[2025 Hangzhou Attraction] Travel Guide for Deshou Palace (Updated Feb)

🍂 The red wall is so Chinese style! The red wall of Hangzhou Deshou Palace is so photogenic! It feels like New Year! 🍂 Photo tips: 1⃣️You can choose a linear composition when taking photos. Straight lines look better. 2⃣️You can pick up fallen leaves as photo props. 3⃣️The plane trees can be used as the foreground. 4⃣️Walk around and take a series of photos. -

The Deoksugung Ruins in Hangzhou, nestled in the bustling city, silently narrate the past glory of the Southern Song royal family. This site was once the residence of Emperor Gaozong Zhao Gou after his abdication. The remaining walls and ruins seem to whisper the secrets of the palace from centuries ago. Although it no longer holds its former splendor, the broken walls, ancient wells, and stone foundations still allow one to feel the exquisite craftsmanship of the Southern Song court and the weight of history. The site is lush with greenery and serene, like an oasis of time, attracting history enthusiasts to visit. The Deoksugung Ruins are not only a historical mark but also a place for reflecting on the rise and fall of dynasties and cultural heritage, like an open history book waiting for people to read.

#chinatrip 📍Café inside De Shou Palace, Hang Zhou, China One of the must visit places while in Hang Zhou ought to be De Shou Palace, which is one of the beautiful palace with long history which dates back to Southern Song Dynasty. The palace is charming with plenty of areas to explore for such the ancient royal gardens, pagodas. We stumbled across this hidden café in De Shou Palace serving latte with a hint of local flavours, gui hua and de iced to give it a try! The café is hidden, with wooden furnitures in store, making it really cozy and antique! The coffee was served with cute printed coffee art which was really cute and instagrammable. Perfect place for a little rest after all the sight seeing in the palace!

Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty loved lakes, mountains, springs, rocks, pavilions, and terraces. Emperor Xiaozong built a large number of garden landscapes in Deshou Palace and often accompanied Emperor Gaozong to visit the gardens. The North Garden is ingeniously built and compact, reflecting the characteristics of "a world in a bottle," "skillful in borrowing, exquisite in body," and "suitable for travel and residence." The east area is a plant viewing area, the south area is a place for banquets and entertainment activities, and Zaixin Hall south of Furong Hill is where Emperor Gaozong held banquets. The west area is dominated by landscapes, with the core landscape imitating the Lingyin Mountains and waters, while the north area is decorated with various pavilions and halls. The Juyuan Building, which occupies the commanding heights of the back garden, is located in the northwest corner. Emperor Xiaozong of the Song Dynasty maintained the habit of "holding court every five days" for a long time and expanded Deshou Palace many times, which was called "North Palace" at that time. In the 16th year of Chunxi (1189), Emperor Xiaozong of the Song Dynasty abdicated and retired to Deshou Palace, which was renamed Chonghua Palace. Song people had banquets such as Feiying Banquet (flower viewing), Nuanhan Banquet (snow viewing), Boat Banquet (painted boat), Tanchun Banquet (spring outing), Tongnian Banquet (singing), and Zhenshuai Banquet (elderly). In addition to the harmonious father and son of Emperor Gaozong and Emperor Xiaozong, the North Palace also welcomed two diligent and frugal female hosts, Empress Wu and Empress Xie. Empress Wu was good at writing and calligraphy, and her calligraphy style was similar to that of Emperor Gaozong. She also presided over the Shaoxi abdication. Yaozhou Kiln began in the Tang Dynasty and was the most famous kiln in the northern celadon system during the Song Dynasty. It once made tribute porcelain for the court. The Southern Song Dynasty official kilns included "Xiuneisi Kiln" and "Jiaotanxia Kiln," with glaze colors including powder blue, light blue, gray blue, moon white, and rice yellow. Goryeo celadon is porcelain made on the Korean Peninsula during the Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392). In the first half of the 12th century, it became an artistic masterpiece comparable to the celadon of famous Chinese kilns. Song people liked to make wine cups in the shape of flowers, and sunflower cups were classic styles. Flower mouth bottles began in the Tang Dynasty and became popular in the Song and Jin Dynasties. In the first year of Jingde of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty (1004), blue and white porcelain was produced in Jingdezhen.

#internationaltravel 📍De Shou Palace, Hang Zhou, China (德寿宫) Have recently visited the famous De Shou Palace while travelling to Hang Zhou, and it was definitely worth the the visit! Visitors should pre book the slot ahead via the website or scan the qr code before entering the palace and go through a series of bag checks. The palace is stunning and beautifully crafted. The palace was originally built in the Southern Song Dynasty as the Overlord’s residence and it is now a site museum for visitors to visit! Love the ambiance which was quiet and serene. We were in awe with the architectures and the buildings. There are a few exhibition sites, with interactive 3D installations, digital projection for visitors to have a glimpse of what De Shou Palace looked like in the past. Such a great blend of modern and ancient in a building! Would recommend!

The Red 🔴 Wall outside 德寿宫 is very iconic so we quickly went out to take some pics after we were done inside. Hangzhou was so beautiful when it was the autumn period. There are loads of maple trees and gingko trees around so everywhere is so beautiful. I picked up a yellow maple leaf and took some pictures. There weren‘t many people taking pictures either too. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 德寿宫外的红色墙壁非常具有标志性，我们在参观完内部后迅速出去拍了些照片。杭州在秋天的时候真的很美丽。到处都有枫树和银杏树，所以景色十分迷人。我捡起了一片黄色的枫叶并拍了些照片。当时也没有很多人在拍照。 #历史古迹#博物馆

Using the citywalk method to tour Hangzhou is really tiring, this time I've got some new ways to play, booking a guide with a chartered car tour, making the entire holiday journey relaxed and worry-free, sharing with my sisters~💗 If you want to experience the tranquil and elegant Han culture of the Southern Song Dynasty, you can go to the Deshou Palace, don't forget to check in at the classic spot with the red walls. The scattered attractions in West Lake are perfect for a guided chartered car tour! 🚗 The water lilies in Maojiabu are about to enter their blooming period on May Day, and the south parking lot of Maoxiang Tea House is where you get off to see their concentrated opening on the lake. The relatively less popular Faxi Temple is also worth a visit. Besides West Lake, the scenery along the Qiantang River is also beautiful, and the urban feel of Hangzhou is right here. This time not only did I easily follow the local guide to play, but I also saved time on public transportation, visited more places, and am looking forward to the next trip already🎈

🍂🐉 Take photos at Deoksu Palace, where there is a dragon made of fallen leaves! This is definitely the most unique creative art I have ever seen! It feels like I have entered a mysterious world, it's so festive! 🌟

11/14 Tour of the Southern Song Dynasty Deoksugung Palace Ruins (*) You can go in by making an appointment with Weixin. No tickets are required, but you need a mainland phone number. (Thank you to the host of Xitang B&B for lending me your phone number) to make an appointment. ➡️The Deoksugung Palace Ruins is a Southern Song Dynasty palace site in Shangcheng District, Hangzhou. It is a site-specific museum that protects and displays the history, culture and cultural relics of the Southern Song Dynasty. It restores and displays the Southern Song Dynasty royal garden style in its original appearance and scale. Combine the inheritance of Song Yun style with the construction of protective sheds. At that time, Song Gaozong and Song Xiaozong both lived here as supreme emperors. Deoksugung Palace gradually declined in the late Southern Song Dynasty. It was not until 1984 that the underground ruins were first discovered. After archaeological excavations, construction of a museum began in 2020. ➡️The Imperial Street of the Southern Song Dynasty, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty was Hangzhou, which made this city the first in the country. It also became the economic and cultural exchange center of Asia. It was once the most populous capital in the world. Although it has lost its splendor after changing dynasties, the renovated "Southern Song Dynasty Imperial Street" in the urban area still retains historical memories and cultural heritage. Walking along the Southern Song Dynasty Imperial Street, you will find specialty snacks, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and shops, time-honored brands and Hangzhou characteristics. Various stores ➡️The architectural features of Qinghefang Street are mainly Hangzhou's antique historical buildings, while the Southern Song Dynasty Imperial Street is mainly based on modern historical buildings, creating two blocks with historical characteristics. The two streets can be said to be the epitome of Hangzhou's history from ancient times to the present. #游埠豆奶 is so delicious, but I ate glutinous rice balls #河方街The palace beef crispy cake is delicious