Chengde Mountain Resort and Outlying Temples

Natural features

The Mountain Resort in Chengde is one of the four most famous Chinese rdens and one of the largest and best-preserved imperial palaces outside Beijing. It used to be a summer resort and hunting ground for emperors of the Qing Dynasty(1644一1911).They also used the palace to organize martial art competitions and receive the elite of ethnic minority groups from around China.

The Mountain Resort is located in Chengde City，Hebei Province，covering an area of 564 square meters，almost half of Chengde's urban area. It is enclosed by a wall 10 400 meters long. Construction began in 1703 under the rule of Emperor Kang Xi and was completed in 1790 under the rule of Emperor Qian Long. It was a second political center apart from Beijing，for the emperor would stay here for about half a year to attend to political，military, ethnic，and foreign affairs. There are more than 100 buildings within the resort，which is divided into two sections: palace zone and garden zone. The Rehe(Jehol)，the shortest river in the world， only 14. 7 kilometers long。runs through the resort. The gardens are superbly de- signed to take in the very best of various styled gardens，integrating the features of both the northern meadows and the southern waterscapes，in a layout of lake in the southeast, mountain in the northwest，and plain in the northeast.

In the outlying area， 11 magnificent temples stand on the hills in a semi-circle. As they were divided into eight sections under the administration of the Beijing-based Har- mony and Peace Lama- sery(a monastery for la- mas)，they were usually referred to as the“Eight Outer Temples”.Only seven temples，including Puren Temple(Universal Humanity)，Temple of Sumeru(Happiness and Longevity、and Puning Temple(Universal Tranquility)remain intact. They comprise the largest temple building complex existing in China. They were used by nobles of various ethnic minority groups who came to have an audience with the Qing emperors， and to reside and conduct religious activities. These temples，built on the elevating hill slopes，look grand and splendid. The wood engraved Buddha in the Puning Temple，22. 28 meters tall，is the largest of its kind in the world. Its waist measures 15 meters and it has 42 arms. Some 120 cubic meters of wood，weighing some 110 tons，were used to make the Buddha.