Peace and action go hand in hand
Outing offers a cool break and plenty to do and see, Yang Feiyue reports.
Relief from China’s sweltering heat is a lot closer than you may sometimes think. In late June after a drive of just three hours from Beijing you can be snuggling under thick quilts in Chengde, Hebei province, where summer temperatures generally range from 15 C to 28 C.
However, for many visitors to Chengde, one of the strongest attractions is its grasslands, at their verdant best from May to October. On the days when I was there this landscape was complemented by the bluest of skies, decked with thick, chunky clouds that seemed to be almost within arm’s reach, hanging over the city’s Fengning Manchu autonomous county.
The final brushstrokes to this splendid picture came in the form of horses wandering the slopes, seemingly without a care in the world.
That kind of serenity no doubt largely escaped Genghis Khan (11621227) in 1212, busy as he was conquering the vast expanses of southern Mongolia. Today you can see the site of one of his residences, the Dahan Palace, which covers 2 square kilometers and whose surroundings include a wetland park.
Among the striking attractions are the magnificent golden tent, a replica of the one where Genghis Khan discussed official business with his ministers, statues, armored horses and temples that are an aesthetic hybrid, with Buddhist, Taoist and shaman characteristics.
If you are energetic enough to climb the stairs to the roof of the temple you will get a bird’ s-eye view of it all. You can practically divide what amounts to an open-air museum into halves, the left side of the palace area offering insights into how Genghis Khan conquered all, and the right side featuring barracks that consist of 600 Mongolian yurts.
The wetland park features, including river, swamp, lake, grasslands and flowers, are a wonder to behold. For those who prefer a bit of action there is horse riding, archery, golf and fishing.
Chengde has the distinction of being one of the few places in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region that can boast of having almost virgin environmental credentials, and the authorities take their job of safeguarding the environment in the area very seriously. Doing so helps ensure that the area remains a major source of fresh water for Beijing.
The city has settled on tourism, among other environmental-friendly businesses, to develop the local economy, and an international tourism festival is held each year between late June and early September.
The theme of this year’s festival was self-drive holidays following a route that royal families once used.
The route takes in historic sites, including the Great Wall and the Summer Mountain Resort of Emperor Kangxi (1662-1722), forests and grasslands, and places of interest for their ethnic elements, says Li Siquan, deputy director of Chengde tourism authority.
The events held at this time of the year include the Federation Equestrian International’s one-star endurance match, a cross-country race across the Great Wall’s Jinshanling section, a lotus flower festival at the Summer Mountain Resort of Emperor Kangxi, hiking in Xinglong, famous for its fresh air, and a vintage car tour. Visitors can also ride horses on farms in Fengning.
“Chengde was practically a second capital during theQing Dynasty (1644-1911), and so a lot has happened here,” Li says.
The Kangxi Ceremony, staged in the city’s Shuangluan district, is a sound and light spectacular that includes plenty of action with horses, and it had me on the edge of my seat. It also gave the audience an insight into Kangxi’s life and how he saw the world at different stages of his life.
Anyone coming to Chengde can also experience folk art, such as paper-cutting and making glassware firsthand, Li says.
Chengde is likely to have attracted 11 million visitors in the first six months of the year, he says. Last year 33.5 million tourists from home and abroad poured in, generating income of 33.8 billion yuan ($5.1 billion) for the city.
About 60 percent of the visitors were self-drivers, and people from Southeast Asia, France, Germany, Belgium and Italy figured strongly in those numbers, Li says.
“Many horse-themed products and a new horse ranches are being developed in Fengning at the moment,” Li says.
Eight high-speed railway lines have been developed, radiating to Beijing, Tianjin, Tangshan and Qinhuangdao in Hebei, and Liaoning province and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.
An airport will open in Chengde this year, with flights to: Xi’an, Shaanxi province; Luoyang, Henan province; and Shanghai.
By the end of 2018 or early 2019 it is expected that a high-speed rail to Beijing will take little more than 45 minutes.
These days the gorgeous grasslands of Inner Mongolia are difficult to resist for those looking to spend time close to nature, but if a touch of ancient royal elements and some sports are what you are looking for, Chengde is worth considering.