Why the
Chengde Mountain Resort
is special

It was the summer resort of emperors of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). An emperor used it as his official residence, seat and hunting ground from May to September. The Chengde Mountain Resort's palace complex, pavilions, temples, extensive gardens, meadows and forests lie in a scenic valley and are well preserved.

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Chengde Mountain Resort
tips & insights

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Summer home

The emperors lived in the imperial resort to escape the summer heat of Beijing.

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Architecture

The architects of the palace buildings and gardens purposely borrowed design elements from different regions of China, including Tibet. The emperor believed this eclectic approach would please his subjects around the country.

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Landscape

Unlike large palace complexes built elsewhere in China (which includes the Forbidden City in Beijing), the Chengde structures were built to fit harmoniously with the landscape.

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Eight Outer Temples

The splendid group of Buddhist temples collectively called the Eight Outer Temples lies just north of the imperial palace.

Setting
These religious structures aesthetically sit in a semi-circle on mountain slopes overlooking the valley.

Minority group influences
Each of the seven (one was destroyed) temples partially reflects the architectural style of a specific minority group.

World's tallest
One of the temples houses the world's tallest carved Buddhist statue (22 meters or 73 feet).

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Construction period

It took 89 years (1703 to 1792) to complete the Chengde Mountain Resort.

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Wall

A 10,000 meter (6 mile) wall surrounds the core area of the resort.

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Location

Chengde Mountain Resort is just north of the city of Chengde, which is about 240 kilometers (150 miles) northeast of  Beijing.

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Pronunciation guide

Chengde:   ch'ung-duh

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