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Chende is a famous historical and cultural city. It is situated in Hebei Province and has an area of 4,471 square kilometers and a population of 88.5 million. Surrounded by mountains, Chengde lies on the area between the Mongolia Plateau and the Huabei Plain. It has a temperate continental climate with an annual average temperature of 8.8oC, and has 150 frost-free days. Annual rainfall averages 580 millimeters. Mineral deposits of Chengde include coal, iron, copper, molybdenum, manganese, titanium, fluorite, and Iceland spar. The output of Iceland spar ranks the highest in China. Industries are machinery, electronics, meters, food processing, pharmaceuticals, tourism products, metal making, and construction materials. The chief farmproducts include corn, sorghum, millet, sesame, peanuts, and fruit. Rail and road transportation facilities of Chengde are good. Chengde is an 18th century (Qing Dyansty) imperial resort area. The Imperial Summer Villa and the Eight Outer Temples are very famous scenic spots of China. The special locally-made products are silk products, glass ware, and tinned food.
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Only 230km from Beijing, Chengde is conveniently accessible. Most common travellers here reach the capital by rail, since although the buses are swifter, trains are more comfortable.
Airport
There is an airport in the southeast of the city, although flights can only be chartered. To Beijing flights will take under 1hr.
There are three railway lines that meet at Chengde, connecting it daily with Beijing (4-6hrs depending on train), Jingzhou (10hrs), Shenyang (13hrs), Shijiazhuang (4hrs), Tianjin (7hrs) and more. Trains to and from Beijing to Chengde (4.5hrs, RMB40 for fast train - Tekuai) run about 4 to 5 times a day. You may now buy a return ticket in either city, that may be useful in peak season.The train station is located in the south east of the town, on Chezhan lu.
There are over ten cities in northeastern China that can be reached from Chengde, including Tianjin and Shijiazhuang, although the Chengde-Beijing bus is by far the most frequently used. Buses to Beijing (RMB30, 3.5hrs) leave every half hour from the long distance bus station. Air-conditioned buses also leave from here, although there are only a few every day.The long distance bus station is located on Wulie lu, near the intersection with Xinhua lu.
The starting price for taxis in Chengde is RMB5 for 2km, and they can also, after strong negotiation, be hired for the day for under RMB200 (good for those limited by time).Minibuses and motor-rickshaws can also be taken from outside all major hotels, and on major thoroughfares.For both the town and the outer temples it may well be worth hiring a bike for the day or two that you need to look around. Bikes (Zixing che) can be hired from some hotels (try the Yunshan Hotel) and from shops on Xinhua beilu.
