Bishu Shanzhuang and Puning Si Temple

A 5.5 hour train ride sitting in a stiff, upright chair, squeezed in amongst locals, and putting up with vendors constantly strolling up and down the aisle trying to sell noodles and god knows what else, got us to Chengde, 250 km northeast of Beijing. We broke our Beijing stay in half with this overnight excursion. Chengde is home to Bishu Shanzhuang, the largest Imperial Gardens in China, and was the summer get-away mountain resort of the Qing emperors. It is a pretty obscure attraction which was fine for us as it seemed we were only two of a handful of Western visitors (there were, however, the usual Chinese tour buses that seem to be rampant everywhere). We arrived in darkness and were trying to find the bus station to buy our return tickets to Beijing when we came across a couple of guys who were obviously not from around here. We stopped to ask them directions, and before we knew it we were sitting in a private room in the upstairs of a small restaurant with them and several other ex-pats. They were all English teachers, come from around the world to teach in Chengde, and they welcomed us well.

Lit up pedestrian bridge

We woke early the next morning in an effort to beat the rush to Bishu Shanzhuang. As it was, we couldn't beat a couple of Chinese tour groups, but soon after the main palace at the entrance, the grounds open up making it easy to find some solace. It turned out to be a special two-for-the-price-of-three day. Yes, I wrote that correctly. An hour after beginning our tour of the place, Yvonne had a sudden revelation that caused her heart to race and break out in a sweat. She had left her money belt, complete with a couple hundred US dollars and credit cards, under the pillow at the hotel we had just checked out of! I raced back and made it in time to find a maid preparing to clean the room, door open and beds still unmade. I quickly went in and retrieved the money belt, still under the pillow where Yvonne left it. Phew! Back at Bishu Shanzhuang I had to buy another entrance ticket to get back in (my hand gesture explanations of what I had just gone through didn't cut it).

Chengde at night

The Imperial Gardens are about two-thirds mountainous area, with the rest made of flat plains and a lake region, all of which is contained within a 10 km brick wall. Unfortunately for us the entire mountain area was closed off for the winter due to fire prevention. We didn't really understand this; our logic would place fire hazard season in the summer. But there you have it. Oh well. We were well compensated with the part that was open. The lake area was absolutely stunning. An early morning mist shrouded the distant temples, trees and the many bridges that cross narrow bodies of water. The waters were still as a statue, mirroring everything in perfect copies. It was just the light you would hope to see China in, the slight mist giving it a mystical ambience. We didn't know it at the time, but the beauty here surpasses any of the popular attractions in Beijing.

Bishu Shanzhuang main gate at night

There are also eight Buddhist temples to the north and east of the walled gardens. The most popular one is a Tibet-like temple called Puning Si, and this is where we made our way to once we were done with Bishu Shanzhuang. The courtyards smelled of incense being burned in large troughs, lit by worshippers. There is a statue of the Goddess of Mercy here, apparently the largest wooden statue in the world (although it seems that everywhere we go, the guidebook says it is the biggest, or deepest, or oldest thing in the world - we've grown skeptical of all these claims). Regardless of that though, it is very impressive indeed. She has 42 arms, each with an eye carved into the palm.

Guarding the gate

As for Chengde itself, we didn't have much chance to check it out. What we did see at night when we arrived though, was a mini Las Vegas of sorts. Flashing neon lights of buildings illuminated the city. It was quite a sight. Once we were satisfied with our sightseeing, we boarded a bus bound for Beijing and were back in our hotel before midnight.

Courtyard

Fire warning sign

Bridge and trees

More bridge and trees

Mystical

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Pagoda of the Six Harmonies

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Deer

Yvonne and Carlo

Carlo in a rare pose

Puning Si temple courtyard

Prayer wheels and elephant with friends

Yvonne and Prayer Wheels

Puning Si Temple

Incense burning

Rooftops

Guanyin - Goddess of Mercy

Close up of Guanyin

Locks on railing up steps to temple

Views over

Temple at the top