| 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!
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