Things to do in Chéngdé
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Eight Outer Temples
Skirting the northern and eastern walls of the Bìshǔ Shānzhuāng, the eight outer temples were, unusually, designed for diplomatic rather than spiritual reasons. Some were based on actual Tibetan Buddhist monasteries but the emphasis was on appearance: smaller temple buildings are sometimes solid, and the Tibetan facades (with painted windows) are often fronts for traditional Chinese temple inter- iors. The surviving temples and monasteries were all built between 1713 and 1780; the prominence given to Tibetan Buddhism was as much for the Mongols (fervent Lamaists) as the Tibetan leaders.
Bus 6 taken to the northeastern corner will drop you in the vicinity and bus 118…
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Guǎngyuán Temple
Unrestored and inaccessible, the temple's rounded doorway is blocked up with stones and its grounds are seemingly employed by the local farming community.
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Xiǎo Féiyáng
Right across the way from Lìzhèng Gate, this downstairs lamb hotpot restaurant is excellent for post-Imperial Summer Resort ramblings. The two-flavour spicy and mild yuānyāng (鸳鸯锅; Y20) base is best, into which you fling plate loads of lamb (羊肉; Y18), cabbage (白菜; Y4), potatoes (土豆片; Y4), eggs (鸡蛋; Y1) and more. Tick the form and hand to the waitress. It's on the ground floor of the Xīnyìfùlái Hotel (新意富来酒店).
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Pǔrén Temple
Built in 1713, this is the earliest temple in Chéngdé, but is not open to the public.
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Misty Rain Tower
The double-storey Misty Rain Tower is on the northwestern side of the main lake and was an imperial study.
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Zhōudǐngjì
There are all sorts of cheap snacks here, from steamed buns and porridge for breakfast to noodles and dumplings for lunch and dinner. Look for the red and gold façade.
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Xīláishùn Fànzhuāng
The gathering place for local Muslims, this unassuming restaurant is a great choice for those undaunted by Chinese- only picture menus. Excellent choices include beef fried with coriander (烤牛肉; kǎo niúròu; Y24) and sesame duck kebabs (芝麻鸭串; zhīma yāchuàn; Y25). Look for the mosque-style entrance.
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Ānyuǎn Temple
A copy of the Gurza Temple in Xīnjiāng, only the main hall remains, which contains deteriorating Buddhist frescoes. Take bus 10.
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Dongpo Restaurant
Hung welcomingly with red lanterns and located a short walk east of the Imperial Summer Villa, this popular eatery has a good range of spicy Sìchuān dishes and a menu lightly peppered with English. Another branch can be found across from the train station.
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Dadi Beijing Roast Duck Restaurant
The round tables dwarf small groups, but the duck comes roasted over fruit-tree wood. You may have to wait a thumb-twiddling 45 minutes for your duck – if so, you can choose to order, pay up front and come back later. Pancakes for the roast duck are Y3, sauce Y1.
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Pǔlè Temple
This peaceful temple was built in 1776 for the visits of minority envoys (Kazakhs among them). At the rear of the temple is the unusual Round Pavilion, reminiscent of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at Běijīng's Temple of Heaven. Inside is an enormous wooden mandala (a geometric representation of the universe).
It's a 30-minute walk to Hammer Rock from Pǔlè Temple – the rock is said to resemble a kind of musical hammer. There is pleasant hiking and commanding views of the area. Bus 10 will take you to the cable car (return Y45) for Hammer Rock.
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Shūxiàng Temple
Surrounded by a low red wall, with its large halls rising on the hill behind and huge stone lions parked outside, this temple is often closed. Just to the west of Shūxiàng Temple is a military-sensitive zone where foreigners are not allowed access, so don't go wandering around.
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Wenjin Pavilion
The Wenjin Pavilion was built in 1773 to house a copy of the Siku Quanshu, a major anthology of classics, history, philosophy and literature commissioned by Qianlong. The anthology took 10 years to put together, and totalled an astounding 36,500 chapters. Four copies were made, only one of which has survived (now in Běijīng).
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Puyou Temple
East of Pǔníng Temple, this temple is dilapidated and missing its main hall, but it has a plentiful contingent of merry gilded luóhàn in the side wings, although a fire in 1964 incinerated many of their confrères.
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Temple of Sumeru, Happiness & Longevity
East of the Pǔtuózōngchéng Temple, this huge temple was built in honour of the sixth Panchen Lama, who stayed here in 1781. Incorporating Tibetan and Chinese architectural elements, it's an imitation of a temple in Shigatse, Tibet. Note the eight huge, glinting dragons (each said to weigh over 1000kg) that adorn the roof of the main hall. Bus 118 (Y1) runs along Huancheng Beilu past the temple.
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Guāndì Temple
The restored Taoist Guāndì Temple was first built during the reign of Yongzheng, in 1732. For years the temple housed residents but is again home to a band of Taoist monks, garbed in distinctive jackets and trousers, their long hair twisted into topknots.
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Club Rock & Toad Rock
It's a 30-minute walk to Club Rock (棒槌峰; Bàngchuí Fēng) from Pule Temple - the rock is said to resemble a club used for beating laundry dry. Nearby is Toad Rock (蛤蟆峰; Hámá Shí). There is pleasant hiking, good scenery and commanding views of the area. You can save yourself a steep climb to the base of Club Rock and Toad Rock by taking the chairlift, but it's more fun to walk if you're reasonably fit. Take us 10 to Pule Temple.
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Pǔtuózōngchéng Temple
Chéngdé's largest temple is a minifacsimile of Lhasa's Potala Palace and houses the nebulous presence of Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin). A marvellous sight on a clear day, the temple's red walls stand out against its mountain backdrop. Enter to a huge stele pavilion, followed by a large triple archway topped with five small stupas in red, green, yellow, white and black. In between the two gates are two large stone elephants whose knees bend impossibly.
Fronted by a collection of prayer wheels and flags, the Red Palace (also called the Great Red Platform) contains most of the main shrines and halls. Continue up past an exhibition of thangka (sacred Tibetan paintings) in a…
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Imperial Summer Villa
Sprawling over 590 hectares, the Imperial Summer Villa is a colossal park bounded by a splendid 10km wall. Only a small portion of the grounds contain architecture: around 90% is taken up by lakes, hills, mini-forests, plains and hunting grounds. Passing through the Main Gate (Lìzhèng Mén) you reach the FrontPalace (Zhèng Gōng), containing the main throne hall. Inside, the refreshingly cool Hall of Simplicity & Sincerity is fashioned from an aromatic hardwood called nánmù; there is a carved throne on display. There are also the emperor’s fully furnished bedrooms, as well as displays of ceramics, drum stones and calligraphy. The double-storey Misty Rain Tower…
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Pǔníng Temple
With its squeaking prayer wheels and devotional intonations of its monks, Chéngdé's only active temple was built in 1755 in anticipation of Qianlong's victory over the western Mongol tribes in Xīnjiāng. Supposedly modelled on the earliest Tibetan Buddhist monastery (Samye), the first half of the temple is distinctly Chinese (with Tibetan buildings at the rear).
Enter the temple grounds to a stele pavilion with inscriptions by the Qianlong emperor in Chinese, Manchu, Mongol and Tibetan. The halls behind are arranged in typical Buddhist fashion, with the Hall of Heavenly Kings (天王殿; Tiānwáng Diàn) and beyond, the Mahavira Hall (大雄宝殿; Dàxióng Bǎodiàn), where…
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Bìshǔ Shānzhuāng
The imperial summer resort is composed of a main palace complex and vast parklike gardens, all enclosed by a good-looking 10km-long wall. The peak season entrance price is steep, considering the Forbidden City is half the price.
A huge spirit wall shields the resort entrance from the bad spirits and traffic fumes of Lizhengmen Dajie. Through Lìzhèng Gate (丽正门; Lìzhèng Mén), the Main Palace (正宫; Zhèng Gōng) is a ser- ies of nine courtyards and five elegant, unpainted halls, with a rusticity complemented by towering pine trees. The wings in each courtyard have various exhibitions (porcelain, clothing, weaponry), and most of the halls are decked out in period…
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