Chengde Summer Resort

Chengde Summer Resort (CSR), or Rehe Inspection Palace, lies in a long, narrow valley in the north of Chengde City, Hebei Province in the north of China and covers an area of 584 hectares. Chengde Mountain Resort takes the simple and elegant mountain village as its style, takes the true colors of the natural landscape, and absorbs the scenery of the south and the north of the Yangtze River. It is the highest example of Chinese classical gardens.

The Mountain Resort is divided into four parts: palace area, lake area, plain area and mountain area. The palace area is located on the south bank of the lake with a flat terrain. It is the place where the emperor handles affairs, holds celebrations and daily life, covering an area of 100,000 square meters. The lake area is to the north of the palace area. The lake area includes the state island and covers about 43 hectares. There are 8 small islands. The lake surface is divided into areas of different sizes. The layers are distinct, the islands are scattered, the blue waves are rippling, and it is full of characteristics of the land of fish and rice.

The overall layout of the villa uses topography ingeniously, because of the mountainous situation, clear divisions and rich scenery; compared with other gardens, it has its own unique style. The layout of the palace area of the villa is rigorous, the architecture is simple, the palace and the natural landscape are harmoniously integrated, reaching the state of returning to nature. The villa integrates the essence of north-south architectural art. The villa integrates the essence of north-south architectural art. The scale of the buildings in the garden is small. The palaces and surrounding walls are mostly made of blue bricks and grey tiles, natural wood, elegant and solemn, simple and modest, in contrast with the Forbidden City in the capital, with yellow tiles and red walls.

The Mountain Resort is different from other imperial gardens. The site selection and overall design are based on the topography and geomorphology. It is completely based on the natural topography. Because of the mountains and the water, let the nature takes its course, and at the same time integrate the essence of the north and south gardening art. It is a brilliant milestone in the history of Chinese gardens and a masterpiece of Chinese classical garden art. It enjoys the reputation of "the epitome of Chinese geography" and "the highest example of Chinese classical gardens".