Chengde History & Culture

Chengde City is located in the northeastern part of Hebei Province, bordering Beijing and Tianjin to the south, Chifeng City and Xilinguole League to the north, and Chaoyang City, Qinhuangdao, Tangshan City, and Zhangjiakou City to the east and west. It is an important node connecting Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Liaoning and Inner Mongolia, and a transition zone connecting North China and Northeast China. It has the unique location advantage of "one city connecting five provinces". It is a national Class A open city, a collection place for standard Mandarin pronunciation, a hometown of Chinese photography, and a hometown of Chinese paper cutting. Chengde's Summer Resort and its surrounding temples are among China's top ten scenic spots, one of the top 40 tourist destinations, and a national key scenic spot. In 1994, it was listed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. In the 42nd year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (1703), Emperor Kangxi built the Summer Resort, which became the second political center of the Qing Dynasty. In the first year of Emperor Yongzheng's reign (1723), Rehe Hall was established. In the 11th year of the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty (1733), Emperor Yongzheng bestowed the name "Huang Cheng Tian De" (皇承天德), meaning "inheriting the virtues of ancestors," to convey the emperor's grace in nurturing all things through heaven and earth. Chengde was established as a direct-controlled prefecture, and the city was named "Chengde." During the Republic of China and the early years of the Liberation Movement, it served as the capital of the former Rehe Province. In 1955, Rehe Province was abolished, and Chengde was transferred to Hebei Province as a provincial-level city. In 2012, Chengde was named one of China's "Top Ten Characteristic Leisure Cities." In November 2016, the National Tourism Administration designated Chengde as one of the second batch of National All-Area Tourism Demonstration Zones. In October 2017, Chengde was designated a National Forest City.