Chengde China

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Chengde China is mostly known for its imperial resorts. It was a tiny, unremarkable city for hundreds of years—until the eighteenth century, which oversaw the town's transformation from sleepy backwater burg into the an overwhelming expanse of regal gardens, palace walls and ceremonial buildings. Now, easily connected to Beijing by both rail and road (and only 150 miles away), Chengde China is a major tourist destination, offering visitors a rare glimpse into the royal lifestyles of emperors past. The town itself is largely undisturbed by tourism - it's the palaces in the mountain that do the work of attracting travelers. 

The entirety of the Chengde Imperial Palace measures well over two square miles and includes 110 buildings with over one million square feet of floor space. Amongst these, you will find the largest intact garden and palace wall is the entirety of China. In contrast, you will also find the shortest river in the world, the Rehe, merely nine miles long, with a large portion of the river completely enveloped by the resort's gardens. The imperial palace, also known as the Chengde Mountain Resort itself is split into two distinct areas, the sweeping summer palace, and the surrounding scenic area. The Chengde Summer Palace is where the emperors handled state affairs and presided over banquets and festivals. But the real beauty is found in the scenic area, which includes the popular lake district, plains district and the mountainous district. The lake district is home to a collection of fishing villages and the popular Rehe springs. The plains district is a model of Mongolian grasslands and the mountainous district features hundreds of yards of dense green forests.