Hebei is the arm that wraps around Beijing: grassland plateaus to the north, the Yan-Zhao plains to the south, and the Qing emperors' summer retreat in between. China's back garden for the capital — sky roads over the prairie, imperial gardens, and folk crafts that have survived a thousand years.

What to See 好玩的

Chengde Mountain Resort was the Qing emperors' summer palace — far larger than the Summer Palace, with lakes, plains and mountain scenery folded into one garden, and the gilt roofs of the Eight Outer Temples on the far hills. Give it a full day and hire a guide or an audio tour; it's too big to rush.

The Bashang Grassland Sky Road is a “cloud road” across rolling prairie: windmills, sheep and wildflowers unfolding all the way, best seen by car. July and August bring the greenest grass, and dusk turns the whole road gold.

What to Eat 好吃的

Donkey burger is Hebei's national snack: shredded donkey meat in a crisp flatbread, with a bowl of donkey tripe soup — the classic Baoding breakfast. Chess pastries are small as chess pieces, sesame-crisp with meat or red-bean filling.

Folk Customs 民间习俗

Practical Tips 实用贴士

Photos: Chengde Mountain Resort, Bashang grassland — via Wikimedia Commons, CC-licensed. Licenses and authors available on the original file pages.