- Location: Chengde City, Hebei Province

Located in the north of Chengde, Hebei Province and 180 kilometers away from Beijing, Chengde Mountain Resort (避暑山庄) is a grand architectural complex incorporating imperial palaces, beautiful gardens and marvelous natural scenery. Covering an area of 5.64 million square meters, the resort was built between 1703 and 1792 during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) for the royal families to escape the summer heat in the capital city of Beijing. Known as one of the four most famous Chinese gardens, the resort, along with its outlying temples, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 and 5-A class tourist attraction in China in 2007.

The resort, best-noted for its 72 spots named by emperors Kangxi and Qianlong, is generally divided into two areas: the Palace Area and the Scenic Area. The Palace Area is where the emperors handled court affairs and where the royal families lived. Known as the "2nd Capital of the Qing Dynasty", it's built to resemble Beijing's Forbidden City. The Scenic Area consists of Lake Area, Plain Area and Mountain Area. The Lake Area features stunning scenic spots drawing on the renowned gardens in southern China; the Plain Area, vast grasslands, flourishing trees and a group of temples; the Mountain Area, mountains and valleys sprinkled with different shapes of temples and pavilions. The resort is a culmination of imperial palaces, gardens and various architectural structures harmoniously blending in with its natural surroundings of mountains, lakes, grasslands and forests.

Travel Tips:

1. The best time to visit the resort is from late summer to early autumn

2. You can find many hotels nearby at cheap prices.

3. You can get around by taking the electric tour bus at the fare of 50 yuan per person.

4. Tourist souvenirs with local features include root carvings, walnut shell handicrafts and Teng's cloth-pasted pictures here.

- Hours: 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m (Apr.1-Oct. 30); 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. (Nov. 1- Mar.31)

- Admission: 120 yuan (Apr. 1-Oct. 31); 90 yuan (Nov. 1- Mar.31)

- Tel: 86-314- 2029771

- How to get there: take Bus 6, 7, 10, 26 or 118 to Bishu Shanzhuang, or take a taxi at the fare of less than 10 yuan from anywhere in the downtown area.

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