Anding Prince's Mansion

　　    Introduction     Kai Cheng at the eastern foot of the Liupan Mountain was a piece of land meticulously developed by Genghis Khan, Emperor Xianzong Möngke, and Emperor Shizu Kublai Khan. It is also the site of the Anding Prince’s Mansion.

　　    The architectural scale of the Anding Prince’s Mansion was extremely grand. In recent years, archaeologists surveying the Kai Cheng ruins have found exposed fragments of yellow, green, and white glazed architectural tiles on the surface, especially those with green and yellow glazes, as well as yellow-glazed round tiles adorned with dragon patterns. In feudal China, the dragon symbolized the emperor, and only the imperial palace could use yellow-glazed tiles decorated with dragon motifs.

　　    This indicates that palatial structures once stood here. The palace complex of the Anding Prince’s Mansion was luxurious and magnificent, featuring gardens, fishponds, and other recreational areas for the Anding Prince and his consorts. Unfortunately, these buildings were destroyed in an earthquake. On the 25th day of the eighth lunar month in the tenth year of the Dade era (1306), “An earthquake struck Kai Cheng, damaging the royal palace and houses of officials and commoners, killing over 5,000 people including the late Princess Consort of the Qin Prince, Yelewan.” Judging from the number of casualties, the palace and residence complex must have covered a very large area at the time.

　　    Guyuan City, Ningxia