Mountain as Garden, Valley as Scenery: The Spatial Pattern of Tangut Helan Palaces

Helan Palaces in Helan Mountain is built by Tangut period, which were important places for royal activities. They represent the highest technical level and aesthetic value at that time, and retain historical information of Tangut garden. In order to explore Tangut’s gardens and culture, which had not yet been recognized, on the basis of archaeological investigation report, combined with local chronicles, poetry and other literature, comparative analysis between the computer simulation and real scenes, this paper explores the spatial distribution characteristics of palaces in Helan Mountain on the perspective of spatial pattern. The eleven Tangut Palaces are divided into four groups, showing the functional pattern of the mountain as the garden and the landscape pattern of the valley as the scenery. The conclusion is of historical significance to clarify the image of the Imperial Palace in Tangut period and to supplement the cases and ideas of the palace construction in the 10th-13th century in China.