The palace was built for Emperor Taizong as a renovation of the earlier Renshou palace built for the Emperor Wen of Sui. The project was ordered in the fifth year of his reign (631) and the emperor visited each year in the summer. In the second summer (632), he discovered a spring which was dug out and found to provide sweet water. A stele was erected to record this with an inscription composed by chancellor Wei Zheng and carved by the imperial calligrapher, Ouyang Xun. This is a famous example of his calligraphy and rubbings are now held by several museums. The palace is also the subject of paintings and music such as "The Palace of Nine Perfections" by Eric Ewazen.
Gallery
"The Palace of Nine Perfections" – a set of twelve scrolls on silk by Yuan Jiang. This was inked and painted in 1691 and so includes impressions of the contemporary Kangxi Emperor as well as an imagining of the long-lost palace.
