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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.
Interesting insights
about the Chengde
Mountain Resort
 The emperors lived in the imperial
resort to escape the summer heat of Beijing.
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.
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.
The splendid group of Buddhist
temples collectively called the Eight Outer Temples lies just north
of the imperial palace. Each of the seven (one was destroyed) temples partially reflects the
architectural style of a specific minority group. These religious structures aesthetically sit in a semi-circle on mountain
slopes overlooking the valley.
One of the temples houses the world's tallest carved
Buddhist statue (22 meters or 73 feet).
Chengde Mountain
Resort tidbits
It took 89 years (1703 to 1792) to
complete the Chengde Mountain Resort.
A 10,000 meter (6 mile) wall
surrounds the core area of the resort.
Location
Chengde Mountain Resort is just north of the city of Chengde, which is about 240 kilometers (150 miles) northeast of Beijing.
Pronunciation guide
Chengde: ch'ung-duh
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