Hebei: Imperial Retreats, the Great Wall and Nature

Hebei offers a range of very different visitor experiences, from imperial sites and the Great Wall to acrobatics and wetlands. When choosing a hotel, it helps to decide first what you want to focus on. Imperial history and the Great Wall lead to different destinations than forest landscapes, birdwatching or a seasonal experience.

Imperial History and the Great Wall

Chengde is home to the Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, the largest surviving complex of imperial palaces, gardens and temples in China. The site covers 611.2 hectares. Built between 1703 and 1792, it served as a remote summer palace for the Qing emperors. Its landscape is designed to follow the natural contours of hills and waterways. The site's scale, historical function and integration with the terrain are three distinct aspects of this destination.

Construction of the Qing Western Tombs in Yixian began in 1730. The imperial tombs there include those of the emperors Yongzheng, Jiaqing, Daoguang and Guangxu; the complex also contains the tombs of more than 80 imperial consorts. The Nuwa Palace in Shexian is a national scenic area and a national 5A-rated tourist attraction. It is also one of China's five most important ancestral worship sites.

Shanhaiguan is an important name in the story of the Great Wall: the wall's eastern starting point is located there, in Hebei. Laolongtou in Shanhaiguan, Qinhuangdao, is the eastern starting point of the Ming Great Wall. It is also the only military defense system of the Great Wall of China that combines mountains, sea, a pass and a city.

The Great Wall Shanhaiguan Scenic Route is 10 kilometers long. It starts at the north gate of Shanhaiguan's old town and follows Jiaoshan Road, the tourist road in the foothills, and tourist and scenic roads to the Shoushan Scenic Area. This identifies the route's specific starting point, course and destination without equating it with a separate visit to Laolongtou.

Cultural Experiences with Different Focuses

The Jiaoshan Scenic Area combines natural mountain scenery and Great Wall structures with Confucian, Buddhist and Taoist culture. It is a national 4A-rated tourist attraction. The Shoushan Scenic Area, the destination of the route described above, includes 18 historic cultural landscapes, 19 contemporary cultural landscapes and 40 natural landscapes.

Visitors can enjoy a different focus at Wuqiao Acrobatics World. There, they can watch acrobatic performances and visit the Wuqiao Acrobatics Museum. The acrobatics-themed park also offers opportunities to take part in folk customs, experiences related to intangible cultural heritage and museum-based learning. Those looking for performances and acrobatics rather than imperial history will find a different kind of experience here.

Forests, Migratory Birds and Wetlands

Saihanba National Forest Park was established on the site of Saihanba Mechanical Forest Farm and is China's largest forest park with planted forest. Forest and grassland interweave there, and the park is home to more than 100 wild animal species. Its scattered lakes and wetlands include Qixing Lake, Saihan Lake and Shanaopaozi. Together, these bodies of water cover about 5,000 hectares.

Hengshui Lake is a national nature reserve and an important stopover on the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. Visitors can use designated observation areas to watch swans, herons and other migratory birds. This makes it a nature destination distinct from the imperial sites and cultural experiences, with wetlands and birdwatching at its center.

Baiyangdian also offers wetland experiences. The official ecotourism route described in 2017 passed through typical large-scale wetlands, offered birdwatching in the Shaoche-Dian area and an experience of the reed marshes; stops included Daguanyuan and Wenhuayuan. Check the current route before visiting. For a summer experience, visitors can take an excursion boat from Liucun Wharf through lotus-covered waters in the Zaozha-Dian area. Operating details vary by season; check whether the service is running before you travel.

When choosing a hotel, it makes sense to start with the specific stop: Chengde and Yixian represent imperial history, Shanhaiguan the Great Wall, while Saihanba, Hengshui Lake and Baiyangdian appeal to visitors interested in forests and wetlands. First decide which destinations you want to shape your stay, then look for hotels in your chosen location.

Discover more destinations: Tangshan, Shijiazhuang, Cangzhou, Qinhuangdao, Langfang, Chengde, Baoding, Zhangjiakou, Hengshui, Handan, Xingtai.

For the broader travel overview: China.