Chengde Overview & Map Weather Transportation Information
A mere 230 kilometers outside from Beijing city lies Chengde, "The Pearl Outside the Great Wall." The charming moniker has recently burnished with other marks of fame; Chengde has recently been named one of China's Famous Historical and Cultural Cities, one of the the Forty Best Tourist Attractions, National Major Scenic Areas and home to one of the Ten Great Palaces. In 1994, UNESCO named Chengde Imperial Mountain Palace as a world cultural heritage site.
Located in northeastern Hebei Province within an inland mountainous rainy climate zone, Chengde has an area of 39,548 square kilometers and a population of 3.45 million. Its four seasons are distinct and there is a noticeable difference between day and night temperatures. Chengde's summers are mild and its winters are cold, with very little rainfall in the spring and autumn.
History
Chengde has a long history, dating as far back as the Neolithic Age in this city. In ancient times, Chengde was known as Rehe (Warm River) and to Western visitors as Jehol. Its geographical positioning is, historically speaking, important enough that every imperial government since the Qin used it as an administrative center. In 1703 , Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty constructed the Imperial Summer Resort in Chengde, and the city became a sort of second capital. The region was still known as Rehe all the way into the eighteenth century, when, in 1733, Chengde State was established, and the name of "Chengde" was finally attached to the city.
Afterwards, Chengde gradually developed into a flourishing, well-populated city, but prosperity was short-lived. Chengde began to decline starting with the reign of Emperor Xianfeng all the way through to the accession of the Nationalist government (Guomindang). After the Revolution of 1911, Rehe Prefecture was established, and in 1929 it became a province, with Chengde as its capital city. Liberation began a new page in the city's life: it was finally confirmed as Chengde City in 1955, and in July 1993, the original Chengde City was combined with Chengde Prefecture to form a single unit.
Scenic Spots
Chengde is truly one of China's famous tourist cities. It is located within the transitional zone between the Inner Mongolian Plateau and the Northern Plains, with forested mountain, valleys and numerous fantastic stone formations on the surrounding mountains, the most striking of which are Luohan (arhat) Mountain and Sledgehammer Peak.
The Imperial Mountain Palace, the jewel of Chengde, contains the largest and the best-preserved imperial garden existing today in China. Haven taken three Qing Dynasty emperors (1703-1793) almost 90 years to complete, the Mountain Palace was built in two sections, the palace area and garden area. There are mountains in the western part of the resort, and lakes in the East. It displays a perfect combination of the architectural and gardening arts of north and south China. Emperor Kangxi himself said of the Palace that "the mountains reach the North Pole and the beauty of the palace surpasses that of West Lake (in Hangzhou" - which, trust us, is high praise indeed.
Outside the enclosed area of the Mountain Palace are a semi-circle of 12 imposing temples (only seven of which still stand today) of various styles, which reflect artistic characteristics of Han, Manchu, Mongolian, and Tibetan nationalities. The Eight Outer Temples (meaning the twelve temples, which were originally eight temples built outside the entrance gate), regarded as a treasure trove of Buddhist art, were constructed during the reigns of Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong during the Qing Dynasty. Not only do they house innumerable landscape paintings displaying the finest craftsmanship of northern and southern China, but present the viewer with a visual timeline of the progress of national unity and solidarity throughout Chinese history. Inside Puningsi, one of the Eight Outer Temples, there sits the biggest wooden statue of Buddha in the world-the thousand-eyed, thousand-handed Bodhisattva Guanyin.
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Potala Palace
Jokhang Temple
Sera Temple
Drepung Temple
Norbulingka Park
Songzanlin Temple
Tashilhunpo Temple
Temple of Universal Peace
Putuo Zongcheng Temple
Eight Outer Temples
Lama Temple
Tar Temple
Barkhor Street
Ramoche Temple
Ganden Temple
Temple of Universal Happiness
Wudangzhao Temple
