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The Zixiao Palace is located at the foot of Zhanqi Peak -- the highest peak in the Wudang Mountain Range, Hubei Province.
First built in the eleventh year (1413) of the Yonglereign of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Zixiao Palace is one of the ancient palace complexes well preserved in Wudang Mountain. Inside the Dongtian Gate of the Zixiao Palace, there are the Lonhu Hall, the Xunbei Pavilion, the Shifang Hall, the Zixiao Hall and the Fumu Hall in succession. Layer upon layer, all these halls were built according to the terrain of the mountain. Other halls and pavilions are arranged in a compact order, with the East Palace and the West Palace standing on both sides, forming a quiet and elegant yard. Setting off the best in each other, the erect pines and cypresses around, lush bamboos and flowers make the ancient buildings noble and beautiful.
The Zixiao Hall, with a width of five bays, a double-eave roof with nine ridges, green tiles and red walls, looks splendid and dazzling. Architraves,dougong(wooden square blocks inserted between the top of a column and a crossbeam), ceilings in the hall are decorated with colored drawings, and the sunk panel is carved with the embossment of two dragons playing with one pearl. Because of the colored drawings, the whole palace looks noble and splendid. The platform in front of the palace is spacious, complicatedly carved and sublime. Carved with exquisite techniques, lifelike statues of the Jade Emperor and two other gods are enshrined in the palace. Tall and elegant, the Fumu Hall behind the palace embodies the superb architectural technique in ancient China.
In addition, there are several places of interest near the Zixiao Palace, namely the Cijian Platform, the Yuji Pond, and the Yuji Bridge, etc.
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