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 Chengde,
situated in the
mountain areas in north Hebei Province,
is an important city in the hinterland of the
Yanshan Mountains. It is adjacent to Beijing and
Tianjin, 224 kilometers from Beijing. Chengde covers an
area of nearly 40,000 square kilometers and has a population
of over 3.55 million. Located in the area where
the warm temperate zone transits to the cold
temperate zone, Chengde has a semi-moist and
semi-dry continental monsoonal climate, with
distinctive seasonal changes, sufficient
sunshine and vast difference in temperature
between day and night. The average annual
temperature is about 90C. Because of
its unique tourist attractions and also its
location which is Chengde Mountain Resort
near Beijing, Chengde has become a very
important place of interest in China and it is
frequented by thousand of tourists every day.
The interesting places of interest in Chengde
will keep tourists' wanting to return to this
famous city in Hebei province.
 Chengde has a long
history and abundant multi-ethnic historical and
cultural connotations. This city is actually an
18th century imperial resort whereby
it was once known as Jehol and it is popularly
known as having the remnants of the largest
regal gardens in China. Chengde was an unknown
town until Emperor Kangxi started building a
summer palace here in which he subsequently
named it the Imperial Summer Villa (also known
as the Chengde Mountain Resort). This famous
work of art has since become a famous attraction
in Chengde whereby it occupies almost six
hundred hectares of land and is surrounded by a
huge ten kilometers wall. Emperor Kangxi's grandson, Qianlong continued his work
by building replicas of minority architecture to
make envoys feel comfortable as shown by the replica of the Potala Palace in Lhasa.
His design was deemed to support Tibetan and
Mongolian Lamaism.
Photo: Puning Si in Chengde
On this beautiful and
mysterious land, there are a large number of
famous tourist attractions in Chengde. With Chengde Mountain
Resort and the surrounding monasteries
as the
center, these tourist attractions radiate to the
periphery of the city and form a golden tourism
belt to the north of Beijing whereby some of the
attractions seen at the Chengde Mountain Resort
include the Lizheng Gate which is
the main gate, Front Palace which houses the
main throne hall, Misty Rain Tower, Wenjin
Chamber, Yongyousi Ta and the Shanzhuang Zoo.
 Some of the recommended attractions to visit are
the Eight Outlying Temples (Eight Outer Temples)
which consist of Puning Si (Temple of Universal
Tranquility), Putuozongcheng Zhi Miao
(Putuozongcheng Temple), Xumifushou Zhi Miao
(Temple of Sumeru, Happiness and Longevity),
Pule Si (Temple of Universal Happiness), Anyuan
Si (Far Spreading Peace Temple), Puren Si,
Shuxiang Si and Puyou Si, Great Wall at
Jinshanling, Wuling Mountain National Nature
Reserve, Mulan Hunting Ground, Two Pagoda
Mountain Scenic Zone, Qingchui Peak National
Forest Park. When you are planning to travel to
Asia, make sure you include Chengde as one of
your travel destinations. Due to its numerous
places of interest, a travel guide is needed to
assist you in choosing the most relevant
attractions that suits your Eight Outer
Temples in Chengde interest but try not
to miss out the remarkable statue of Guanyin
(Goddess of Mercy) at Puning Si. For those who
are keen only in beautiful scenery, then explore
scenic areas such as Luohan Shan (Arhat Hill),
Monk's Hat Peak, Jiguan Shan, Yuanbao Shan,
Shuangta Shan, Yizi Shan or Luotuo Shan. To
learn more about Chengde's transportation,
hotels and hostels, local cuisine,
shopping, travel services and
places of interest in detail, please refer below
and make the most from your travel to Hebei.
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