'Chengde' () is a
prefecture-level city in
Hebei province,
People's Republic of China, situated northeast of
Beijing. It is best known as the site of the
Mountain Resort, a vast imperial garden formerly used by the emperors of the
Qing Dynasty. Today the city is a popular
tourist destination.
History
In
1703, Chengde was chosen by the
Kangxi Emperor as the location for his summer residence. Constructed throughout the eighteenth century, the
Mountain Resort (避暑山庄; literally "avoiding the heat mountain villa") was used by both the
Yongzheng and
Qianlong emperors. Since the seat of government followed the emperor, Chengde was a political center of the Chinese empire during these times.
Under the
Republic of China, Chengde was the capital of
Rehe province. From
1933 to
1945 the city was under Japanese control as a part of the Manchurian puppet state known as
Manchukuo. After
World War II the
Kuomintang regained jurisdiction. In
1948, the
People's Liberation Army took control of Chengde. It would remain a part of Rehe until
1955, when the province was abolished, and the city was incorporated into
Hebei.
Sights
The elaborate
Mountain Resort features large parks with lakes,
pagodas, and palaces ringed by a wall. Outside the wall are the Eight Outer Temples (外八庙), built in varying architectural styles drawn from throughout China. The best-known of these is the
Putuo Zongcheng Temple, built to resemble the
Potala Palace in
Lhasa,
Tibet. The resort and outlying temples were made a
UNESCO World Heritage Site in
1994.
Chengde's older name of ''Rehe'' (or ''Jehol'') came from the name for the local river (热河;
Pinyin: Rèhé) which translates as "hot river." The river was so named because it did not freeze in the winter. Most sections of the river are currently dry because of a new
damming project.
Another popular attraction of the Chengde area is Sledgehammer Peak (磬锤峰), a large rock formation in the shape of an inverted
sledgehammer. A variety of other mountains, valleys, and grasslands lie within the borders of the city.
Population
The city is home to large populations of
ethnic minorities,
Mongol and
Manchu in particular. The name for Chengde in
Manchu is ''Erdemu be aliha fu''.
There are few foreigners in Chengde; the city receives far less foreign tourists than many better-known Chinese cities. It is widely considered an excellent location to learn
Standard Mandarin, however, as residents generally speak without the
accent of neighboring Beijing.
Economy
With road and
railroad links to
Beijing, Chengde has developed into a distribution hub, and its economy is growing rapidly. The newly-built
Jingcheng Expressway connects Chengde directly to central Beijing, and more freeways are planned for the city.
Sister Cities
Chengde has
city partnerships with the following cities:
★
Santo André,
Brazil
★
Takasaki,
Japan
★
Dakota County, Minnesota,
USA
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