Chengde

Chengde, 230 kilometers away from Beijing city, is well - known as " the pearl outside the Great Wall." It is on the list of Famous Historical and Cultural Cities in the first batch, the Ten Palace of Interests, the Forty Best Tourist Attractions, and the National Major Scenic Areas. In 1994, UNESCO approved Chengde Imperial Mountain Resort and its outline as the world cultural heritage.

Chengde has the rich multinational history and culture. The Eight Outer Temples were constructed during the regin of Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong in Qing Dynasty. They are not only famous for various types of scenery characteristics of both north and south, but also eye - witnesses to the progress of national unity and solidarity in Chinese history.

As the largest imperial garden in China, Chengde Imperial Mountain Resort covers a total area of 5, 640, 000 square meters and the surrounding wall measures 10 kilometers. The resort can be divided into palace area and garden area. There are mountains in the western part of the resort, and lakes in the East. The mountains are undulating with green pine trees and
luxuriant grass. The architectures are austere, simple, unadorned and elegant. The vast expanse of grassland has birds singing in the sky and the reindeers roaming about. The lake area has a maze of islets linked by causeways and small bridges. Towers, terraces, pavilions, and garrets are scattered all over the resort, dotted with rookeries. In the resort, there are 36 scenic spots, and each was given a good name or a vivid description with 4 and 3 words by Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong respectively. It incorporates the best craftsmanship of the garden construction and possesses the scenery characteristic of both north and sorth China. The aplendid garden was praised by Emperor Kangxi as " the mountains can lead to the North Pole and the beauty of resort can surpass that of the West Lake."

The complex of temples, resplendent with gold and emerald, is a magnificent sight. The architectures combine the best artistic style of the Buddhism buildings of the Man, Han, Mongolian, Tibetan, and Uigur nationalities. They are the symbols of the national unity and fightings against foreign invasions. These temples and stone tables spread all over the Mountain Resort. The general configuration of the earth's surface around the city is peculiar, belonging to the typical Yardang landform that is rarely seen in north China. After thousands'years of the natural movement, the landscape in Chengde is varied as people look at different points. No wonder people say:" The views in Chengde can be as different as that in larger regions."

The scenery, centered by the Chengde Imperial Mountain Resort and the temple complex around, continues to the outside. To the North, there is the famous imperial hunting ground - Mulan Hunting Ground, with now is reserved as a national forest park. You can enjoy the dense forest and vast grassland in summer and appreciate that snow gives the ground a magnificent silver hue in winter. To the South, the imperial garden in the past becomes the Wuling Mountain Natural Reserve. The No. 1 Grassland Resort to the North of Beijing and the White Cloud Ancient Cave are to the West. To the East, you can find the Chaoyang Cave, imperial Spring Palace, Liaoheyuan Resort, and the Great Wall under water in Panjiankou Reservoir. The precipitous jinshanling Great Wall is in the middle of the Jingcheng highway. Possessing so many tourist attractions, Chengde forms the famous " golden tourist zone " to the North of Beijing.

Convenient transportation, complete facilities, and quality service are the advantages of the tourism in Chengde, and you can be fully satisfied at the request of food, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping and entertainment. The people in Chengde welcome friends from all over the world!

Chengde Travel Attractions