Chengde Mountain Resort

{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site

| WHS = Mountain Resort, Chengde

| image = Chengde Mountain Resort 1.jpg

| image_upright = 1.2

| caption = Mountain Resort, Chengde

| location = Shuangqiao District, China

| part_of = Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde

| criteria = {{UNESCO WHS type|(ii), (iv)}}(ii), (iv)

| ID = 703

| coordinates = {{coord|40|59|15|N|117|56|15|E|region:CN-13_type:landmark|display=title, inline|format=dms}}

| year = 1994

| locmapin = China Hebei#China

| map_caption =

}}

{{Infobox Chinese

|order=st

|s=避暑山庄

|t=避暑山莊

|p=Bìshǔ Shānzhuāng

|w=Pi-shu Shan-chuang

|l=Mountain Estate for Avoiding the Heat

|altname=Ligong

|s2=离宫

|t2=離宮

|p2=Lígōng

|w2=Li-kung

|l2=detached palace

|mnc=35px

|mnc_rom=Halhūn be jailara gurung

}}

Chengde Mountain Resort ({{zh|first=s|s=承德避暑山庄|c=|t=|p=}}; Manchu: 35px Halhūn be jailara gurung) is a large complex of imperial palaces and gardens situated in the Shuangqiao District of Chengde in northeastern Hebei province, northern China, about {{convert|225|km}} northeast of China's capital Beijing. This resort was frequently used as a summer palace during the Qing dynasty.{{cite web |title = Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde |url = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/703 |website = UNESCO World Heritage Centre |publisher = United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization |access-date = 3 Apr 2021}} Because of its vast and rich collection of Chinese landscapes and architecture, Chengde Mountain Resort in many ways is a culmination of all the variety of gardens, pagodas, temples and palaces from various regions of China.{{cite book|title=Journal of garden history, Volume 19|publisher=Taylor & Francis from University of California|year=1999}} In 1994, The Mountain Resort was awarded World Heritage Site status.

Chengde is one of China's four famous gardens, national relic protection unit and Class 5A Tourist Attractions in China.{{Cite web|url=http://www.mcprc.gov.cn/|title=中华人民共和国文化和旅游部|website=www.mcprc.gov.cn|access-date=2018-07-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111163659/http://www.mcprc.gov.cn/|archive-date=2007-11-11|url-status=dead}}

Name

Chengde Mountain Resort is also sometimes called Rehe Xinggong (热河行宫) or Ligong ({{zh|first=s|s=离宫|labels=no}}).

History

File:Chengde 1875-1890.jpg map of the resort]]

Built between 1703 and 1792 during the Qing dynasty, the Mountain Resort took 89 years to complete. It covers a total area of {{convert|5.6|km2|abbr=on}}, almost half of Chengde's urban area. It is a vast complex of palaces and administrative and ceremonial buildings. Temples of various architectural styles and imperial gardens blend harmoniously into a landscape of lakes, pastureland and forests.

The Kangxi, Qianlong and Jiaqing emperors often spent several months a year here to escape the summer heat in the capital city of Beijing and the palace zone in the southern part of the resort was therefore designed to resemble the Forbidden City in Beijing. It consists of two parts: a court in front, where the emperor received high officials, nobles of various minority nationalities, and foreign envoys; and bed chambers in the rear, which were the imperial family's living quarters, notably the Yanbozhishuang Hall, where the Kangxi Emperor spent a total of 12 summers while the Qianlong Emperor spent 52 summers in the hall during the course of their reign. The Jiaqing and Xianfeng emperors both died while staying at Chengde in 1820 and 1861 respectively.

Climate

Chengde Mountain Resort is located in the transition zone from warm temperate zone to cold temperate zone. It has semi - temperate, semi - arid continental monsoon climate. It has a large difference in temperature between day and night. In winter, it is cold and has little snow. It has many thundershowers in summer, leading to few hot periods. Chengde Mountain Resort is suitable for traveling in every season, but best from April to October.{{Cite web|url=http://www.weather.com.cn/cityintro/101090402.shtml|title=承德-气象数据-中国天气网|website=www.weather.com.cn|access-date=2018-07-05}}

Scenic spots

The Mountain Resort is most famous for the 72 scenic spots which were named by the Kangxi and Qianlong emperors. Many of the scenic spots around the resort's lake area were copied from famous landscaped gardens in southern China. For instance, the main building on the Green Lotus Island, "Tower of Mist and Rain," ({{zh|s=烟雨楼|t=煙雨樓|p=Yānyǔ Lóu|links=no|first=s|labels=no}}) is modeled upon a tower at the Nanhu Lake at Jiaxing in Zhejiang Province.

The resort's plain area also possesses characteristics of the scenery of the Mongolian grasslands. Forested mountains and valleys are dotted with various buildings. This includes a {{Convert|70|m|adj=on|sp=us}}-tall stone Chinese pagoda, one of the tallest in China, built in 1751 during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. The pagoda is shaped with an octagonal base, while the pagoda's nine stories are decorated with colorful glazed tiles and the steeple is crowned with a gilded round spire.

In December 1994 the Mountain Resort was listed by UNESCO on its list of World Heritage Sites.

Events

The 2018 Women's Bandy World Championship was held at a naturally frozen ice at the lake in the complex.

Gallery

File:避暑山庄小金山.jpg|A tower on the Little Golden Mountain

File:Chengde Mountain Resort 3.jpg|A pond of lotuses

File:Chengde Mountain Resort 11.jpg|One of the many pavilions inside the complex

File:Chengde Mountain Resort 4.jpg|The Mountain Resort is dotted with lakes and gardens that imitate landscapes from around China

File:Chengde Mountain Resort 2.jpg|The 70 m tall pagoda

File:避暑山庄匾额.JPG|The Kangxi Emperor inscription dragon board

File:承德避署山庄格扇.JPG|An example of a grid door

File:Wenjin Imperial Library.JPG|The Wenjin Chamber

File:须弥福寿之庙.JPG|Bird's eye view of Xumi Fushou Temple from top of a hill in the Mountain Resort

File:Zhengligate.JPG|Lizheng Gate - entrance reserved for the Qing emperors

File:Yanbozhishuang hall.JPG|Yanbozhishuang Hall - The Jiaqing Emperor and Xianfeng Emperor both died in this Hall on September 2, 1820, and August 22, 1861, respectively

File:Chengdemountainresortpic2.jpg|Ice on the lake where the 2018 Women's Bandy World Championship was played