Chengde — Mountain Resort

Dánbó Jìngchéng Nanmu Hall
Yān Bō Zhì Shuǎng Yān Yǔ Tower
The Mountain Resort, also known as the “Chengde Imperial Villa” or the “Rehe Imperial Palace,” is the largest existing imperial garden in the world.
Construction began in 1703, and it took 89 years across the reigns of the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong emperors to complete. The time when the plaque inscribed by Emperor Kangxi was hung at the inner Wumen Gate was in 1711. From then on, the Rehe Imperial Palace was officially renamed the Mountain Resort.
During the Qing dynasty under the Kangxi and Qianlong emperors, about half of each year was spent in Chengde, and the Mountain Resort also became a place witnessing many important historical events from the early to mid period of the Qing dynasty. Qianlong received and feasted many leaders of the Mongolian and Tibetan peoples here. Jiaqing and Xianfeng both died of illness here. In 1860, the Anglo-French allied forces attacked Beijing; the “Treaty of Beijing” was signed here, and the “Xinyou political coup,” which would affect China’s historical process, also began here.
Today, the Mountain Resort scenic area covers 5.64 million square meters and is mainly divided into two parts: the palace area and the garden area (lake area, plain area, and mountain area).
The palace area’s main body has been renovated into the Mountain Resort Museum. The Dánbó Jìngchéng Hall is the main hall in front of the main palace. The principal materials included large quantities of golden silk nanmu, including doors and windows, room beams, and large columns—earning it the name “Nanmu Great Hall.” Above the door lintel hangs three black-lettered plaques with gold-painted cloud dragon designs, hard-wood engraved and inscribed in the style of Qianlong’s imperial calligraphy. The plaques are carved throughout with cloud dragon patterns, creating a rather splendid visual effect. But in terms of overall experience, compared with other well-known imperial gardens—such as the Summer Palace or Beihai—the architecture and decoration here still feel much simpler and rougher.
The lake area combines the elegance of southern gardens with the grandeur of northern gardens, transplanting the scenery of Jiangnan gardens to the frontier beyond the Great Wall. Most landscape buildings were modeled after famous sites in Jiangnan. The most famous is the “Yān Yǔ Tower,” built by imitating the shape of the Yān Yǔ Tower on Nanhu Lake in Jiaxing, Zhejiang. But what is better known to many people should be the filming location of “My Fair Princess.”
The mountain area is very large and requires a cable car around the mountain; you cannot walk. From the cable car, you can overlook the whole views of ordinary temples of imperial lineage and the entire panorama of Bangchui Mountain.