Food

Chengde is located in Hebei's most fertile area, which mainly produces maize and sorghum, but also yields excellent local chestnuts,mushrooms and apricots.This fresh produce,plus the culinary legacy of the imperial cooks,means it is possible to eat very well here.The town is also noted for its wild game,particularly deer,hare and pheasant,and its medicinal juice drinks:almond juice is said to be good for asthma;date and jujube juice for the stomach;and jinlianhua juice for a sore throat.Date and almond are the sweetest and most palatable.Local cakes,such as the glutinous feng family cakes,once an imperial delicacy but now a casual snack,can be found in the stalls on Yuhua Lu and Qingfeng Jie.Rose cakes, a sweet, crisp pastry cake and a particular favourite of Qianlong,are sold in Chengde's department stores.

Shopping

Entertainment
Chengde is at its liveliest on Friday and Saturday summer nights,when the weekenders are here, though the Yiyuan Nightclub,just west of the Shanzhuan Hotel,caters strictly for wealthy tourists.The main shopping drag,Nanyingzi Dajie,is a good place to come in the evening when a night market stretches all the way down it.Many of the vendors sell antiques and knick-knacks which are generally cheaper than in either Beijing or Tianjin.You'll have to bargain hard and don't expect everything to be genuine.