OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
CāNGZHōU'S IRON LION
Cāngzhōu's Iron LionSTATUE
(沧州铁狮子, Cāngzhōu Tiě Shīzi Cāngzhōu, 沧州 ¥30)
Standing proud in a long-forgotten corner of southeast Héběi, Cāngzhōu's Iron Lion is the oldest and largest cast-iron sculpture in China. Cast way back in 953 AD, it weighs in at around 40 tonnes, and stands almost 6m tall, but unsurprisingly for a creature that is more than 1000 years old, it is but a shadow of its former self.
The lion lost its tail in the 17th century; its snout and belly were damaged in a storm 200 years later; and the bronze statue of the Bodhisattva Manjusri, which once sat on top of the lotus flower on its back, was stolen centuries ago.
Despite today being almost 100km from the coast, in ancient times Cāngzhōu was a large seaport, which suffered from flooding and tsunamis. The Iron Lion was built to protect the city from sea spirits, and was known back then as Zhen Hai Hou (镇海吼), the Roaring Sea Calmer.
These days, it cuts a rather lonely figure, standing in an otherwise-empty courtyard surrounded by farmland, 15km from the modern city of Cāngzhōu. But the site used to be the centre point of ancient Cāngzhōu, a walled settlement established in the far-off Han Dynasty (206 BC–AD220). Incredibly, part of the ancient city wall, thought to have been built at the beginning of the Han Dynasty – so more than 2200 years ago – can still be seen a short distance from here.
Admission includes entry to a nearby abandoned temple, called the Iron Money Warehouse (铁钱库; Tiě Qián Kù). Unfortunately, it is relatively empty, aside from a large lump of Song dynasty coins excavated nearby. The lane opposite the museum leads through farmland, and across a river to the southern section of the old, earthen city wall, 1.5km away. It's still around 5m tall here, and you can walk along it in places. It once stretched for almost 10km around the city.
You can make a day trip here from either Běijīng or Tiānjīn. High-speed trains to Cāngzhōu west station (沧州西站; Cāngzhōu Xī Zhàn) run roughly half-hourly from Běijīng south train station (¥95, one hour, last train back 10.30pm) and roughly hourly from Tiānjīn South Train Station (¥50, 45 minutes, last train back 9pm). From Cāngzhōu west station, take bus 16 or 31 to Cāngzhōu main train station (火车站; huǒchēzhàn; ¥1; 40 minutes), then bus 901 (¥2, 45 minutes). Tell the driver you want tiě shīzi (tee-ai shur zuh) and he'll show you where to get off. Then follow the signposted lane beside the bus stop and the Iron Lion will soon be on your right, with the Iron Money Warehouse museum on your left.
Yújiācūn 于家村
Pop 1600
Hidden in the hills near the Héběi–Shānxī border is the peaceful little settlement of Yújiācūn (于家村; ¥30). Nearly everything, from the houses to furniture inside, was originally made of stone – hence its nickname, Stone Village.
As such, Yújiācūn is remarkably well preserved: bumpy little lanes lead past traditional Ming- and Qing-dynasty courtyard homes, old opera stages and tiny temples.
1Sights
Yújiācūn is dissected by a small village road, where the bus will drop you off. The ticket office, the Stone Museum and Xīngshuǐ Yuàn guesthouse are to the right of the road; all the other sights listed are to the left.
There are a number of historic buildings worth hunting down, including the Guānyīn Pavilion (观音阁; Guānyīn Gé) and the Zhēnwǔ Temple (真武庙; Zhēnwǔ Miào). Near the primary school is the Stone Museum (石头博物馆; Shítou Bówùguǎn), displaying local items made of stone.
You may have to get someone at the ticket office to open the sights you wish to see, as their doors are often padlocked.
Qīngliáng PavilionHISTORIC BUILDING
(清凉阁, Qīngliáng Gé )
Completed in 1581, this three-storey pavilion was supposedly the work of one thoroughly crazed individual – Yu Xichun, who wanted to be able to see Běijīng from the top. It was, according to legend, built entirely at night, over a 16-year period, without the help of any other villagers.
Yu Ancestral HallTEMPLE
(于氏宗祠, Yúshì Zōngcí )
Yújiācūn is a model Chinese clan village, where 95% of the inhabitants all share the same surname of Yu (于). One of the village's more unusual sights is the town ancestral hall, where you’ll find the 24-generation family tree, reaching back over 500 years. There are five tapestries, one for the descendants of each of the original Yu sons who founded the village.
4Sleeping
Given the mission it took to get here, you'll want to stay the night – it's definitely worth it. As the sun sets, the sounds of village life – farmers chatting after a day in the fields, hens clucking, kids at play – are miles away from the raging pace of modern Chinese cities.
Xīngshuǐ YuànGUESTHOUSE$
(兴水院 %134 7311 0485, 0311 8237 6517; Yújiācūn, 于家村 per person ¥40)
One of a handful of nóngjiā lè (农家乐; village guesthouses) in Yújiācūn, this typically simple courtyard guesthouse has rooms in an old stone building, although the main house itself is a white-tiled renovation. No English is spoken, but you'll get a friendly welcome.
8Getting There & Away
From Shíjiāzhuāng's Xīwáng bus station, take one of the frequent buses to the small town of Jǐngxíng (井陉; ¥12, one hour, 6.30am to 7pm), from where you can catch a bus to Yújiācūn (¥7, one hour, 7.30am to 6.20pm).
Tell the driver on the Jǐngxíng bus that you want to go to Yújiācūn and you'll be dropped off by the place where the Yújiācūn buses leave from.
Note that the last bus back from Yújiācūn leaves at 4.30pm – all the more reason to stay the night.
Chéngdé 承德
%0314 / Pop 479,703
Built on the banks of the Wǔliè River and surrounded by forested hills, Chéngdé (承德) is a small, pleasant city that just happens to have an extraordinary history.
This was the summer playground of the emperors of the Qing dynasty; beginning with Emperor Kangxi, the Qing Court would flee here to escape the torpid summer heat of the Forbidden City (and occasionally the threat of foreign armies), as well as to be closer to the hunting grounds of their northern homelands.
The Bìshǔ Shānzhuāng (Fleeing-the-Heat Mountain Villa) is a grand imperial palace and the walled enclosure it lies within houses China’s largest regal gardens. Beyond the grounds is a remarkable collection of politically chosen temples, built to host dignitaries such as the sixth Panchen Lama. The Imperial Villa, the gardens and the eight temples are all, quite rightly, Unesco-protected.
History
In 1703, when an expedition passed through the Chéngdé valley, Emperor Kangxi was so enamoured with the surroundings that he had a hunting lodge built, which gradually grew into the summer resort. Rèhé – or Jehol (Warm River; named after a hot spring here) – as Chéngdé was then known, grew in importance and the Qing court began to spend more time here, sometimes up to several months a year, with some 10,000 people accompanying the emperor on his seven-day expedition from Běijīng.
The emperors also convened in Jehol with the border tribes – undoubtedly more at ease here than in Běijīng – who posed the greatest threats to the Qing frontiers: the Mongols, Tibetans, Uighurs and, eventually, the Europeans. The resort reached its peak under Emperor Qianlong (1735–96), who commissioned many of the outlying temples to overawe visiting leaders.
Emperor Xianfeng died here in 1861, permanently warping Chéngdé’s feng shui and tipping the Imperial Villa towards long-term decline.
Chéngdé
1Top Sights
1Bìshǔ ShānzhuāngB3
2Pǔníng TempleA6
3Pǔtuózōngchéng TempleB1
1Sights
4Ānyuǎn TempleD2
5Guāndì TempleB5
6Guǎngyuán TempleB6
7Lìzhèng GateC5
8Main PalaceB5
9Misty Rain TowerC4
10Pǔlè TempleD2
11
Pǔrén TempleD3
12Pǔshàn TempleD3
13Pǔyòu TempleA6
14Temple of Sumeru, Happiness & LongevityC1
15Wénjīn PavilionB3
16Yǒngyòusì PagodaC2
2Activities, Courses & Tours
17Boat RentalC4
18Bus ToursC4
4Sleeping
19First Met HostelB6
20Mountain Villa HotelC5
21Qǐ Wàng LóuB5
22Yìyuán BīnguǎnB5
5Eating
23Dà Qīng HuāC5
24Dà Qīng Huā (Train Station)D7
25Hànná Shān KǎoròuB5
1Sights
oBìshǔ ShānzhuāngHISTORIC SITE
(避暑山庄, Imperial Villa MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Lizhengmen Dajie, 丽正门大街 summer/winter ¥145/90; h7am-5.30pm Apr-Oct, 8am-4.30pm Nov-Oct)
The imperial summer resort is composed of a main palace complex with vast, parklike gardens, all enclosed by a handsome 10km-long wall. The entrance price is steep (as it is with all the main sights here in Chéngdé), and it gets packed with tourists here in summer, but the splendid gardens provide ample opportunity to take a quiet walk away from the crowds.
A huge spirit wall shields the resort entrance at Lizhengmen Dajie. Through Lìzhèng Gate (丽正门; Lìzhèng Mén MAP GOOGLE MAP ), the Main Palace (正宫; Zhèng Gōng MAP GOOGLE MAP ) is a series of nine courtyards and five elegant, unpainted halls, with a rusticity complemented by towering pine trees. The wings in each courtyard have various exhibitions (porcelain, clothing, weaponry), and most of the halls are decked out in period furnishings.
The first hall is the refreshingly cool Hall of Simplicity and Sincerity, built of an aromatic cedar called nánmù, and displaying a carved throne draped in yellow silk. Other prominent halls include the emperor’s study (Study of Four Knowledges) and living quarters (Hall of Refreshing Mists and Waves). On the left-hand side of the latter is the imperial bedroom. Two residential areas branch out from here: the empress dowager’s Pine Crane Palace (松鹤斋; Sōnghè Zhāi) to the east, and the smaller Western Apartments, where the concubines (including a young Cixi) resided.
Exiting the Main Palace brings you to the gardens and forested hunting grounds, with landscapes borrowed from famous southern scenic areas in Hángzhōu, Sūzhōu and Jiāxīng, as well as the Mongolian grasslands.
The double-storey Misty Rain Tower (烟雨楼; Yānyǔ Lóu MAP GOOGLE MAP ), on the northwestern side of the main lake, served as an imperial study. Further north is the Wénjīn Pavilion (文津阁; Wénjīn Gé MAP GOOGLE MAP ), built in 1773. Don't miss the wonderfully elegant 250-year-old Yǒngyòusì Pagoda (永佑寺塔; Yǒngyòusì Tǎ MAP GOOGLE MAP ), which soars above the fragments of its vanished temple in the northeast of the complex.
Most of the compound is taken up by lakes, hills, forests and plains. There are magnificent views of some of the outlying temples from the northern wall.
Just beyond the Main Palace is the starting point for bus tours of the gardens. Further on you'll find a place for boat rentals.
Almost all of the forested section is closed from November to May because of fire hazard in the dry months, but fear not: you can still turn your legs to jelly wandering around the rest of the park.
Tourists can exit by any of the gates, but entry tickets are available for purchase only at Lìzhèng Gate.
Guāndì TempleTAOIST TEMPLE
(关帝庙, Guāndì Miào MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 18 Lizhengmen Dajie, 丽正门大街18号 ¥20; h8am-6pm Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Oct)
The heavily restored Guāndì Temple was first built during the reign of Yongzheng, in 1732. For years the temple housed residents but is again home to a band of Taoist monks, garbed in distinctive jackets and trousers, their long hair twisted into topknots. Note the original 300-year-old beamwork in the ceiling of the final hall.
Eight Outer Temples
Skirting the northern and eastern walls of the Bìshǔ Shānzhuāng, the Eight Outer Temples (外八庙; wài bā miào) were, unusually, designed for diplomatic rather than spiritual reasons. Some were based on actual Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, but the emphasis was on appearance: smaller temple buildings are sometimes solid, and the Tibetan facades (with painted windows) are often fronts for traditional Chinese temple interiors. The surviving temples and monasteries were all built between 1713 and 1780; the prominence given to Tibetan Buddhism was as much for the Mongols (fervent Lamaists) as the Tibetan leaders.
Three of these temples are currently closed to the public: Pǔrén Temple (普仁寺; Pǔrén Sì MAP GOOGLE MAP ), Pǔshàn Temple (溥善寺; Pǔshàn Sì MAP GOOGLE MAP ) and Shūxiàng Temple (殊像寺; Shūxiàng Si GOOGLE MAP ).
Guǎngyuán Temple (广缘寺; Guǎngyuán Sì MAP GOOGLE MAP ), a couple of hundred metres southeast of Pǔníng Temple is unrestored and inaccessible.
oPǔníng TempleBUDDHIST TEMPLE
(普宁寺, Pǔníng Sì MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Puning Lu, 普宁路 Apr-Oct ¥80, Nov-Mar ¥60; h8am-5.30pm Apr-Oct, 8.30am-5pm Nov-Mar)
With its squeaking prayer wheels and devotional intonations of its monks, this is Chéngdé’s only active temple. It was built in 1755 in anticipation of Qianlong’s victory over the western Mongol tribes in Xīnjiāng. Supposedly modelled on the earliest Tibetan Buddhist monastery (Samye), the first half of the temple is distinctly Chinese, with Tibetan buildings at the rear.
Enter the temple grounds to a stele pavilion with inscriptions by the Qianlong emperor in Chinese, Manchu, Mongol and Tibetan. The halls behind are arranged in typical Buddhist fashion, with the Hall of Heavenly Kings (天王殿; Tiānwáng Diàn) and beyond, the Mahavira Hall (大雄宝殿; Dàxióng Bǎodiàn), where three images of the Buddhas of the three generations are arrayed. Some very steep steps rise up behind (the temple is arranged on a mountainside) leading to a gate tower, which you can climb.
On the terrace at the top of the steps is the dwarfing Mahayana Hall. On either side are stupas and square, block-like Tibetan-style buildings, decorated with attractive water spouts. Some buildings have been converted to shops, while others are solid, serving a purely decorative purpose.
The mind-bogglingly vast gilded statue of Guanyin (the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy) towers within the Mahayana Hall. The effigy is astounding: over 22m high, it’s the tallest of its kind in the world and radiates a powerful sense of divinity. Hewn from five different kinds of wood (pine, cypress, fir, elm and linden), Guanyin has 42 arms, with each palm bearing an eye and each hand holding instruments, skulls, lotuses and other Buddhist devices. Tibetan touches include the pair of hands in front of the goddess, below the two clasped in prayer, the right one of which holds a sceptre-like dorje (vajra in Sanskrit), a masculine symbol, and the left a dril bu (bell), a female symbol. On Guanyin’s head sits the Teacher Longevity Buddha. To the right of the goddess stands a huge male guardian and disciple called Shàncái, opposite his female equivalent, Lóngnǚ (Dragon Girl). Unlike Guanyin, they are both coated in ancient and dusty pigments. On the wall on either side are hundreds of small effigies of Buddha.
Occasionally, tourists are allowed to climb up to the 1st-floor gallery for a closer inspection of Guanyin.
Housed within the grounds, on the east side, is the Pǔyòu Temple (普佑寺; Pǔyòu Sì MAP GOOGLE MAP ; h8am-6pm). It is dilapidated and missing its main hall, but it has a plentiful contingent of merry gilded luóhàn (Buddhists who have achieved nirvana) in the side wings, although a fire in 1964 incinerated many of their confrères. (The ticket price includes admission to Pǔyòu Temple.)
Pǔníng Temple has a number of friendly lamas who manage their domain, so be quiet and respectful at all times.
Take bus 6 (¥1) from in front of Mountain Villa Hotel.
oPǔtuózōngchéng TempleBUDDHIST TEMPLE
(普陀宗乘之庙, Pǔtuózōngchéng Zhīmiào MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Shiziyuan Lu, 狮子园路 Apr-Oct ¥80, Nov-Mar ¥60; h8am-5pm Apr-Oct, 8.30am-5pm Nov-Mar)
Chéngdé’s largest temple is a not-so-small rep
lica of Lhasa’s Potala Palace and houses the nebulous presence of Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin). A marvellous sight on a clear day, the temple’s red walls stand out against its mountain backdrop. Enter to a huge stele pavilion, followed by a large triple archway topped with five small stupas in red, green, yellow, white and black.
Fronted by a collection of prayer wheels and flags, the Red Palace contains most of the main shrines and halls. Look out for the marvellous sandalwood pagodas in the front hall. Both are 19m tall and contain 2160 effigies of the Amitabha Buddha.
Among the many exhibits on view are displays of Tibetan Buddhist objects and instruments, including a kapala bowl, made from the skull of a young girl. The main hall is located at the very top, surrounded by several small pavilions and panoramic views.
The admission ticket includes the neighbouring Temple of Sumeru, Happiness and Longevity.
Bus 118 (¥1) goes here from in front of Mountain Villa Hotel.
Temple of Sumeru, Happiness & LongevityBUDDHIST TEMPLE
(须弭福寿之庙, Xūmífúshòu Zhīmiào MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Shiziyuan Lu, 狮子园路 Apr-Oct ¥80, Nov-Mar ¥60; h8am-5pm Apr-Oct, 8.30am-5pm Nov-Mar)
This huge temple was built in honour of the sixth Panchen Lama, who stayed here in 1781. Incorporating Tibetan and Chinese architectural elements, it’s an imitation of the Panchen’s home monastery Tashilhunpo in Shigatse, Tibet. Note the eight huge, glinting dragons (each said to weigh over 1000kg) that adorn the roof of the main hall. The admission price includes entry to the neighbouring Pǔtuózōngchéng Temple.
Bus 118 (¥1) goes here from in front of Mountain Villa Hotel.
Pǔlè TempleBUDDHIST TEMPLE
(普乐寺, Pǔlè Sì MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Pule Lu, 普乐路 ¥50; h8am-5pm Apr-Oct, 8.30am-4.30pm Nov-Mar)
Lonely Planet China Page 25