyed in war. The statue is now reserved in the Shaanxi Historical Museum.
 

 From Xi'an: Xi'an Bus / Metro Search
Take metro line 1 to Fangzhicheng Station and then transfer to line 9. Get off at Huaqing Pool Station. Or take Tourist Line You 5 (306) at Fangzhicheng Transpoirtation Hub and get off at Huaqing Pool.

 From Lintong: Take bus Lintong 601, Lintong 602 or Lingtong Tourist Line 613 and get off at Huaqing Pool.
 

By Cable Car.
Ticket Fare:
March-November: CNY 60 for round trip; CNY 35 for single uphill trip; CNY 30 for single downhill trip.
December-next February: CNY 40 for round trip; CNY 25 for single uphill trip; CNY 20 for single downhill trip.

Entrance Fee	Note: Mount Li is included in the Huaqing Pool Scenic Area, so visitors need to buy a ticket for Huaqing Pool, which is CNY 120. Free for children under 1.2m (3.9ft)
Opening Hours	March-November: 07:00-19:00 December-next February: 07:30-18:00
Best time to visit	May-June