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Chengde Mountain Resort and Surrounding Temples
Chengde Mountain Resort and Surrounding Temples are located in Chengde, Hebei province. It covers an area of 6,080,OO0 square metres. The original floor space was 160,OOO square metres. Currently, there are ancient buildings of 80,000 square metres and many ruins of ancient buildings. The construction began in 1703, and completed 89 years later(1792). It is the largest existing imperial garden in China. From the reign of Emperor Kangxi to the reign of Emperor Xianfeng, all the emperors wou1d spend up to six months each year in the resort to take vacaticos, conduct state affairs and to receive high-ranking officials, foreign envoys and nobles of minority nationalities.
The resort consists of four parts: palace area, lake area, plain area and mountain area. The buildings stand by groups.
Most of the buildings are austere and unadorned, using only grey bricks and tiles. The resort possessed the characters of Chinese finest gardens. The buildings were constructed on the slopes of mountains or beside the streams. In order to strengthen the unification of all the nationalities, Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong ordered to build the surrounding temples, which combined the architectural beauties of Tibetan Buddhism and Han Buddhism. At present, it has become a famous scenic spot in China.
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