Chengde

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The Putuo Zongcheng

ticket to the summer resort (1984)

Chengde (Chinese: 承德; pinyin: Chéngdé; Manchu: Erdemu be aliha fu) is a city approximately one hundred miles northeast of Beijing in northeastern Hebei province, situated near the Luan River. Its population is around 3.49 million.

1 History
2 Sights
3 Transportation
4 Sister Cities
5 External links

Chengde was formerly called Rehe (Jehol), and was the capital of the now defunct Rehe province.

Chengde is best known as the summer residence of the early Qing Dynasty emperors. The elaborate Mountain Resort they constructed there in the 18th century features large parks with lakes, pagoda, and palaces ringed by a wall. Outside the wall are the Eight Outer Temples, built in varying architectural styles drawn from throughout China. The most impressive of these is the Putuo Zongcheng (普陀宗乘, Pinyin: Pǔtuó Zōngchéng) built to resemble Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. The mountain resort and the outlying temples were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.

Chengde's older name of Rehe came from the local river, Rehe or "热河", which translates to the English as "warm river." It was so named because it did not freeze in the winter, and is also known as the shortest river in the world. Tourists can purchase a necklace with a drop of Rehe water if they so choose near the sight. Before 1949, "Rehe" was also the name of the surrounding province, now incorporated into Beijing Municipality, Hebei, and Inner Mongolia.

With road and railroad links to Beijing, Chengde has developed into a distribution hub, and its cultural sites have made it a popular center of tourism. The Jingcheng Expressway will connect it directly with central Beijing by 2007; 8 more freeways are planned for Chengde.

Chengde has city partnerships with the following cities: