Chengde

Chengde (Chinese: 承德; Hanyu Pinyin: Chéngdé) is a city approximately one hundred miles northeast of Beijing in northeastern Hebei province, situated near the Luan River. Its population in 2001 was around 700,000.

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: PÇ”tuó ZÅ?ngchéng) built to resemble Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. The mountain resort and the outlying temples were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.

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 2006 or 2007; 8 more freeways are planned for Chengde.