承德市

Why this place

Chengde is where Qing emperors escaped the Beijing heat and, more importantly, where they built temples in Tibetan, Mongolian and Han styles side by side to hold together an empire of many peoples. The mountain resort and its outlying temples are a UNESCO site, and they are far less crowded than Beijing.

What to see

• The Mountain Resort — a walled park bigger than the Summer Palace, half garden half forest
• Putuo Zongcheng Temple, built as a smaller version of the Potala Palace in Lhasa
• Puning Temple and its 22-metre wooden statue of Guanyin with a thousand arms and eyes

What to eat

• Northern mountain vegetables and wild mushrooms
• Lamb and buckwheat dishes from the surrounding plateau

Best time

June–September; the resort is at its best when Beijing is at its hottest

Practical tips

• Chengde is about 4 hours from Beijing by train — worth an overnight rather than a day trip