Hebei Province, with its beautiful Capital, Shijiazhuang, is located to the north of the Yellow
River, and to the east of the Taihang Mountains. Hebei is somewhat overshadowed by its neighbors, Beijing and Tianjin, whose vastness covers an area of 190,000 square kilometers (about 73,363 square miles), and its vibrant population is estimated to be at 67,440,000. Hebei's long and proud history can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC - 476 BC), which dates from 770 BC to 476 BC. At that time it was called 'The Land of Yan and Zhao', because its northern area was dominated by the Kingdom of Yan, while its southern area was occupied by the Kingdom of Zhao. Today, that same area is home to more than 50 minority ethnic groups, such as Han, Hui, Manchu, Mongolian and Korean.
Chengde, lying in the northeast of Hebei Province, is close to Beijing, about 230 kilometers (140 miles) away, Tianjin, Tangshan and Qinhuangdao. The topography of Chengde is mainly divided into plateau and mountainous regions, including Yanshan, Yinshan and Qilaotushan mountains, as well as the Luanhe, Liaohe, Chaobaihe and Jiyunhe rivers flowing through the city.
Chengde, originally called Rehe was once the summer resort capital of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It holds rich culture related to this history as well as many historic relics dating as far back as the Neolithic Age in this city.
Climate
With a diversity of climate types, the four seasons are distinct from each other in Chengde. It is cold in winter, dry in spring, rainy in summer and cool in autumn. The average annual temperature is about 9C (about 48F). Generally speaking, the best time to tour Chengde is between April and October; however, visitors can experience different outlooks in different seasons as the variety of clime.
Attractions
With a pleasant climate, time-honored history, beautiful natural sceneries and historical sites, Chengde well deserves its position as one of the most famous tourist cities in China. It is an ideal place for sightseeing and hunting, as well providing welcome relief from the summer heat.
Mountain Resort of Chengde
The Mountain Resort of Chengde, a key national cultural protection unit, was listed in the World Cultural Heritage Directory in 1994. It was built in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and took about 90 years (1703-1792) to construct.
The Mountain Resort, also called Rehe Temporary Palace, is situated north of Chengde and 230 kilometers (143 miles) from Beijing. It covers an area of 564 sq meters (218 sq miles) and was originally built for the royal families to spend the hot summer months. When compared with the grand and solemn Forbidden City, the mountain resort is characterized by its simplicity and elegance. It is a grand architectural complex that consists of numerous palaces, the largest royal garden in China and wonderful scenery, combined with a pleasant climate.
The Mountain Resort is divided into four parts: the Palace Area, Lake Area, Plain Area and Mountain Area. The Palace Area lies in the south part of the Mountain Resort and is a concentration of palaces where the Qing emperors handled the political affairs and where the royal families lived. It covers an area of 100,000 sq
meters (25 acres), consisting of four main complexes: the Main Palace, the Pine-Crane Hall, the East Palace and the Pine Soughing Valley. The Main Palace was the place where important ceremonies and events were observed but today it is used as the Mountain Resort Museum. The Pine-crane Hall was the residence built by Emperor Qianlong for his mother-the empress while the East Palace was damaged in a fire in 1945 with only the groundwork still visible today. The Pine Soughing Valley was the reading room of the emperors and the office where the emperors handled the political mandates.
Eight Outer Temples
To the north-east of the Mountain Resort of Chengde, lies the Eight Outer Temples, the emperor's summer residence during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). 'Eight Outer Temples' is a collective name given to 12 temples located outside Gubeikou - a section of the Great Wall. Eight of the temples were administered by Lifan Yuan, an administration department for the affairs of minorities such as Mongolian and Tibetan, and so the name stuck. Together with the Mountain Resort of Chengde, the temple has been as a World Heritage Site.
The 12 temples were built in succession. Construction began in 1713 in the Qing Dynasty and completed in 1780. Six temples are now open to tourists - Putuo Zongchengzhi Temple, Puning Temple, Xumi Fushouzhi Temple, Pule Temple, Anyuan Temple, and Puyou Temple. Each one has its own particular features and special appeal.
The Eight Outer Temples were built by the Qing government to strengthen a unity with the minorities, thus the temples not only feature Han style, but also the Mongolian and Tibetan styles, with the symbolic meaning of unity in China. The architectures, inscriptions, sculpture, and murals in these temples are important materials for the study of history, culture, religion, and architectural art.
To get there, you can take bus No. 6 outside the Mountain Resort of Chengde.
Culture
Dialects of Mandarin are spoken over most of the province, and most Mandarin dialects in Hebei are in turn classified as part of the Ji Lu Mandarin subdivision. Regions along the western border with Shanxi, however, have dialects that are distinct enough for linguists to consider them as part of Jin, another subdivision of Chinese, rather than Mandarin. In general, the dialects of Hebei are quite similar to and readily intelligible with the Beijing dialect, which forms the basis for Standard Mandarin, the official language of the nation.
Traditional forms of Chinese opera in Hebei include Pingju, Hebei Bangzi, and Cangzhou Kuaiban Dagu. Pingju is especially popular: it tends to be colloquial in language and hence easy to understand for audiences. Originating from northeastern Hebei, Pingju has been influenced by other forms of Chinese opera like Beijing opera. Traditionally Pingju makes use of just a xiaosheng (young male lead), a xiaodan (young female lead), and a xiaohualian (young comic character), though it has since diversified with the use of other roles as well.
Dining
local food in Chengde has a long and interesting history, going back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Cooking culture of both royal and folk converged in Chengde after the construction of the Mountain Resort. Then it gradually formed its own feature after an amalgamation of a diversity of other diet and an innovation of new tastes.
The dishes of Chengde are representative of court dishes in the north of the Great Wall. Being far removed from Beijing, venison can be found without effort in Chengde. In addition, there is food of Manchu features, glutinous and cold as Chengde is place where Manchu are gathered. Red bean gruel, Youmian (a kind of food made of oat flour) and hot pot with Chinese sauerkraut are popular in this city as well.
Donkey-Rolling Roll
Donkey-Rolling Roll is a long roll with stuffing wrapped in yellow rice. The Roll is served on a
bed of yellow beans. The act of turning the roll on the yellow beans is just like a donkey rolling on the ground. That is how the snack got its name. It could be found in Chengde more than 200 years ago.
Generally less than one hundred yuan for a large plate (in Chengde restaurants, there are always large and small plates; the large plate is about ten inches wide and the small one seven inches wide).
Shopping
The special natural products to be found in Chengde are wild almonds, walnuts, Chinese chestnuts, hazelnuts, mushrooms, hawthorn and nasturtium, etc. The almond juice made from wild almonds has distinct aroma and leaves a pleasantly lingering aftertaste, which is well known at home and abroad. The Chengde mushrooms come in a variety of species and these are not only widely sold in China but also throughout Asia and Europe. Most of this produce can be found in Kangqian Tourist Shopping Mall which is located at B1B, Rongji Garden, Puning Lu.
One of the most popular products with tourists visiting Chengde is Teng's Cloth-Pasted Painting which is regarded as a 'unique talent of Cathay'. It is a new style of painting combining brushwork with sculpture, embroidery, paperhanging and paper-cutting, an art form invented by the folk artist Teng Teng. These attractive paintings can be hung on the wall or laid on a table as a truly perfect decoration.
Transportation
By Air
As Chengde is so close to Beijing, about 180 kilometers (112 miles) from Beijing Capital International Airport, there is only a small-scale airport in the south of the city. Only non-scheduled chartered flights operate between Beijing and Chengde from time to time. Therefore, you can take the long-distance bus from Chengde bus station to Beijing and take a plane from Beijing Capital International Airport in accordance with your needs. The journey will take between 3 and 4hours to Beijing and the ticket price is CNY 50.
By Train
Chengde Railway Station lies on Wulie Lu in the southeast of the city. Routes include Jingcheng (Beijing to Chengde), Shicheng (Shijiazhuang to Chengde), Shencheng (Shenyang to Chengde) and Chenglong (Chengde to Longhua County) railways convergeon this station. There are now trains to Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Shenyang, Baotou, Dandong, Ulanhot, Chifeng, Tongliao and Jinzhou available from the railway station. Generally, you can get the train tickets within four or five days priorto your desired departure date.
By Long-distance Bus
The highway links of Chengde are very convenient and include the Jingcheng Tourist Highway, Weicheng Highway (Weichang County to Chengde) and three national highways linking Chengde with Beijing, Tianjin, Liaoning, and Inner Mongolia, etc. Itwill take you 3.5 hours to travel from Beijing to Chengde via the Jingcheng TouristHighway.
There are three long-distance buses that run to nearby cities such as Beijing,Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, and Zhangjiakou daily from Chengde. Mini buses run every 30 minutes from 06:00 until 16:00 between Chengde Long-distance Bus Station andBeijing Xizhimen Long-distance Station daily.
By City-Bus
Chengde is not a big city, so you can easily get to every corner of the city. Most bus ticket fees start at CNY1 but are never more than CNY5; many of the buses are self-service and charge CNY 1 for one journey.
Bus Nos. 1, 2, 5, 7, 11, 15 will take you to Chengde Railway Station.
Bus Nos. 5, 6, 10, 11, 15 will take you to the Mountain Resort of Chengde.
By Taxi
Taking a taxi is also a convenient choice for getting to places in Chengde and is also quite cheap. The standard taxi fare is CNY5 for the first two kilometers and CNY1.4-1.6 per additional kilometer. Generally, the taxi fare within the city zone will cost no more than CNY 10 during the day; however, the price in the evening is a little higher.