Epang Palace does not exist: 24-10-2007
Tourists who were hoping to one day visit the renowned Epang Palace may be disappointed, as an archaeological team has decided that the building is probably nothing but a myth.
Epang Palace, located in Epang Village, 15 kilometers to the west suburb of
Xi'an, was ccording to legend built by 700,000 conscripts under orders of Emperor Qin Shihuang. It was widely believed that the palace was destroyed by fire during a peasant revolt which overthrew the Qin Dynasty.
However, Li Yufang, staff researcher at the Institute of Archaeology of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), told an international archaeological workshop in central China: "After five years of thorough research, we found no evidence of the legendary Epang Palace."
He added: "Archaeological finds suggested that the front hall of the Epang Palace had partially constructed, but the rest of the palace might have never been built. The famous fire set by Xiang Yu didn't exist either."
The Epang Palace research team's most recent archaeological excavation involved drilling in an area of 135 square kilometres, and while 14 historical sites were discovered, none of them appeared to be the Epang Palace. The ruins found belonged to Shanglinyuan, another imperial palace dating back to the Qin and Han Dynasties.
Despite Li Yufang's declaration that the Epang Palace never existed, other archaeologists say that more excavations in more areas should be carried out before the existence of the mighty palace could be entirely ruled out.