Suddenly, Professor Ji Yujin spoke up beside him. "Adjust the camera angle. Let me see the whole palace."
"Sure thing." Bai Xiaowen did as he asked.
Professor Ji was meticulous. He had Bai Xiaowen adjust the camera and zoom in on details such as the eaves and columns.
"Judging by its architectural style, it should date to the Sui and Tang Dynasties," Professor Ji Yujin said. "Ancient Chinese architecture can be roughly divided into three major periods: Qin and Han, Sui and Tang, and Ming and Qing. Sui and Tang architecture bridged the earlier and later styles. Its defining features were solid forms and ornate decoration. It retained the simple vigor of Qin and Han architecture while incorporating romantic elements from the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties..."
"...By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, ancient Chinese architecture had finally matured. It inherited the rational layouts and romantic elements of earlier periods, but also made new breakthroughs..."
Bai Xiaowen had no idea how Professor Ji could identify a dynasty from the outside of a single palace. That did not stop him from feeling thoroughly impressed.
Seeing Professor Ji launch into an unstoppable lecture, Bai Xiaowen hurriedly cut in:
"Take a breather, Professor Ji. Thanks for the explanation, from all of us."
Cai Anmin picked up the thread. "If this palace was built during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Yang Guang himself was very likely behind it. His father, Yang Jian, was frugal by nature. Later, Emperor Taizong learned from the fall of the Sui and also insisted on simplicity, continuing to use the old Sui palaces. Yang Guang was different. He frequently toured the country and built lavish residences wherever he went. This palace has no plaque giving it a name, so it's probably one of the residences he built