The Qing emperors' summer capital — the UNESCO Mountain Resort and Eight Outer Temples.
Chengde was the Qing court's summer retreat, built to escape Beijing's heat and to receive Mongol and Tibetan lords in style. At its heart is the Mountain Resort, a vast imperial garden of lakes, pavilions and hills.
Around it sit the Eight Outer Temples, a string of Tibetan- and Mongolian-style monasteries — including a replica of Lhasa's Potala Palace — that together form one of China's great UNESCO sites.
Here are the highlights worth your time in Chengde.
The Qing summer palace — lakes, pine hills and pavilions across 5.6 sq km.
Tickets ¥90 (high season)A red-and-white replica of the Potala Palace, the grandest of the outer temples.
Tickets ¥80Home to a 22 m wooden Maitreya Buddha, the tallest of its kind.
Tickets ¥80A bizarre rock pillar (the Hammer Peak) towering over the resort.
Tickets ¥50Twin stone pillars with a tiny temple reportedly perched on top.
Tickets ¥50Artifacts of the Qing summer court and the Jehol collection.
FreeChengde has its own kitchen — here are the dishes to try.
Steamed oat-flour rolls, a northern-Hebei staple with savoury gravy.
Crisp layered flatbread, a local breakfast bite.
A warming soup of lamb offal, peppery and hearty.
Chilled mung-bean jelly with garlic and vinegar.
Palace-style sweets once made for the summer court.
The lakeside old town lights up after dark.
Quiet tea rooms around the palace quarter.
Occasional Hebei opera performances in season.
High-speed from Beijing (~1 h); from Tianjin ~1.5 h.
Chengde Puning (CDE) has limited flights; Beijing is the hub.
Coaches to surrounding temples and the grasslands.
Works with foreign cards in town.
Flat old town is pleasant to cycle.
Where you stay shapes the trip. Three good bases:
Walk to the palace gates.
Mid-range hotels near the temples.
Quiet stays on the resort's edge.
History buffs, UNESCO seekers, Beijing day-trippers.
