The thirteen dynasties in Xi’An have left a significant impact on the city itself, which in terms of the historical and cultural profile, allowing the urban fabric is noticeably unique in its own right. Among these historical sites, there is one which hides itself beneath the eyes, and hasn’t been shown since thousands of years ago. The Yuanqiu Ruins, one of the still intact historic remains from the Tang Dynasty. This piece of well-preserved altar structure represents itself as an irreplaceable testament to the traditional ritual system, which is the only piece that can be traced before The Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

The construction was believed to be built during the 9th year of Emperor Wen’s Reign (AD 592), and finally met its completion during the first year of Emperor Zhaozong’s reign (AD 889); approximately 300 years between the Sui and Tang dynasties. The Yuanqiu Ruins is located on the outskirt of the historical Chang’an City, now Xi’AN city, and situated between the Mingde Gate and Qixia Gate, which is about 950 meters away from the Mingde Gate; just outside the southern wall of today’s Senior Colonel of Shaanxi Normal University. In May 2013, the State Council announced Yuanqiu as the seventh batch of the National Cultural Relic Preservation, which is to be heavily protected along with other cultural-inherited units.

About 200 meters to the west of this altar body is the central axis of the Xi’an – Chang’an Road. Due to the complexity of the urban surroundings, the display of this site is mostly inconceivable. At present, only the altar body, and the inner wall have been excavated, archaeological information concerning the cultural relics is still in need of further studies and clarification. Thus, they have not been entirely interpreted. After taking account of the opinions from the Cultural Relics Bureau, the existing archaeological team, as well as the Protection Planning Unit, we intends on having the design task focus on displaying the excavated sites, while paying attention to the protection of the altar body; its preservation is vital, as through its maintenance, we would be endowed with the threshold to further conduct studies associated with the Tang dynasty; both its society and the socio-cultural value it adheres to.

▼从入口处望向圜丘，View from the entrance to the Yuanqiu

The design proposal designates the altar body the inner wall as the main focus, while at the same time, loosen the gap between the Exhibition Road and the Tiantan Road, strengthening connection between the north and the south. The south side is adjacent to the municipal road, which will be characterized with rows of rubble walls, combined with the artificial imitation rammed earth, whose intention is to form a sense of threshold. From a visitor’s perspective, after passing through the entrance, they will enter the imperial road, 160 meters long, from north to south. The Royal Road is divided into three sections by two green belts, the ground of the central passage is longitudinally paved with an entire blue-stone, and the ground of the passages on both sides is made of square bricks. During the entire tour of the Imperial Road, tourists will be given the initiative to focus on the distant hills, from far to near, and form intimate relationships with the great Tang Dynasty atmosphere. The pines and cypresses on both sides of the imperial road will further highlight the solemn and pure atmosphere of the site.