Summer Resort

The Summer Resort is situated in the north part of the city center of Chengde, Hebei. It is here that the emperor of Qing dynasty to spend summer holidays and handle governmental affairs. It was originally built in Kangxi 42ed year (1703), and finished in Qianlong 57th year (1792).

The imperial theme of "collecting the world scene in one garden, moving the best beauty to one place" is represented in the garden, which combines the grace of South China with the grandeur of North China. The construction of Imperial Summer Resort was started in 1703; after 89 years, until the year 1792, its 124 groups of constructions had been finished, in which 72 scenic sites were named by the Emperor at that time. The whole construction area is about 100,000 square meters.

The Gate of the Imperial Summer Resort is the gate of the formal palace zone with a plate with the inscription "Imperial Summer Resort" written by Emperor Kangxi himself. So the name "Imperial Summer Resort" appeared. For over a hundred years from the reign of Kangxi to that of Xianfeng, the emperors spent nearly a half of their time living here, thus the Main Palace had become the second political center of the Qing Dynasty.

The Summer Resort is take the simple and subtle smell of the suburb as its style, it relies on the original color of the natural elements, features the charm of south Changjiasng River, the scale is a astonishment. The palace wall is not painted in red, but the natural color of the local material; the palace imitated the layout of the courtyard of northern China, it is too, simply decorated, featuring blue bricks and tiles, it provides a drastic contrast with the style of the Forbidden City.

The Summer Resort can be divided into Palace area and park area. The area is located in the southern part of the resort, made up of the Main Palace, Pine-Crane Hall, Pine Soughing Valley and East Palace. The Main Palace is comprised of the Front Court and the Back Imperial Bedroom. The main hall of the Front Court, all made of nanmu, was the place where all important ceremonies were held during the Qing emperors' stay in the summer resort. The Back Imperial Bedroom is comprised of Yanbo Zhishuang Hall, where the emperors lived and dealt with state affairs, and Yunshan Shengdi Tower, where the emperors and empresses appreciated the beautiful scenery.

In 1994 December, Chengde Summer Resort and Waiba Temple was honored as "World Cultural and Natural Heritage" by the UNESCO.