Lying to the north of the Great Wall, the city of Chengde is a place of ancient architecture and pleasant grounds, ideal as a weekend trip from Beijing in the hot summer months. The sights in Chengde are basically divided into 3 parts, the central Imperial Villa, the eight extant outer temples (Waiba miao) and the more distant sights.

Chengde Tourist AttractionsThe Imperial Summer Villa itself is a huge complex, the biggest imperial garden area in China, but it is now a little run down. Beyond the palace sections, the park will probably not be of major interest to any but the most Imperially obsessed.

For both the town and the remaining outer temples it may well be worth hiring a bike for the day or two that you need to look around. Bikes (Zixing che) can be hired from some hotels and from shops on Xinhua beilu, and are convenient. The eight temples are located in a semi-circle around the villa, three to the north, two to the northeast and three to the east. If you are pressed for time, the best temples include the Putuo Zongsheng Temple & the Xumifushou Temple in the north, the Temple of Universal Peace in the northeast and the Temples of Distant Security and Universal Happiness in the east. A further sight worth visiting, especially if you are after some good luck, is the Sledgehammer Rock, that perches to the east of the town, under an hours walk uphill.

The more distant sights are mainly hills that are known in local legend and many of these can be climbed for some impressive views. Best of these include Monk’s Hat Peak (Sengguan feng), 4km south of town, Twin Pagoda Hill (Shuangta shan), 15km to the southwest and, a two hour drive north, Golden Mountain Ridge (Jinshan ling), that is capped by the Great Wall. For those after something even more outdoors, the Mulan Paddock, an area of rolling hills and grassland, is a good place to get away, providing horseriding, yurts and some good walks.

Sight Index
Gold Medals or silver Medals indicate Sights recommended by Lonelychina.

Imperial Summer Villa (Bishu shanzhuang) Mulan Paddock (Mulan weichang) Putuo Zongsheng Temple
Temple for Distant Security (Anyuan si) Temple of Universal Happiness (Pule Si) Te mple of Universal Peace (Puning si)
Xumifushou Temple    

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