Hebei

Hebei is a relatively anonymous province whose borders wrap around the better known municipality regions of Beijing and Tianjin. It was seen at the traditional northern border of the Chinese empire and large sections of the Great Wall were built here. Now it is best known to the local Chinese as a weekend retreat for Beijing residents. In the Qing dynasty, the town of Chengde was the imperial summer resort and is larger than Beijing’s Summer Palace and the Forbidden City together. Many of the old temples, including Tibetan and Mongolian, could be well restored after the Cultural Revolution. Ancient villages like Zhengding and Yujia Village, located close to the province’s capital of Shijiazhuang, show traditional architectural style and the “old China” life and custom. The breezy seaside resort of Beidahe serves as a popular holiday getaway for normal Beiing residents as well as for the Communist Party elite.