The Southern Song Imperial Palace, located on Phoenix Mountain, stretches from today’s Fengshan Gate in the north, extends to Wansong Ridge in the west, reaches Houchaomen in the east, and borders the Qiantang River in the south. Covering an area of nine miles, it was adorned with palaces such as Wende, Chuigong, and Cining, as well as the Longtu Pavilion. The rear garden featured halls like Zhongmei, Cuihan, Yigu, and Mingyuan, and also included a ‘Small West Lake’ spanning over ten acres, which served as a place of leisure for the emperor and his consorts.
After the fall of the Southern Song Dynasty, Fengshan Imperial Palace was first converted into a Buddhist temple and later destroyed by fire, leaving behind only scattered ruins that invite reflection and contemplation, such as the Paiya Stone inscribed by Qian Miao, the cliff inscription of ‘Loyal’ by Emperor Gaozong Zhao Gou, the ruins of Shengguo Temple, and the moon-viewing site Yueyan.
The site is open to visitors all year round from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM daily.
