inside the fourth courtyard, there is a structure called the phoenixpavilion, a place where worshipers wait for services. the pavilion, in fact, isa complex of three small buildings. the six-gabled structure in the central partis adjoined by two three-gabled buildings on each side which make it look like aflying phoenix; hence its name. just at the back of the pavilion there is a fishpond, and beyond it is a platform with an area of 700 square meters. acrotheplatform stands the 1,300-square-meter prayer hall. it holds over 1,000worshipers at a time. the ceiling is decorated with over 600 panels. the wallsof the hall, as well as the panels, are decorated with patterns of trailingplants and arabic letters. the shrine at the western end of the hall is wherethe imam and worshipers chant the koran and pay homage while facing in thedirection of mecca.
the moslems in china share much the same customs with their brothers andsisters elsewhere in the world. they worship five times a day: at dawn, at noon,in the afternoon, at dusk, and at night.
the constitution of china acknowledges that each citizen has the rightfreedom of religion, and that each ethnic group has the freedom to preserve orreform its own customs. of course, the moslems in china enjoy equal rights withother ethnic groups, and their religious beliefs and customs are respectedeverywhere in the country.
huaqing pool is situated about 35 kilometres east of the city of xi’an.historically, the western zhou dynasty saw the construction of the li palace onthe spot. in the qin dynasty a pool was built with stones, and was given thename lishan tang (the lishan hot spring). the site was extended into a palace inthe han dynasty, and renamed the li palace (the resort palace). in the tangdynasty, li shimin (emperor tai zong) ordered to construct the hot springpalace, and emperor xuan zong had a walled palace built around lishan mountainin the year of 747. it was known as the huaqing palace. it also had the namehuaqing pool on account of its location on the hot springs.
huaqing pool is located at the foot of the lishan mountain, a branch rangeof the qinling ranges, and stands 1,256 metres high. it is covered with pinesand cypresses, looking very much like a like a dark green galloping horse from along distance. so it has the name of the lishan mountain (li means a blackhorse).
the tang dynasty emperor xuan zong and his favourite lady, yang gui feiused to make their home at frost drifting hall in winter days. when winter came,snowflakes were floating in the air, and everything in sight was white. however,they came into thaw immediately in front of the hall. it owed a great deal tothe luke warm vapour rising out of the hot spring. this is the frost driftinghall that greets us today.
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