As one of the most famous tourist destination in China, Chengde is endowed with a large number of fantastic sceneries.
The Mountain Resort and Eight Outer Temples have been listed as the world cultural heritage sites by the UNESCO.
Most of the eight outlying temples ( located on the north and east outside Mountain Resort ) were built in the Tibetan style after the palace and temples in Lhasa during the reign of Qing Dynasty ( 1644-1911 ) as a smart policy of reconciliation with the hope of strengthening the unification with the minority nationalities like Tibetan, Mongolian and more who believed in Lamaism
If you’re interested in the horse-riding and pasture, The Mulan Paddock should be your choice.
It is convenient to start your Chengde tour from Beijing.It is 250KM away from Beijing
Cheng De Summer Resort
Known as “the temporary palace of Chengde”, the Chengde Summer Resort is the largest existing imperial garden and also one of the top 10 scenic spots in China.It covers an area of 5.64 million square meters, almost half of the urban area, twice bigger than the Summer Palace in Beijing, and eight times bigger than the Beihai Park in Beijing.
The area is also known as Bishushanzhuang means Mountain hamlet to Flee the heat..Due to the location among lush,tree-covered mountains and its pleasant temperatures in summer.
Location
This summer resort lies in the north of Chengde City, Hebei Province.250 kilometres away from Beijing
History
The history of the Chengde Summer Resort can be traced back to the beginning of the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911). It was originally constructed in 1703. After nearly 90 years’ construction, this resort became the world’s largest imperial garden.
It was the emperor Kangxi who first discovered this grand place during his hunting trip over 200 hundred years ago. Since Kangxi, his successors handled the government affairs here in summer and autumn. Therefore, this resort became the political center after Beijing at that time. In 1994, the Summer Resort was
listed as the world’s cultural heritage by UNESCO.
Architecture / Structure / Each scenery
This scenic attraction can be divided into 2 parts: the garden zone and the palace zone. The garden zone is made up of 3 sections: the Lake zone, Plain zone and Mountain zone.
1. The Lake zone is in the northern part of the palace zone. There’re 3 islands called Happy Island, Island for Enjoying the Water Songs under the Moonlight, and Green Surrounded Island respectively in the middle of the lake zone. Green waves rippling on the lake accompanied by the swaying willows create a fantastic picture.
2. Plain zone is a zone for emperors in the Qing Dynasty to hold feasts and recreational activities. This area can also be divided into 3 parts: an arboretum to the east, a piece of grassland to the west and temples and other buildings to the north.
3. Mountain Zone is in the northwest of the Summer Resort, possessing 4 great valleys: Pine-cloud Valley, Pear Valley, Pine Valley and Filbert Valley. You can appreciate the mountainous scenery here.
As for the palace zone, it consists of Main Palace, Pine-Crane Hall, Pine Soughing Valley and East Palace. All the buildings here are built by green bricks and glazed tiles, forming a splendid and fabulous picture and visitors can greatly enjoy another aspect of the Summer Resort here.
Eight Outer Temple
The Eight Outer Temples is a collective name of 12 temples namely the Boren Temple, Boshan Temple, Puning Temple, An’yuan 
Temple, Pule Temple, Puyou Temple, Putuozongcheng Temple, Guang’an Temple, Suxiang Temple, Luohan Hall, the temple for praying happiness and longevity and Kuixing Attic in the shape of numerous stars surrounding the moon in a semicircle to symbolize the national unification and minority solidification. This construction complex is the combination of the Han, Mongolian and Tibetan architecture, reflecting their cultures and listed as the world cultural heritage site in 1994.
Location
This temple complex is located to the north and east of Chengde Summer Resort in Chengde, Hebei Province. Among these temples, the Puren Temple, Pule Temple and Anyuan Temple are located in the east of the Wulie River; to their north is the Puning Temple. Xumifushou Temple, the Putuozongcheng Temple and the Shuxiang Temple are in the north of the Summer Resort.
Why got its this name
The temples were administered by eight different departments and located ouside the Chengde City.In the north of the Great Wall
Function or value in the past
These temples were the emperors’ summer residence and also used by the upper classes and dignitaries of the west and north minorities to have an audience with the emperor in the Qing Dynasty.
History
They were originally constructed in 1713 during the period of the reign of Emperor Kangxi in
the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911) and completed in 1780 by the fourth Qing Emperor Qianlong after 67 years’ effort.
To consolidate the unity of China’s multi-national state,the Qing Government adopted the policy of “Ruling according to their customs” towards the Mongolian,Tibetan and other minority natioinalities and constructed a number of temples with distincitive styles in line with their religious beliefs.Imposing,elegant and exquisite,these temples combine the essence of the architectural art of many nationalities.
Architecture / Structure / Each scenery.
When visiting the Eight Outer Temples, You must be impressed by its grand appearance and delicate architectures. The architecture was mainly built in 3 styles: Tibetan style, Han style and the combination of the two styles. Although every temple has its own individility, the overall pattern is a harmonious unity. Among the 12 temples, 4 principle temples will be described as follows.
The Putuozongcheng Temple is the largest and magnificent one, covering an area of 220,000 square meters. It was constructed after the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, thus it’s also known as Little Potala. This temple was built to celebrate Emperor Qianlong’s 60-year-old birthday and his mother’s 80-year-old birthday.
Another important temple is Xumifushou Temple which was built for the 6th Panchen Lama (the head of Tibet). In order to celebrate Emperor Qianlong’s 70-year-old birthday, the head in Tibet spent one year to Chengde. Then Qianlong ordered to construct this temple for him to have a rest. It combined the Han and Tibetan architectural styles.
Constructed in 1755 during Emperor Qianlong, Puning Temple is also very noticeable. Also known as ‘Big Buddha Temple, it was modeled after the Samye Temple-the earliest Buddhist temple in Tibet. There’s the world’s largest woodcarving Buddha in this temple. With 22.28-meter height and 15-meter width, this Buddha has thousands of hands and eyes, which is different from other Buddhas.
The last major temple is Pule Temple which was built in 1766 to memorize the representatives of the Kazak, Khalkhas and other ethnic peoples who came to Chengde. It looks like a round pavilion. 72 woods in the temple symbolize 72 kinds of wisdom of Buddha.
All in all, the architectures, inscriptions and sculptures in these temples are of top importance to study the history, culture and religion.
Present condition
Of the 12 temples, the Boshan Temple, Guang’an Temple and Kuixing Attic do not exist at present. While the Puyou Temple and Luohan Hall suffered serious damage and only several sections left. Only 7 temples are well-preserved and 6 of them are open to the public—Putuozongcheng Temple, Puning Temple, Xumifushou Temple, Pule Temple, Anyuan Temple and Puyou Temple radiating its unique luster.
Putuozongsheng Temple
The Temple of Putuozongcheng is the largest temple of the Eight Outer Temples in Chengde City. It also enjoys the name of “Little Potala Palace” since it imitated the Potala Palace built a century ago in Tibet.
Occupying an area of 220,000 square meters, this temple is one of the largest in China. The Temple of the Potaraka Doctrine along with the other seven Outer Temples has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Function or value in the past
It was originally constructed to commemorate Qianlong’s 60th birthday,empress’s 80th anniversary . Besides, Buddhist ceremonies and festivals were also held here in the past.
Construction
With buildings of Tibetan and Han styles, The Temple of Potaraka Doctrine has a tall and magnificent entrance gate similar to a city gate tower.
The outstanding main building includes a courtyard with the Golden Hall which is decorated with copper tiles. In addition, the surrounding galleries display Buddhist works of art.
The temple is made up of 50 Buddhist halls,scripture-reciting halls,Monks’ living quarters,red terraes,white terraes topped with one or five pagodas and glazed ceremonial arches which rise and fall with the mountain slopes n a variable rectangular disposition.
History
This temple was constructed between 1767 and 1771 during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty and completed in 4 years
Puning Si– Temple of Universal Peace
Also called Big Buddha Temple, the Puning Temple is one of the best-preserved temples among the Eight Outer Temples. It imitated the model of Samye Monastery-a sacred Lama site in Tibet and covers an area of 23,000 square kilometers.
Location
This temple stands among mountains to the north of Chengde Mountain Resort in Chengde City.
Function or value in the past
It was built to show the Qing’s respect to the minority groups during the Qing Dynasty. In addition, temple affairs were also held at regular time from lunar December 25 to December 27th and from lunar January 8th to January 15th in the Qing Dynasty.
Construction
With an area of 23,000 square kilometers, Puning Temple is designed in Han and Tibetan styles with temple halls, drum towers, bell towers and pavilions inside.
The main hall stands the huge Buddhist statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara with the height of 22.28 meters and weight of 110 tons.
Besides, the monuments of A Record of Puning Temple, A Record of Pacifying Other Tribes and A Record of Pacifying Their Descendents are located in the Inscription Pavilion.
Just behind this pavilion are Daxingbao Palace and the Heaven King Palace. You will find the 36.75-meter-tall Dacheng Pavilion of the Tibetan style when walking further inside. Moreover, 3 stone tablets also stand in the temple.
History
It was constructed in 1755 by the Emperor Qianlong in pursuance of Emperor Kangxi,his grandfather’s policy of “control through conciliation” and in commemoration of his victory in suppressing the rebellion of the upper strata of the Junggar people in Xinjiang
Mulan weichang Grassland
As a popular destination, Mulan Hunting Paddock is a rare natural grassland resort in Hebei Province covering an area of 2,324 square kilometers.
Location
This attraction is located in Weichang Manchu and Mongolian Autonomous County of Chengde City, Hebei Province.
It used to be a royal hunting place and a summer retreat in the Qing Dynasty.
History
As an imperial hunting place in the Qing Dynasty, Mulan Paddock was built during the period under the reign of Emperor Kangxi. The Emperor Kangxi, Qianlong and Jiaqing had ever held hunting activities here in autumn, which gradually became a rule for the imperial family.
By holding military maneuver, emperors aimed at enhancing the military quality of the imperial kinsmen and the Eight Banner nationalities as well as carrying out the conciliation policy to ethnic minorities.
From Emperor Kangxi to Emperor Jiaqing, the imperial families went hunting there more than100 times.
Architecture / Structure / Each scenery.
It consists of mainly 3 sections: the Saihanba National Forest Park, the Yudaokou Grassland and Forest Scenic Zone, and the Hongsongwa National Nature Reserve.
Mulan Hunting Paddock enjoys really gorgeous scenery. With vast forest and a wide expanse of grassland, it owns herds of cows and flocks of sheep haunting and grazing. During summer days, all kinds of flowers are in full blossom and birds giggling in the sky while in winter, the snow-covered ground can give you a much fresh experience in winter and everywhere is a white world.
Due to the cool weather and picturesque scenery in summer, tourists can come here to escape the heat while it becomes an ideal place for skiing and hunting with rare animals and birds haunting in the forest during the winter days
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