Must-see attractions in Hebei

The imperial summer resort is composed of a main palace complex with vast, parklike gardens, all enclosed by a handsome 10km-long wall. The entrance price…

With its squeaking prayer wheels and devotional intonations of its monks, this is Chengde’s only active Buddhist temple. It was built in 1755 in…

Considering its age – almost 1500 years old – we think this is one of the most impressive temples in northern China. It's certainly Zhengding’s star…

Although a heavily restored section of the Great Wall, Jiao Shan (角山, Jiǎo Shān) nevertheless offers an excellent opportunity to hike up the Wall’s first…

Also known as Potala (布达拉, Bùdálā), Chengde’s largest temple is a not-so-small replica of Lhasa’s Potala Palace and houses the nebulous presence of…

Dominating the skyline to the northwest of the town, Jimingyi's namesake mountain means Cock's Crow Mountain, and is topped by the largest and oldest…

China’s oldest bridge still standing, Zhaozhou Bridge has spanned the Jiao River (Jiǎo Hé) for 1400 years. As the world’s first segmental arch bridge (ie…

This is the site of the transcendent, cliff-spanning Hanging Palace, a Sui-dynasty construction perched halfway up a precipitous gorge. If you think you…

In a mountain valley 15km north of Shanhaiguan stretches the only section of the Great Wall ever built over water. Normally the Wall stopped at rivers, as…

This peaceful temple was built in 1776 for the visits of minority envoys from the west (Kazakhs and Uyghurs among them). At the rear of the temple is the…

This temple dates from AD 540 but was destroyed in 1966, the first year of the Cultural Revolution. Little remains apart from a bell tower and the dirt…

Famous across China (although a little overhyped if we're being honest), Old Dragon Head, 4km south of Shanhaiguan, is where the Great Wall meets the sea…

The Great Wall's main gate as it snaked down the mountains towards the sea, the First Pass served as Shanhaiguan's east gate and principal watchtower. Two…

Up until about five years ago, all that remained of Zhengding's 24km-long, 6th-century city wall were sporadic stretches of tall earthen mounds, but now…

A copy of the former Gurza Temple on Xinjiang's western border, this rarely visited complex dates back to 1764, built to commemorate the Qianlong emperor…

Completed in 1581, this three-storey pavilion was supposedly the work of one thoroughly crazed individual – Yu Xichun, who wanted to be able to see…

Wandering the cavernous halls of this museum's two buildings will take you deep into the multilayered realms of Chinese history, with most exhibits…

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…

This active monastery is notable for its tall, elegant, carved-brick Chengling Pagoda (澄灵塔, Chénglíng Tǎ; also called the Green Pagoda), topped with an…

Nothing remains of this temple except Hua Pagoda (华塔; Huá Tā), dating from around AD 800. It's an unusual, Indian-style pagoda decorated with lions,…