[2025 Datong Attraction] Travel Guide for Dai Wang Fu (Updated Mar)

【Introduction to Daiwangfu】 Zhu Gui, Prince of Dai, was the thirteenth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty. His mother was Consort Guo Huifei, and his principal wife was Consort Xu, the daughter of Xu Da, the Prince of Zhongshan. He was one of the nine princes who fought against foreign invaders. The "Nine Frontier Kings" refer to the vassal kings appointed by the Ming Dynasty to guard the frontiers and expand the territory. From east to west, they are the King of Han, the King of Shen, the King of Liao, the King of Ning, the King of Qi, the King of Yan, the King of Gu, the King of Dai, the King of Jin, the King of An, the King of Qin, the King of Qing, and the King of Su. Under the general environment of the initial political situation in the early Ming Dynasty, these vassal kings were responsible for guarding the frontiers, protecting the country and repelling the barbarians. It can be said that the first generation of "Nine Frontier Kings" was a luxurious facelift of the Ming Dynasty. Among them was "Yan King" Zhu Di, who ascended the throne through the "Jingnan Campaign". Datong, where King Dai was stationed, was the core of the "Nine Frontier Cities" and the gateway to protect the capital. Dai Wangfu is the residence of Zhu Gui, the Dai Wang of Ming Dynasty. It is located in the northeast corner of Datong Ancient City, facing south and in a rectangular shape. It was a high-ranking and large-scale palace complex in Datong City in Ming Dynasty. It was also the carrier of the patriarchal hierarchy and feudal etiquette of the country at that time. 11 Dai Wangs successively managed government affairs here, carrying extremely rich historical and cultural information. The Dai Palace was built in 1392 AD (the 25th year of the Hongwu reign). It was built by Dai Prince Zhu Gui on the basis of the Xijing Imperial Academy of the Liao and Jin Dynasties. It was basically completed in 1396 (the 29th year of the Hongwu reign), which took 4 years to complete. The main buildings on the central axis are Chengyun Hall, Cunxin Hall and Changchun Palace. The entire palace complex is large in scale, majestic, magnificent, with deep palaces, scattered houses and winding corridors. The Dai Palace was built based on the Nanjing Ming Palace, with reduced regulations, and strictly in accordance with the construction principle of the capital in "Zhou Li·Kaogongji" of "front court and back market, left ancestor and right community". In terms of architectural layout, the entire palace is combined into a whole with the techniques of shape changes and ups and downs. Functionally, it conforms to the hierarchy of feudal society. At the same time, it achieves the artistic effect of left-right balance and shape changes. As a structure, there are many memorial archways in the palace, including "Qin Cheng Shang Ming Shi Shou Dai Bang Archway" on the east side of the door and "Tian Huang Zong Di Qin Fan Archway" on the west side of the door. The memorial archways are tall and majestic, showing the majesty of the palace. The entire building complex is connected by corridors and courtyards, with scattered houses, front halls and back bedrooms, two side rooms, deep palaces and winding corridors. It is a large-scale and well-planned prince's residence. As a prince's residence, the Dai Wang Mansion is unprecedented in scale. It is not only the largest princely palace complex in the Ming Dynasty, but also a witness to the entire Ming Dynasty's frontier legend. 【Performance Introduction】 The performances at the Dai Wangfu are still mainly based on the "Great Harmony in the World" series, retaining the "Municipal Customs and Folk Customs" series that was widely acclaimed during the Spring Festival, and creating a new "Ming Dynasty Style" series, which includes a main show "Great Harmony in the World", 16 supporting shows, and 24 small theater shows. In the "Great Harmony of the World", you can immerse yourself in the integration of the Han and the Hu peoples in the border areas of the Ming Dynasty, the exotic customs and the tense confrontation between the military strongholds. Jinyi arrests, military garrisons in the nine border areas, imperial concubine selection and palace fighting... The one-hour main show and five supporting shows make you not only an audience but also a part of the show. "The Glory of the Ming Dynasty" is a brand-new performing arts series this year. With 10 wonderful programs, you can see the flying apsaras on the murals, royal banquets, the royal son-in-law, the royal love, as well as drumming, lion fighting, on-site scientific expeditions by Liu Bowen and Li Shanchang, the founding heroes of the Ming Dynasty, and the patriotism of the nine important towns. There is also a colorful light show that lights up the night sky of the Dai Palace. "Municipal Folk Customs" presents 24 wonderful plays in a very down-to-earth form. "Two hands dance with each other to tell the history of the past, and a curtain of lanterns hides the Spring and Autumn Period," a shadow play tells a century of history; "The three-foot stage is a play in the palm of your hand, and ten fingers are intertwined with sorrow and joy," a puppet show goes through all kinds of life; shuttles between reality and fantasy, and switches between art and magic, an ancient magic trick encompasses everything in the world; rooted in the folk, but also a universal language of the world, an acrobatic performance of the art of body language.