INFORMATION

Distance:

About 225 km from Beijing

Location

This 18th century Imperial resort is located northeast of Beijing.

Useful Information

The Bank of China is situated on the north side of Zhonghua Lu. The main Post Office is on Nanyingza Lu.

Transportation options:

Take train 613 from the main Beijing Railway Station (soft bunk recommended), 62 RMB per person. Unlike other overnight trips, the 613 does not pre-sell bunks. So at the gate everyone merges with the rawer, pushier elements of society to glom into the green hard seats. Those who want to upgrade may approach the train attendant with their requests. Sleepers seldom sell out. This train is one of the older specimens and does not offer air conditioning. On return, take train Y226 back to Beijing. Traveling by day affords views of large mountains, river canyons and farms. Soft seats are available. Since this ride is by day, sleeping cars are not necessary.

Suggested Itinerary

Preparation: Allow a budget of between RMB600-700 per person.

Day One

23:40 Depart Beijing main railway station. Take train 613 from the main Beijing Railway

Station (soft bunk recommended), 62 RMB per person.

Day Two

4:40 Arrive Chengde. Spend the pre-dawn hours checking into a hotel and catching up on some sleep. A taxi from the train station to most hotels is between RMB5 and RMB10.

12:00 Lunch. There is a maze of market streets just northeast of the bridge from the railroad station featuring single chamber, cement-floor restaurants serving thick noodles topped a la what you want.

13:00-17:00 Afternoon exploring Chengde’s major attraction, the “Imperial Palace”

18:00 Dinner in one of the city’s small traditional Chinese restaurants.

Day Three

9:00 Set out to explore Chengde’s collection of Buddhist Temples. The easy way to reach the temples is by taxi. You can walk between each temple and admission is between RMB10- RMB15.

11:00-14:00 Investigate Sledgehammer Rock, reached by taxi or bus No. 11 to the rock’s cable car entrance. Admission is RMB15 and the lift ticket is RMB20. Follow this with a quick bite to eat at the tea house at the bottom of the cable car.

14:40 Take train Y226 back to Beijing. the views by day are incredible- large mountains, river canyons and farms. A seat (as opposed to a sleeper cabin) should be sufficient for this trip.

18:40 Arrive at Beijing South Railway Station.

Hotels

A string of decent hotels overlook the river. Among them is the 220-room Yun Shan Fan Dian, where double rooms go for RMB400 per night (Nan Yuan Road No. 6) and the Chengde Guesthouse for Diplomatic Missions, where most of the 93 rooms sell for RMB380 per night (Wulie Lu near the railroad bridge).Inside the emperor’s playground (Chengde’s main attraction), is a Qing-style hotel, the Qiwanglou. The 27 rooms here sell for RMB500 per night. Even though you check in at 5 a.m., most hotels will let you stay until noon the next day for one night’s fare.

Dining

A maze of market streets just northeast of the bridge to the railroad station features single chamber, cement-floor restaurants serving thick noodles topped a la what you want. One example is the “Zhi You” restaurant on No. 2 Hutong. A bowl of noodles costs RMB5. Chengde is full of small traditional Chinese restaurants. They offer standard northern fare and the unusual complementary service of a private dining room — freedom from stares, drunken laughter and cigarette smoke. The Shui Yun Xiang restaurant on Nan Yuan Lu, is a good place to start your culinary explorations. The duck, lamb and vegetable dishes here cost about RMB25 per person.

ATTRACTIONS

The Imperial Summer Villa

Spend an afternoon at Chengde’s major attraction,the “Mountain Manor for Escaping the Summer Heat,” or the Imperial Summer Villa. This place is partly a dynastic relic and partly a park. The relics, mostly made from dark hardwood, include the halls, rooms and breezeways where Ci Xi lived and indulged in clothes and jewelry, which visitors can see. Travelers who have visited Beijing’s Summer Palace will see parallels in the architecture, especially the small sculpted rooftop animals and color schemes on the cross beams. A lake dominates the park portion of the retreat. Lotuses and pines grow around here and extend into the low surrounding hills. Trails also lead into the hills, where explorers can find a welcome respite from lakeside crowds. Hilltops also give way to views of new Chengde, another Chinese city chronically under construction, as well as the contorted mountain peaks outside town. A two-part pagoda and a field of Mongolian yurts — shops selling Mongolian regalia — add to the appeal. Admission is RMB50 per person. Taxis and buses go to the gate from throughout the city.

Sledgehammer Rock

This errant piece of topography is a club-shaped knob, 15 meters in diameter, sticking straight up from a small, windy mesa. The brochure says the rock is 596 meters high, but observations suggest this distance also includes the mesa, which rises from a hilly landscape of forests and row crop fields. The rock itself is probably 50 meters high, but this is no easy feat! The rock can be seen from all over town, and travelers constantly approach the rock to rub the sides (apparently this brings good luck), and to look down on the rest of Chengde as well as various knobs and crags that go out to all horizons. Take a cab or city bus No. 11 to get to the rock’s cable car entrance from the city. A lift ticket is RMB20; taking a foot trail through the farms and forests, a 45-minute walk, costs nothing. Admission, regardless of transportation, is RMB15. Bottled water is sold along the upper stretches of the walk. A restaurant at the bottom of the cable car serves a quick pot of tea, a plate of peaches and lettuce leaves dipped in a salty bean sauce.

The Buddhist Temples

Besides the summer resort, Chengde’s main attractions are Sledgehammer Rock and a strip of Buddhist temples on a forested slope behind the resort. The eight temples are all terraced and banked into a hill. Going back to the master hall may require climbing several outdoor flights of stone steps. The Pu Tuo Zong Sheng Temple, is a brick monolith that looks almost Tibetan. Buddha replicas are small but expressive and colorfully painted. Incense burning is optional. Taxis service the temples, but it’s possible to walk from one temple to the next. Admission to each one costs RMB10 or RMB15. A market on the street outside the temples serves soup, sodas and other snacks.

Even a luxurious imperial palace is still too small a palace compared with the colorful outside world, so all emperors throughout history – usually confined to this small “cage” for most of their lifetime – were keen on inspection tours, thus giving rise to innumerable temporary palaces throughout the country in the past 2000 years. Unfortunately, there are few still in existence today. The palace in Chengde,  Hebei Province, is an exception, however. Well preserved, it still possesses its original glory and is one of the most famous tourist destinations in China today, attracting millions of people every year.

Origin

The Chengde Mountain Resort is 230 kilometers from Beijing. Construction started in 1703 and lasted 89 years. Emperor Kangxi ( reigning from 1662 to 1722 ), who initiated the project, meant to make it more than an ordinary temporary dwelling place like so many others throughout the country. He wanted to make it a palace for extended residency or as a second political center. He inspected many places and decided after careful comparison that Chengde was an ideal location. Firstly, it is close to Beijing – a round trip took only two days then ( now it takes only a little more than three hours by bus ). Secondly, lying near the pass to the central region, it is geographically important. In the vicinity of the resort is a vast hunting area with abundant water and grass, lending itself to not only hunting, but also military exercises. Thirdly, it leads directly to the Manchu people’s native land where the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911 ) began its history. Finally, it enjoys a fine natural environment. Emperor Kangxi once described it as “an expansive area with hot springs and rich pastures” which combined the sophistication of southern China and the rustic charm of his native land. In terms of climate, it is an ideal summer resort with an average temperature of 24.5`C in the hottest part of July.

Layout

The palace was built when the Qing Dynasty rose to the peak of its national power during the reign of emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong. Keeping level-headed in spite of prosperity, Emperor Qianlong once commented, ” Since the Han and Tang dynasties, dwelling palaces outside the capital have been constructed to satisfy the desires of the emperor, leading to a waste  of resources, even the ruin of a dynasty. This we should avoid rather than imitate.” Having drawn a lesson from history, he set the tone for the construction of the palace simplicity. The natural conditions of vast area, with lakes and islands in the south, grassland in the north and mountains in the west, made it possible for Kangxi to realize his construction ideals. In 1711, the palace was renamed Summer Mountain Villa, a benevolent gesture indicating that the emperor would share happiness and bitterness with his subjects. Yet the Mountain Villa can by no means be equated with the villas of commoners.

The Mountain Resort occupies an area of 5064 million square meters with its castle-style walls extending for 10 kilometers. In terms of composition, it has two different areas -  the residential area and the garden area.

The residential area, where the emperors of the Qing Dynasty stayed annually from May to September, consists of four building clusters, namely the Central Chamber, Songhe Chamber, Wanhesongfeng and East Chamber. Grand ceremonies were held in Danbojingcheng, or the main hall of the Central Chamber. Yanbozhishuang was the sleeping chamber while Wanhesongfeng was the place where the emperors read books and memorials as well as received officials. In addition, there were special areas for dining and recreation. Wenjinge, the imperial library, houses a great number of books including one of the four copies of the Complete Library of the Four Treasures ( itself a collection of 3500 titles ).

The garden area is composed mainly of a lake and a southern-style landscape. Thirty-two of the 72 scenic spots named personally by emperors Kangxi and Qianlong are located in this area. The lake is divided into 7 parts by small islands which are connected to each other by bridges, dikes, corridors or sluice gates. Ornamenting the islands are pavilions, rocks, trees and flowers.

The vast stretch of plain in this area is covered with grasses and trees, reminding the Qing emperors their nomadic ancestors. There are also Mongolian yurts dotted on the plain, where the emperors used to meet with leaders of other ethnic groups and religious schools who came to pay tribute to the Qing court.

Hills occupy 78 percent of the resort area. A large number of temples and pavilions can be found on the hills.

Characteristics

The entire resort is exquisitely designed and has a harmonious layout. It well deserves its name as a garden-style imperial city.

In general, the residential area is compact in layout while the garden area is characterized by natural touches, well representing the essence of ancient Chinese horticulture.

The buildings in the residential area are completely different in architectural style and layout from those of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Palace building in ancient China are usually symmetrical in layout, with main buildings located on the central axis and other buildings arranged symmetrically on both sides, which can be best exemplified by the design of the Forbidden City. The palace buildings in the Mountain Resort, however, do not follow this style. They are well integrated into the natural topography without adhering rigidly to the principle of symmetry. What’s more, instead of glazed tiles as used in the Forbidden City, gray bricks and tiles and natural wood are employed, adding to the solemnity and elegance of the palace.

The garden area is dotted with 120 scenic spots featuring both southern and northern landscaping arts. It presents both static and dynamic beauty, with flying birds, swimming fish and roaming deer in the garden which is constructed in harmony with nature. Surrounded by the Cheng Lake to the west and facing streams, the Jinshan Hill is an imitation of the typical Zhenjiang-style (in Jiangsu Province ), of which Emperor Kangxi developed an interest during his inspection tour in the south. On the hill spread-out pavilions rise from among the bizarre-shaped rocks. Set on Qinglian Island is the Yanyu Building, an imitation of one in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, bearing the same name. Struck by the beauty of the building during his inspection tour in the south, Emperor Qianlong ordered the drawing of the design and the erecting of the building in the resort. The building clusters such as the Central Chamber and Songhe Chamber exhibit the style of the northern civilian residences, trees towering into clouds, lawns extending to the horizon and Mongolian yurts scattered here and there. Standing between the palace area and the lake area is the Water Pavilion, decorated with three kiosks resembling the Dong-style Wind and Rain bridges in Guizhou Province.

The beauty of the numerous scenic spots of contrasting styles in the Mountain Resort cannot be captured in words. Its unique charm has led to its inclusion among the Top Ten Scenic Sights of China and the 1994 listing of World Cultural Heritage sites.

From: China Today

Situated at the foot of Yanshan Mountain, facing the Bohai Sea, Qinhuangdao  is famous for its ice-free harbour, the summer resort Beidaihe and the First Pass Under Heaven.Qinhuangdao was approved by the State Council in April 1984 as one of the 14 coastal cities that were opened furth to the outside world. The spring wind of reform and opening changes Qinhuangdao day after day, attracking attention from the people of the world.

Qinhuangdao has a long history. The first emperor of Qin Dynasty once stationed here on his eastern inspection tour in 215 B.C, and sent Lu Sheng of Yan State to seek importals off the sea, hence the place was named after him as Qinhuangdao (island of Emperor Qin). In 1898, the Qing government made Qinhuangdao a commercial port and began to build an ocean shipp ing wharf.

Since then the population had been increasing considerably. Qinyu city was established in Dec. 1948, and then the named changed to Qinhuangdao city in the Marth 1949. In May, 1983, Qinhuangdao became a city under the direct jurisdiction of Hebei Province. Three districts, Haigang, Beidaihe, and Shanhaiguan and four counties, Funing,Changli, Lulong and Qinlong Manchurian Autonomous County are under the jurisdiction of Qinhuangdao. Its total area is 7,523 square kilometers with a population of 2.5996 million.

Qinhuangdao, located at the conjunction area between North China Economic Zone and Northeast China Economic Zone, and at the central part of economic zones around Bohai, is the important seaport for northern,northeastern and northwestern China. The world famous Port of Qinhuangdao is wide in harbour space and deep in water, neither frozen nor silted. The port mainly for energy,sundry goods and containers, is the second largest port in China and the largest port for energy export in the world. The berth, each with a capacity of 5,000 tons in Xinkaihe Port
have been put into operation. The Port of Shanhaiguan is now under construction.Qinhuangdao is a tourist city known both at home and abroad. With the beautiful scenery and pleasant climate, there are dozens of tourist areas with more than 300 scenic spots. The beach in Beidaihe with clear warter, gentle wave and fine sand is the best sea bathing place in northern China.

Shanhaiguan is a important military base since ancient times. From here the Great Wall gones down into the sea. The Old Dragon’s Head, Longevity Hill, the Emperor Qin Seeking Immortals, Nandaihe in Funing,Golden Beach in Changli, etc. attract large groups of tourists. There are about 200 sanatoriums, holiday inns and hotels which receive 6 million people annually.

Qinhuangdao is a newly developed industrial city. There are 1,200 township factories and state-owned plants,among those, 64 are large-and middle-sized, with 1,000 kinds of industrial products:building materials, metallurgy, machinery, garments, food and chemicals, ets.. Yaohua Glass Group Company, Shanhaiguan Steel Frame Factory, Bohai Aluminium Co.. Dicastal Wheel Manufacturing Co. Ltd, Shanhaiguan Ship-yard, Huamei Miceleto Equipment Co. etc. are on the top list of their fields in China both in productive capacity and scales.

Qinhuangdao is one of the 14 coastal cities further opening-up to outside world, with the state-level Qinhuangdao Economic and Technical Development Zone, provincial level Shanhaiguan and Beidaihe Economic and Technical Development Zones, Nandaihe New and High-Tech Industrial Zone and tourism districts in the city.Except for the preferential policies for opening coastal city formulated by the state, the foreign investors also enjoy the preferential policies on land use and taxation from the provincial and municipal governments. Ivestors from 30 ciuntries and regions have made good profits.

Qinhuangdao has a good investment environment with a completed infrastructure. The function of urban supply has been strengthened. Beijing-Shenyang, Beijing-Qinhuangdao and Datong-Qinhuangdao Railway run through the city. Shanhaiguan Station is one of the six big railway marshalling yards. Two national highways 102 and 205 cross the city, the expressway from Beijing to Qinhuangdao is being under construction. With a dozen of flights available, international flights are planned to open. There are 191,000 program controlled telephones, allowing direct dial to 1,000 cities in 200 countries and regions in the world. Water, power and gas supply are gully developed. The standard of urban environment and hygiene is improved.
Qinhuangdao City has been honored as a national cleanest city for three years. In 1992, the city was prized by the state one of the 40 best cities for investment environment.
Qinhuangdao Foreign Investment Administration and Service Center is set up to provide good service for investors.

Looking forward to the further, the city has bright prospects. Following the policy of the Central Goverment on speeding up the development in coastal areas, Qinhuangdao will develop into a mordern industry city. Qinhuangdao will be built into a garden city with the best two civilizations and high-quality people’s life and move into a strong economic and spiritual civilization city.

Welcome friends all over the world to visit, travel and develop economic and trade cooperation in Qinhuangdao.

The Beidaihe Beach Resort stretches 10km east to west from the Yinjiao Pavillion to the mouth of the Daihe. In Changli, southwest of Beidaihe, there are also plans to convert a local bathing beach into another resort. This naturally pristine beach, like the rest of the Beidaihe Beach Resort, will attract millions of visitors from all over the world each summer.

The environment around Beidaihe is also beautiful. Mt. Lianfeng, which backs onto the beach, has two peaks covered by abundant green pines and cypresses. Lush vegetation, strange caves, decorated pavilions, secluded paths and winding bridges cover the mountain and make it unique and appealing. Looking down from Wanghaiting (Seaside Pavilion) at the top of the hill, one can see the misty sea in all its majesty and feel carefree and joyous. Moreover, Beidaihe is one of nine famous sun-rise watching spots in China. The Yinjiao Pavilion, on the northwest beach of Beidaihe, is the best place to watch the sun rise. Another way to witness this beautiful morning event is out the window of one of the local trains called Lianhuashi (Lotus Stone), named after the several huge rocks standing upright in the shape of a lotus flower. The park also houses the quiet Guanyin Temple in the north, beautifully restored in 1979, and the splendid Zhujia Grave in the east.

Home to vendors, speed boats and school outings, the locals herald the Tiger Rocks as the central attraction of the middle beach. This rock formation is composed of several huge rocks protruding from the sea like crouching tigers. Standing on one of these rocks, one is fascinated by the beating waves beneath and the vast sea in the distance.

The Yinjiao Stone in the east is one of the most popular attractions of Beidaihe. It is a separate rock with the unique shape of an eagle perched upon it. Groups of wild doves once dwelled in the rock caves there, so it is also known as “Dove Nest”. Yinjiao Pavilion is at the peak, where visitors can enjoy watching the powerfully energetic ocean.

As I approach Jieshi Hill from the west.
The boundless sea extends before me.

Above soughs the autumn wind.
The insurmountable waters swell below.

These lines, written by the famous statesman-poet Cao Cao (155-220) to commemorate his visit to Beidaihe, testify that the natural beauty of this seaside resort was appreciated quite early in Chinese history. A number of the principal scenic spots are described below.

Eagle promontory (Yingjiaoyan): On a corner of East Hill is an outcrop of bare rock known as Eagle Promontory. With its pointed tip jutting out into the sea, it resembles an eagle standing on one leg. A pavilion built on the highest point of the promontory provides the best spot in the area from which to observe both the sunrise and the entire panorama along the coast. A natural stone staircase descends to the beach. Looking up at the pavilion from there one gets the feelings that this huge pile of stone may fall down at any moment. A fine view of fishing boats in the misty distance off Qinhuangdao can also be obtained here.

The Pigeonholes: Twenty or thirty meters from Eagle Promontory to the right of the pavilion stands a huge yellowish reef which rises abruptly from the sea and extends nearly to the shoreline. Countless years of pounding waves has scored the rock with cracks and holes, which serve pigeons as ideal nesting places. Visitors in the early morning and late afternoon can see the lively spectacle of the resident birds flying about.

The Tiger Rocks: In the central beach area is a row of huge rocks near the shore, which become visible when the tide ebbs. From a distance, these rocks look very much like a group lively tigers bathing in the sea.

Lianpeng (Lotus) Mountain, also known as Lianfeng Mountain (Mountain of Joined Peaks): The name of this mountain, which stands some 400 meters above sea level, derives from the fact that it consists of an eastern and a western peaks. Densely covered with pines and cypresses, it offers a number of interesting vistas. On the western peak is the Conversation Rock, known also as Lian Rock, which is said to resemble a peach or a crouching lion in shape. Nearby is a tomb reputed to contain the remains of a Korean prince who died on the mountain in a battle with the Tatars. One may also visit the Stone Lotus Park, where beneath the shade of pine trees there is a host of rocks, which resembles lotus flowers floating on the water. In addition, one may visit Tiger Cave, in which crashing waves can be heard; the Southern Gate of Heaven, a natural rock formation; the Fairy Cave, where female fairies who collect medicinal herbs are believed to spend the night; Taoyuan (peach Garden), an imaginary utopia; and Tongtian (Connected with the Sky) Caves. Nearby Yansai Lake is an ideal place for rowing.

Late in the evening, the pleasant echoes of the bell in the Temple of the Goddess of Mercy lull visitors to sleep.

The Old Dragon Head (Laolongtou), the easternmost point of the Great Wall, makes a wonderful day trip from Beidaihe. The colorful name of this site is derived from the traditional description of the Great Wall as huge dragon stretching across northern China. With its body winding its way into the Yanshan Mountains in the north and its head jutting into the Bohai Sea, the stony old dragon presents a magnificent sight.

Four kilometers from the Old Dragon Head is the easternmost pass of the Great Wall, Shanhai Pass (the Pass of Mountains and Sea). Commonly known as the First Pass under Heaven, it was built more than 600 years ago in the early Ming Dynasty to defend the strategic six-kilometer-wide coastal plain, which lies between the Bohai Sea and the Yanshan Mountains.
Near the pass is the Temple of Girl Mengjiang. The touching tale of this woman, known to every Chinese, may be summed up as follows: During the Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.), Mengjiang’ s husband was conscripted to work on the construction of the Great Wall. He died during the cold winter and was buried amidst the rubble in the base of the Great Wall. After many years of separation, Mengjiang came to look for him, and when she arrived at the site where he had been assigned to work, discovered that he had died years before. Her crying was so loud that the section of the Great Wall where he was buried collapsed.

Convention credits the Englishman Claude William Kinder with the discovery of Beidaihe as an ideal summer resort at the end of the 19th century. But Kinder was hardly the first person to come here. Actually, ships called here as early as the Han Dynasty, over 2,000 years ago. The Han Emperor Wu Di is reputed to have enjoyed the seaside beauty here and to have built a special observation platform for this purpose. Cao Cao, whose poem we read above, was another early visitor. Due to the development of sea transport, the population of the area increased rapidly during the Ming Dynasty and Beidaihe became quite prosperous. In 1898, the Qing government officially designated Beidaihe as a summer resort. However, in the following 50 years, the region developed very slowly. Except for foreign establishments such as the American and British government estates, there were few other buildings besides the private villas of Qing bureaucrats and warlords, such as Wu Peifu and Duan Qirui. In November 1948, Beidaihe was liberated. Since then, the people’s Government has built highways in both the city proper and along the beach. Besides the restoration and enlargement of five parks, 3,000 new hotels, villas and sanatoriums have been constructed.

From Eagle Promontory in the east to the mouth of the Daihe River in the west, 22 swimming areas have been opened in Beidaihe’ s 10 kilometers of fine sandy beaches. The average annual temperature is approximately 10 degrees Centigrade, 26 degrees in summer. Breezes from the southeast cool the region, and even on the hottest summer days, the warm, calm water is ideal for swimming. Travelers from Beijing can reach Beidaihe conveniently by train.

It consists of the Estuary Stone City, Jinglu Watchtower, Wangshou Watchtower, Nanhaikou Pass, Chenghai Tower, Ninghai City and Binhai City.

The Estuary Stone City

The Stone City lying at the estuary was built by Qijiguang, a famous general of the Ming dynasty. It used to serve as a defense work to resist the aggression of Nuchen and Mongolia. The Stone City was based on natural reefs and constructed with huge rocks, which were rabbet and connected by cast iron chains. With battlements placed on walls the Stone City extends into the sea and is very grandiosity.

Jinglu Watchtower

Connecting with the Stone City in the north, Jinglu Watchtower, was built with granite bars and has a commanding height to block the sea. The straight-cut plane of the watchtower is an equilateral trapezium with a bottoms length of 11.7 meters and a top of 10.7 meters.

Wangshou Watchtower

Wangshou Watchtower and Jinglu Watchtower echo each other at a distance to form defense fortifications that outflank the Old Dragon’s Head Bay. As a close defense work, the protruding tower is 25 meters-wide and 34 meters long, with parapet walls inside and a basement beneath that is over 20-meter-long .

Nanhaikou Pass

Nanhaikou Pass is the only pass of the Ming Great wall established on the seashore. With a height of 5.4 meters, this pass was supposed to be the commanding center of the Laolongtou Great Wall defense system.

Chenghai Tower

Chenghai Tower, 20 meters away from Nanhaikou pass, was built after Nanhaikou Pass was deserted. It functioned as a defensive arrow tower and retired after the Qing dynasty.

Ninghai City

Ninghai City is the city where Chenghai Tower locates. It is about 6.6-meter-high and 500-meter-long in circumference and has 2 gates, one in the west and another in the north. The city wall was built with bricks on a stone basement and was rammed with loess inside the walls. The city has now been rebuilt and is open to tourists.

Shanhaiguan Pass consists of a main castle, two supporting castles one in the north and one in the south, and two semicircular protective walls in front of the main castle, the town of Weiyuan and the town of Ninghai. Today most of these structures are still well preserved, while others, such as the wall of Ninghai, the Calm Sea Tower built on the town wall and the Laolongtou Great Wall, where the Great Wall meets the sea, have been restored. The brick wall of the pass, stuffed with earth, is 14 meters high, seven meters wide and four kilometers in circumference. It is connected with the Great Wall which stretches onto the rolling Yanshan Mountains in the north and into the Bohai Sea in the south with parts and battlements that form a strong and powerful defense system. On the east gate of the city wall stands a tower hung with a horizontal inscribed board reading: “The First Pass under the Heaven “. The bold characters written in vigorous strokes make the pass look even more magnificent. The Gate Tower houses an exhibition of ancient military uniforms and weapons including a saber that weighs 83 kilos, the heaviest in the country. Once you ascend the tower and take a broad view afar, the serried battlements and the rising mist will take you back to the ancient battlefields of a thousand years ago.

Beyond the Shanhaiguan Pass, the Great Wall stretches eastward until it dips into the sea at a place called Laolongtou (Old Dragon’s Head) . Tourist attractions in the vicinity include the Jiaoshan Section which has the Great Wall meandering along the mountain ridges, Shanhaiguan Great Wall Museum which has some interesting pictures, relics and clothes depicting the life story of this snaking construction, and a temple dedicated to Meng Jiangnu ,one of China’s devoted heroines.

The visitor to Hebei has the unequalled opportunity to view many relics that can be found in this beautiful province. The very famous Chengde Mountain Resort used to be the largest royal summer resort of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Outside the surrounding wall of the Mountain Resort of Chengde, the visitor will find a display of several brilliant and glistening temples. They are called “Eight Outer Temples” and are the largest imperial temples in all of China. The Mulan Paddock in Hebei Province was used as the hunting place for the emperors of the Qing Dynasty. At the present time, it is one of the few natural grassland resorts and a very popular destination for those visitors who are after a bit of fresh air and peaceful countryside. Shanhaiguan Pass, also called “The First Pass Under Heaven”, is the easternmost end of the GREAT WALL, which winds its way through the north of Hebei. All these beautiful highlights will make the tourist feel excited about the scenery, history and natural beauty which is in the Hebei Province.

In the tour to Hebei Province, tourists can not only have a long look at all the historical relics, but they also see all the beautiful natural landscapes that you can only dream of. In summer, tourists can enjoy the sunshine, beaches, and all the fresh air that blows in from the Bohai Gulf in the Beidaihe and Nandaihe Scenic Areas; In spring tourists can ride on the vast and magnificent grassland; In autumn, they can explore the fascinating Yesanpo Scenic Area in Baoding City. And in winter, another spectacular destination in Baoding City is the Baiyang Lake. The Baiyang Lake will be a very special attraction, because tourists can see very unique scenery of reeds and snows.

Hebei beckons and welcomes you.

As highways and roads are built leading deep into the previously inaccessible mountains, people have discovered more ruins of the Great Wall.

For instance, the section of the ruined Great Wall in Tangshan in Hebei Province, about 200 kilometres to the northeast of Beijing, recently opened to visitors.

Linking the Shanhaiguan Pass to the east and the better-known Badaling section in Beijing, the wall stretches about 220 kilometres through Tangshan with 29 passes, 603 watch towers and 82 beacon towers, researchers have concluded after years of hard study.

The Xifengkou Gateway, located in Qianxi County in Tangshan, was an important stronghold in ancient times.

Today, part of this section is submerged in a reservoir built in the early 1970s. The structure looks just like a tired dragon drinking water, with his neck submerged in a lake and tail lifting up at the peak of the mountain.

The name Xifeng, which means ”peak of happiness,” has developed from an earlier meaning “site for a happy reunion.”

Legend has it that a young man yearned to see his father, who had gone to build the Great Wall. He travelled a long distance and finally found his father working there. Overjoyed after a separation which lasted many years, both father and son lived there for the rest of their lives.

The part of the Great Wall along the Jiufeng Mountain is unique in that it is only 70 centimetres wide at its narrowest point. In fact, it is the wall’s narrowest section.

The section of the wall on the Jiufeng Mountain was a typical example of official corruption in ancient times, as local officials stole the building funds.

Ironically, the section built with limited materials has now become a tourist attraction for its unique features.

There is an old tale which has passed from generation to generation that a monk sacrificed himself by jumping over a cliff on the Jiufeng Mountain to become a Buddha. The Xiyun Temple on the peak, constructed in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), was built in memory of the monk.

Apart from the peak and ancient temple, the Jiufeng Mountain also features unusual trees, odd rocks and steep cliffs.

The Gate Tower of Qingshanguan Pass offers a sharp contrast to the slim wall on top of the Jiufeng Mountain. Grandiose in its appearance, it is 6 metres high and has 72 arches with a perimeter of 230 metres.

Nearby is the Marble Great Wall. Around 10 metres high, 5 metres wide and 1,500 metres in length, it was built from marble, which was rare in the history of the Great Wall’s construction.

It did not seem to mind that a little more than 10 metres away, several people were excitedly watching it through telescopes and binoculars.

“This is the band-billed crake, remember the dark red colour of its feathers and the white bands on its belly,” whispered Gerold Dobler, an ornithologist from Austria.

“It’s so rare it is listed in the red data-book of endangered bird species.”

Everyone was so busy catching a glimpse of the rare crake, a fine reward for their hours of waiting, that they almost ignored the black-crowned night herons flying over their heads, or the agile swallows chasing insects above the low bushes.

Just 100 metres east of the woods, the ocean waves roll in and out. More than 10 species of shore birds enjoy the sea breeze and a tasty meal of crab.

“The crake added a new name to my birding checklist,” said Zhong Jia, aged about 50, who came from People’s Daily and started to joined bird watching groups three years ago.

“The number of rare birds I’ve seen has increased to 270 in the past three years and my personal goal is to reach 300 this year,” she said.

The nine-person bird watching team was mostly composed of Chinese journalists who had just finished covering the 23rd World Ornithological Congress in Beijing,which was held two weeks ago.

Happy Island

The peaceful place the avid bird watchers chose for their post-congress adventure is called Happy Island.

Situated in Laoting County of North China’s Hebei Province, it is only a three-hour drive from Beijing and about 80 kilometres south of another famous bird watching place in China – Beidaihe.

Beidaihe won world recognition as a birding haven during the 1999 Sky and Ocean International Bird Watching Race, which attracted nearly 200 Chinese and overseas bird watchers.

Best-known as a summer resort for its beaches, Beidaihe is home to tens of thousands of vacationers between July and September each year.

“Compared to Beidaihe, Happy Island seems much more lucky,” Zhong said, “because it is almost a pure paradise solely for birds and with little disturbance from tourists.”

Happy Island’s name came from Martin Williams, a British man who has been studying birds in the Beidaihe area since 1985.

He chanced upon the island in 1987 and his eyes kept on opening as wide as they could during the whole trip, recalled Xu Xiaohong, director of the Beidaihe Convalescence and Tourism Administration, who accompanied Williams to the island.

Xu said Williams found the island was entirely free human activities, although it is located just a few kilometres from the mainland.

Being a great island for birds, ornithologists and bird watchers, its name was a logical choice.

From then on, international bird watchers flocked in spring and autumn to the tiny island, which is 2 kilometres long and 1 kilometre wide, as it played host to numerous migrating birds, mainly shuttling between Siberia and South China.

The island’s name then spread rapidly among bird watchers worldwide, who gave it the Chinese name of Kuaile Dao.

Only locals still call it by its original Chinese name, Shijiu Tuo.

Situated between Bohai Bay to the east and the Yanshan Mountain Range to the west, the island provides feathered travellers with a resting place.

While there are more than 9,000 species of birds in the world, 1,200 can been seen in China and about 400 have been spotted at Beidaihe. “The number on Happy Island will be about the same due to its proximity to Beidaihe and their similar geographical conditions,” according to Dobler.

“It is one of the best places for bird watching in East Asia.

“The varying geographical conditions and changing weather brings different birds everyday, that is part of the fun for bird watchers.”

Connecting birds

Except for Dobler, Zhong and Yu Haiyan from Guangzhou TV Station, located in South China’s Guangdong Province, most team members were beginners in birding, so a short training course was necessary.

Zhong was appointed as the teacher. She said a telescope, binoculars and an illustrated bird book were all requirements for bird-watching. And to avoid disturbing the birds, bright-colour clothing is not allowed.

“Although it is the hottest days in the area, long-sleeve shirts, long trousers and gallons of insect repellent are strongly recommended because during the whole season, the island is alive with mosquitoes,” Zhong said.

“Early morning is a good time for bird watching, when the birds are busy feeding.”

So the island trip started at 7:30 am with a 5-minute ride on a small speedboat.

The sanctuary is covered with shrubs, reeds and a scattering of bushes, crossed by small tracks. Due to its small size, a bird watcher can easily cover the island on foot.

The welcoming bird was a brown shrike, quietly sitting on top of some bushes. Dobler explained that it was waiting for chances to catch its insect breakfast at lightening speed, after it spotted one.

Having been to the island several times, Zhong suggested that the members go through a small wooded area. It was a shortcut to get to the beach and a good place to find forest birds.

But mosquitoes came before the birds, dozens of them rushed to the intruders’ legs, arms and even faces. Although protected by clothes and insect repellent, no one emerged from the woods unbitten.

But the small group quickly put aside the uncomfortableness caused by the insects after Yu Haiyan spotted a small dark-green bird in the branches of a fir.

Everyone fixed their telescope on the tree and no one spoke.

The silence was broken by a small dispute over the name of the bird until Dobler whispered to the group that it was an arctic warbler, identifiable by its white, long and thin brow lines and distinctive chirping.

To get to the beach before the tide had ebbed too far out, taking all of the shore birds, the team decided to leave the mosquito and spider-web-ridden area and rush to the shore.

But the original shortcut was stopped by noisy human construction.

Workers pointed out the right way and explained that they were repairing an old temple, which was expected to attract more tourists besides bird watchers.

“It shows that the value of the place is obviously unknown to the local people,” Zhong sighed.

Luckily, shore birds such as dunlins, gulls and plovers seemed undaunted by the construction noise.

They peacefully gathered around, catching food or resting.

Dobler explained the difference between various species of dunlins and plovers and how to spot them by distinguishing between the length of their beaks, body size and the colour of their claws.

“Most birds are molting in preparation for winter so it’s harder to identify them than in spring,” Dobler said.

Most of the team were busy checking the guide book after finding a new species, in an effort to find its name and body characteristics.

They were excited to find out they could accurately distinguish between eastern and Eurasian curlews and Asian dowitchers.

Not satisfied with watching birds through telescopes, Ding even took off his shoes to walk into the mud to gain a closer look.

Maybe because he moved so slowly the birds felt he meant no harm – they did not fly away even when he stopped less than 10 metres away.

Yu was pleased to add so many new birds to her watching list, most of which she had no chance of seeing in her hometown in South China’s Guangdong Province.

The joy overcame her weariness after carrying the same heavy equipment as the men, a binocular to search for the animals and a half-metre-long telescope for catching close-ups.

Yu said she began to watch birds in her childhood because one of her neighbours was a university biology teacher.

The neighbour taught Yu how to watch birds in their natural environment, to find differences in their behaviour and most importantly, to love and protect them.

“Birds are friends of humans,” Yu said.

“They are connected with us in nature.”

Join the group

Zhong regretted that although China is one of the countries gifted with a rich bird life, the number of people appreciating its beauty is still small.

There is only about 100 people regularly taking part in birding trips around the country.

“I believe the number will increase rapidly as more and more people recognize the fun of it,”Zhong said.

She said most trips were organized by the Friends of Nature and the Green Earth Volunteers, two environmental non-government organizations based in Beijing. There is also a regular training course given by Zhao Xinru, a biologist from Beijing Normal University, every Wednesday evening at the university.

The bird watchers, most of whom are students and professors who study birds, exchanged their experiences during the breaks.

And through the Internet, bird watchers from Xiamen, in East China’s Fujian Province, South China’s Guangdong Province and the Beijing and Shanghai municipalities share new findings, questions and answers.

“Birds are everywhere around us, in the parks, on the windows, above the antennae,” Zhong said.

“Holding binoculars is no harder than holding a camera. Bird watching offers a good chance to think about ourselves.

“Humans and birds used to be harmonious. It’s humans who destroyed the harmony and we should stop right now.”