On the surface, Chengde looked a bit rough from the train tracks (granted, not usually the best real estate in the city). There was a lot of litter, some graffiti, and exposed poverty. We came to see a few temples and enjoy the Summer Mountain Resort that emperors from Beijing made seven day journeys to in order to escape the summer heat. The train tickets were cheap ($4 / five hours) and we were offered a place to stay with another excellent host, Zach.

 

 

What We Learned

 

1. All buses in this city go to the Summer Mountain Resort so it’s difficult to get lost.

 

2. Sites on “Hammer Hill” are closed during the winter season.

 

3. The Guayin statue at Puning Temple is amazing!

4. The OK bar (one of the four in the city) is pretty cool for a quiet little town. They have karaoke.

 

5. There are a couple “donkey soup” restaurants that serve up a hearty stew.

 

6. Some street vendors will sell you a 600ml beer for 2 yuan and give you some cardboard slips. If you return with the empty bottles and slips (proving you bought them from that vendor) they will give you .5 yuan refund which makes a beer 1.5 yuan = 17 cents. Amazing!

 

7. We liked the Summer Mountain resort more than the Summer Palace in Beijing because there were a lot less people.