Hebei

Hebei wraps around Beijing and Tianjin like a ring, and many of its treasures once served the imperial court. A trip to Hebei takes you to the imperial summer resort at Chengde, to the spot where the Great Wall plunges into the sea, and to small towns with ancient temples.

Sights in Hebei

Chengde in the north was the summer residence of the Qing emperors in the 18th century. The mountain park, with its lakes, pavilions, and hunting grounds, is the largest surviving imperial garden complex in China; all around it stand the Eight Outer Temples, including a replica of the Potala Palace. In the east, the Great Wall meets the Bohai Sea at Shanhaiguan: the "First Pass Under Heaven" and the "Old Dragon's Head," where the wall reaches into the water, are among its best-known sections. Jinshanling, on the border with Beijing, is a popular hiking section with watchtowers. Near Zunhua and Yixian you'll find the Eastern and Western Qing Tombs, imperial burial complexes with spirit ways and stone statues. The fortress town behind the gate at Shanhaiguan is easy to explore on foot.

Shijiazhuang, Baoding, and the Hinterland

The capital, Shijiazhuang, is a young industrial city, but nearby Zhengding holds reminders of a great past, including Longxing Temple and its enormous Song-era bronze Guanyin. To the south, the Zhaozhou Bridge has spanned the Xiao River for about 1,400 years; it is the oldest surviving open-spandrel segmental arch bridge in the world. Baoding was the seat of the Governor-General of Zhili, whose residence is open to visitors; to the east lies Baiyangdian, a lake region full of reeds and lotus, while the Taihang Mountains rise to the west. The beach at Beidaihe was once where the party leadership went to relax. Near Shijiazhuang you'll also find Cangyan Gorge, with a temple hall that seems to float on a bridge above a rock crevice. Zhangjiakou in the northwest hosted the skiing and snowboarding events of the 2022 Winter Olympics; the ski areas around Chongli are popular in winter.

Food, Getting There, and the Best Time to Visit

Typical of Hebei are donkey meat burgers from Baoding and Hejian, Chengde's game dishes, and filled dumplings. With tea, locals serve chestnuts from Qianxi. High-speed trains link Shijiazhuang, Baoding, and Chengde with Beijing, and Shijiazhuang has its own airport. The best time to visit is between May and October; Chengde is pleasantly cool in summer.