Built on the site of the Tang dynasty Xingqing Palace — once the residence of Emperor Xuanzong — Xingqing is now Xi'an's largest free public park and an excellent place to see the city outside its tourist mode. Pensioners practise water calligraphy on the paving stones, retired men play Chinese chess at folding tables, and on weekends amateur opera troupes perform under the trees. A small reconstructed Tang pavilion in the centre of the lake holds a fragment of the original palace foundations.
Best in the early morning when the tai chi groups are out, or late afternoon when the families come down. The park sits a short walk east of the Stele Forest, just outside the old city walls.