Chengde Travel Guide

Chengde is a nationally famous historical and cultural city in China. You may wonder what made Chengde what it is today? Who were the major personalities and what were the important events that helped shape Chengde? The story of Chengde will be showed to you in this article.

Chengde has a long history. It was originally called "Rehe" in Chinese history. As early as the late Neolithic primitive society, our ancestors had lived in this land, axes. Rich historical relics, such as stone axe, sinkers, pottery and other ancient things, have been found here. These are the remains of their working life here. During Yin and Zhou era in Chinese history, here was living area of Shanrong and Donghu national minorities. In Qin and Han dynasties, the ancient central government had set up administrative bodies in this place.

In the Qing Dynasty, Rehe became increasingly important, for it is close to Beijing, Tianjin, Zhangjiakou in the west, Liaoning in the east, Inner Mongolia in the north, Tangshan and Qinhuangdao in the south. It was an important regional city in Yanshan hinterland and the Bohai Sea area.

For the unique natural conditions of climate and natural property, it can not only get away from the heat in summer, but also can be contacted Mongolia, consolidating frontier defense. Therefore, in 1703, Chengde was chosen by the Kangxi Emperor as the location for his summer residence, which is called "Chengde Imperial Summer Palace of Mountain Resort" today. Constructed throughout the eighteenth century, the Mountain Resort was used by both the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors. The site has been listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Since the seat of government followed the emperor, Chengde was a political center of the Chinese empire during these times. During the reign of Yongzheng Emperor, Rehe was called Chengde for the first time.

The city of Jehol (Rehe) reached its height under the Qianlong Emperor, which was in the reign of Qing Dynasty from 1735 to 1796. The great Putuo Zongcheng Temple in Chengde was completed after just four years of work in 1771. It was heavily decorated with gold and the emperor worshipped in the Golden Pavilion. In the temple, there was a bronze-gilt statue of Tsongkhapa, the Reformer of the Gelugpa, etc.

From 1933 to 1945 the city was under Japanese control as a part of the Manchurian puppet state known as Manchukuo.

In 1948, the People's Liberation Army took control of Chengde. It would remain a part of Rehe until 1955, when the province was abolished, and the city was incorporated into Hebei.

In December 1994, the Mountain Resort and the surrounding temples (Rehe Palace) were inscribed on the World Heritage List. On May 8, 2007, the Chengde Mountain Resort and the surrounding temples scenic were formally approved by the National Tourism Administration for the state 5A-class tourist attractions.

Since a long time ago, the city is home to large populations of ethnic minorities, Mongol and Manchu in particular.

Chengde has a four-season, monsoon-influenced humid continental climate, with widely varying conditions through the prefecture due to its size: winters are moderately long, cold and windy, but dry, and summers are hot and humid. Near the city, however, temperatures are much cooler than they are in Beijing, due to the high altitude of at least 1000 meters: Monthly means range from −9.1 °C (15.6 °F) in January to 24.5 °C (76.1 °F) in July. Spring warming is rapid, but dust storms can blow in from the Mongolian steppe; autumn cooling is similarly quick. Precipitation averages at 512 millimeters (20.2 in) for the year, with more than two-thirds of it falling during the three summer months.

Climate Data Table of Chengde

The best time to visit Chengde is summer; it is also the peak season of the year. People go there for the summer resort, which provide a shelter for people to escape the heat in the urban. Chengde is renowned for its beautiful scenery and the palaces; the highlight is the summer resort. The summer resort is a large complex of imperial palaces and gardens, if you are not on a package tour; then you need take a cart to the main attractions. The highlight is the palaces and the lama temples; they are much like the palace museum. The surrounding is always worth a look. When you get in, do keep your entrance ticket receipt, there are several ticket checks.

If you stay for overnight, you need warm clothes; there is a huge temperature difference between day and night. The sun there is hot; bring your umbrella or some sunshine-blocking cream.

Avoid Peak Holidays: It is not a good idea to travel in China during Chinese holidays when huge numbers of Chinese people are travelling around. The busiest three national holidays in China are Chinese Spring Festival (usually in late Jan or early Feb.), International Labor Day (May 01 to 03) and National Day (Oct 01-07). Spring Festival is an especially crowded time to travel. The advantage of being in China at this time is that you will get the opportunity to experience "first hand" the significance of these celebrations in Chinese culture.

Both the internal and the external transportation of Chengde are very well developed and although there is only a small-scale airport, chartered flights flying between Beijing and Chengde will provide you more choices for your journey. In addition, railway and road links can connect you to many cities, such as Tianjin, Shenyang, Baotou, Ulanhot, Liaoning, and Inner Mongolia, etc. City buses provide a fine and integrated transport service; taxis are also a good choice due to their convenience and inexpensiveness.