More than 50 journalists from forty-eight domestic media organizations visited the site of the Weiyang Palace of the Western Han Dynasty’s Chang’an City (today’s Xi’an City) on Monday.

More than 2100 years ago, Zhang Qian, as a special envoy of Emperor Wudi of the Western Han Dynasty, set off from the palace on a diplomatic mission to the Western Regions, which then led to the establishment of the famous Silk Road that links China with central Asia and Europe.

Weiyang Palace was the imperial palace of the Western Han Dynasty for two centuries. Covering an area of 6.11 square kilometers, the palace is about 7 times the size of the current Forbidden City in Beijing and is said to be the largest palace ever built on Earth.

The visit is part of a media trip to Shaanxi which will last until Friday and focuses on cultural and historical sites related to the Silk Road, as well as Shaanxi’s current development. The historically important Silk Road was once again given widespread attention after President Xi Jinping proposed the establishment of a Silk Road Economic Belt during his trip to central Asian countries in early September in an aim to deepen cooperation and economic ties among European and Asian nations.

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