Hall of Light
Original foundations.
Windmemories — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 张志强（西海山人） — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Raki_Man — CC BY 3.0 · Windmemories — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Windmemories — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ghrkya — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ghrkya — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Windmemories — CC BY-SA 4.0
Two vast halls on the site of Luoyang's imperial palace of the Sui and Tang dynasties. The Mingtang, or «Hall of Light», was begun in spring 688 on the orders of Empress Wu Zetian, on the base of the Ziwei Palace's main hall; it hosted the great ceremonies and the issuing of decrees, and some scholars count it among the largest single wooden buildings in history, with an original height estimated at about 91 m. Its foundations were found by chance in 1986, and a modern building that protects and displays them opened in 2011, where visitors see the old rammed-earth base inside. Next to it stands the Tiantang, the «Heavenly Hall», the tallest building of the palace in Empress Wu's time, with a tall tower raised over its site today. Tickets cost CNY 120, often about 88 when booked online, and it is open from 8.30 am to 9 pm from April to October and to 8.30 pm in winter; the night lighting of both halls can be seen free from the north square, per visitor guides.
Original foundations.
The palace tower.
From the square.
Sui-Tang Luoyang City site, Luoyang
Yes, it stays open until 9 pm from April to October, and the night lighting of both halls can be seen free from the north square without a ticket, per visitor guides.
