Xifengkou Gateway And Xifengkou Great Wall

There are one section of famous Great wall and a Gateway named Xifengkou in Qianxi County, Hebei province. The Xifengkou Gateway was an important stronghold west of Shanhaiguan pass. It is a rough section of the wall comparable to Simatai and featuring a connected three-gateway passway. It’s not the only place where the Great Wall can be visited – the Wall makes up the entire Northern Border of Tangshan. Xifengkou Great Wall is one of the 32 important passes built by General Xu Da during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), it is located 60 kilometers (37 miles) northwest of Qianxi County.

The present name, which means "Peak of happiness," has developed from an earlier one which means "Site for a Happy Reunion". Legend has it that a young man yearned to see his father, who had gone to build the Great Wall. He traveled a long distance and finally found his father working at this site. Overjoyed after a separation of years, both father and son died on the spot.

Owing to its position at the joint place of Nuan River valley and the Great Wall, Xifengkou Gateway, surrounded by mountains on both sides was since ancient times the key spot for all strategists. It has a unique structure which includes three gateways connected by walls. Southeast of Xifengkou Gateway, a 20-meter stone-built Xifeng City was installed with a gate respectively on west and south directions.

In terms of military considerations, Xifengkou Great Wall is divided into two parts: Guan Cheng (frontier pass city) and a citadel. Guan Cheng is the pass where it is said one solider could guard against ten thousand invaders. It is the most concentrated stronghold along the defense line of the Great Wall. The architectural structure of Guan Cheng in Xifengkou is peculiar in that the three Guan Cheng are linked together by an array of strong stone walls.The strongly fortified walls together with the watch towers strengthen the defensive capability of the Xifengkou Great Wall.

Now, due to the construction of the Panjiakou Reservoir, the main part of the wall has been submerged by the rising water but it is still dimly visible, which makes it a unique sight. Look down at the Xifengkou Great Wall from the top of the mountain and you will see that it looks like a giant dragon zigzagging through the water.

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White Cloud Cave of Mount Kong

Located in Licheng County in Xingtai City, White Cloud Cave of Mount Kong is a rare karst cave covering an area of 4,784 square yards. With a history dating back to the Cambrian Period about 500 million years ago, White Cloud Cave of Mount Kong is a rare karst cave in North China. It is now a national key scenic spot and a national geological park.

There may be dozens of reasons for a visitor to come to White Cloud Cave. It is a karst cave located at the highest latitude in the world, and the temperature within the cave stays around 17 C all year. The cave covers 4,200 square meters and has a travel route extending 2,300 meters. The marvelous spectacles in the cave are hailed as a museum of karst scenery by cave experts.

There are five cave chambers that present different views. The largest one is 2,170 square meters and has over 200 sighting seeing spots. The first chamber is spacious and peaceful with a forest of rocks and creeks. The second chamber is as splendid as heaven. The third chamber is full of overhanging jagged rocks that create a murky scene conjuring images of the nether world. The fourth chamber, Dragon King’s Palace, presents stone tree branches and densely covered pools. The fifth chamber is just like an underground maze that twists and turns in a vast array of strange stones.

Near White Cloud Cave of Mount Kong, there is the enchanting and fascinating Xishan Lake and Little Heavenly Pool which has an interesting name "Understanding Nature". Dotted by the beautiful and verdant hills, the land presents a picturesque view which is good for relaxing and contemplation.
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Eastern Qing Tombs

The Eastern Qing Tombs locate in Hebei Province. Among the finest, best-preserved and largest of the extant tomb complexes in China, it is located along Changrui Mountain in the west of Malanyu Town, Zunhua County, Hebei Province. Along the south side of Changrui Mountain, the tombs of five emperors, four empresses, five imperial concubines, and one princess are arrayed based on the traditional concept of placing the most senior and most distinguished in the center.

Of all, Xiaoling is the biggest and most elaborate, standing as the focal point of the entire structure. The grandeur of this tomb may be attributed to its having been the first sepulcher constructed for a member of the royal family of the Qing Dynasty, so the builders hoped to set the tone for a prosperous future. Crossing through the Great Red Gate, you can see buildings of different sizes, all with roofs of yellow glazed tile, connected by the brick paths or 'sacred ways' that converge in the area of Xiaoling.

From the stone tablets in the southern part of tombs district to the mortuary site of Xiaoling Tomb, there is a 5 km long holy path, along which the solemn grand elegant buildings, such as Big Red Gate, Saint Devotions Stele Pavilion, stone figures, Ling En Gate, Ling En Palace and Square Pavilion, stand in a good order.

Yuling Tomb for Emperor Qianlong is a treasure house of carving art. Except the floor, the walls and gates of tomb are made of stone, on which various pictures are carved, such as Eight Bodhisattvas, Four Kings, Five Dhyani Buddha, Five Sacrificial Offerings, Eight Treasures, and the Buddha Nom in Sanskrit and Tibetan characters. These unique pictures, with clear fluent lines and vivid forms making an integrated mass, are placed in good order. 

East Dongling Tomb for Empress Cixi is also quite unique. The balustrades around Ling En Palace are carved with the pictures of the dragon and phoenix as well as the water and cloud waves. The stone stair in front of palace, a masterwork of outworking carving, is carved with a vivid picture of a dragon and a phoenix playing with a ball (the dragon is below the phoenix).

Just because of their indisputable charm and their great historical, artistic and scientific value, the Eastern Qing Tombs was inscribed into the World Heritage list on Nov, 30, 2000, and was appraised as AAAA scenic spot by the state Travel Bureau in Jan. 2001. Many of the minor ones are also worth visiting as you learn about Chinese culture while enjoying the beauty of the area.
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Anji Bridge(Zhaozhou Bridge)

The Anji Bridge is the world's oldest open-spandrel stone segmental arch bridge. Credited to the design of a craftsman named Li Chun, the bridge was constructed in the years 595-605 during the Sui dynasty (581–618). Located in Shijiazhuang city of Hebei Province, it is the oldest standing bridge in China. Anji in Chinese means ensuring people safe lives and aiding people. Designated by the State Council as being among China's foremost protected monuments in 1961, Zhaozhou Bridge was also selected by the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) as the twelfth "milestone of international civil engineering" and a bronze monument was presented by the ASCE.

At present, this bridge is the center of Zhaozhou Bridge Park which covers an area of 87,000,000 hectares. The first view of the park that jumps to the eye is the archaic door to the mountain. In the park, this bridge stands out as a shining pearl set among the interspersed pavilions, the green grass and the majestic pines. The bridge is restored, but you can still see the relics of the old bridge, which are "national treasures", in the exhibition room. In addition, there are also showrooms with an introduction to the surrounding environment and culture and a model designed for the expansion of the park in future. If the whim hits you, you can row a boat on the blue-green water. Meanwhile, you can also have a taste of tea, read the legends of this bridge and get to know the influences of a bridge to the culture of a nation. You can also sit under the pavilions or the trees for comfortable and sweet dreams. Come here and you will find Zhaozhou Bridge Park an ideal scenic spot.

With a total length of 211.29 feet, a span of 121.46 feet and a height of 23.72 feet, the bridge is a single-arch stone bridge that has the longest span and history. The bridge is sophisticated yet elegantly constructed. Taking in the whole view, you will find it a single-arch bridge. However, it is actually a vertical combination of 28 arches. The two smaller spans in the shoulders of the bridge is an innovation in the history of the bridge construction, giving the stone bridge a fairly pretty design.

During the next 1,400 years, the bridge survived at least eight wars, ten major floods and numerous earthquakes, the most recent being the 7.2-magnitude Xingtai Earthquake in 1966. Yet, the support structure remains intact and the bridge is still in use. Only the ornamental railings have been replaced every few hundred years. The Anji bridge influenced the design of later Chinese bridge structures, such as the similar Yongtong Bridge near Zhaoxian in Hebei. The Yongtong Bridge is a 26 m (85 ft) long stone segmental-arch bridge built in 1130 by the Song structural engineer Pou Qianer.

The sculptures on the bridge, such as the dragons, flowers and etc, are powerful, elegant, vivid and profound, demonstrating the artistic style and the essence of the Sui sculpture. As important as the Eiffel Tower and the Panama Canal, this bridge is honored as 'the first well-known stone bridge in ancient China.'
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Beidaihe----- Birding Haven

Beidaihe, a Chinese coastal summer resort, also known as a birding haven, is located in the southwest of Qinhuangdao City. It has an area of 70.14 square kilometers and a population of 66,000. Its climate, coastline, seaside attractions and convenient transportation all make it a popular destination for travelers.

Beidaihe is an ideal place for bathing and sun bathing. The beaches in this area cover with the yellow sand with a distance of around 100 meters to the sea. There are more than 30 bathing places close to the Bohai Bay with its soft sand and good water quality. The air in the coastal area is also clear and refreshing, which makes it a perfect place for recreation and relaxation. The most famous travel site in this area is the Great Wall, since the Laolongtou (Old Dragon Head) is the eastern origin of the Great Wall and the Shanhaiguan Pass is the first pass at the east of the Great Wall.

To the east another famous attraction is the Yingjiao Stone - a twenty-meter (66 feet) steep rock like an eagle perched on the cliff. Because groups of doves nest in the cracks there, it is also called Dove Nest Park. The Yingjiao Pavilion on the top is famous as a place to watch the sunrise.

Dove Nest Park The pine-covered Lianfeng Hill, which backs on to Beidaihe beach, comprises two peaks, the east peak and the west peak. Taking the secluded path you can reach Wanghai Ting (Seaside Pavilion) at the top of the hill, where you can best appreciate the vast sea and the scenery around the mountain. At the foot of Lianfeng Hill is a beautiful park named Lianhuashi (Lotus Stone Park) because of the many unexpectedly huge lotus shaped stones.

Now, Beidaihe Scenic Spot attracts more and more attention from around the world with more than 4 million people traveling here every year. Add this scenic spot to your itinerary and you will not regret your decision.
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Qinhuangdao Xin'ao Marine World

Located between Shanhaiguan Pass and Beidaihe Scenic Spot, Qinhuangdao Xin’ao marine world is a large scale modern comprehensive museum jointly invested and built by China, Singapore, and Australia. It is one of the national 4A level tourist scenic area. It is a perfect place to view various marine lives and learn more knowledge about the sea.

The underwater world gives main priority to the exhibition of ocean creatures, supplemented by science education, environment protection education, dieting and shopping, as well as entertainment and amusements. It is mainly composed of two parts of underwater world and dolphin performance hall. It covers a total area of 130,000 square meters, with total water storage of more than 4,000 tons. Xin’ao Marine World can hold 2,000 tourists at one time. Various sea lives feast your eyes and lovely dolphins and seals present you wonderful performances.

Submarine Tunnel with the length of 100m (328ft) offers visitors a chance to admire various marine plants and animals as if staying in the sea. You will marvel that colored coral reef fishes, crucian, silver arowana and Chinese mullet just cruise around you.

The Dolphin Performance Hall is situated in the east part of the marine world and can hold over 2,000 visitors at one time. Here, the clever dolphins together with the antic seals are waiting to present you marvelous performances.

In Touching Pool, you are allowed to touch the sea lives like starfish, sea cucumber, sea urchin and horseshoe crab. Gigantic Insect Garden exhibits insects that are enlarged with special materials. Thus their biological structures can be learned vividly. The sea life biological specimen can be found in Sea Knowledge Exhibition Hall.

Among all the lives living in Xin’ao Marine World, the turtle can be a star. This century year’s turtle attracts numerous visitors every day. The penguins in swallow-tailed coat coming from Peru and Chile also are the favorite by visitors. In addition, Xin’ao Marine Word prepares colorful performances that add more fun to your trip. Every day, there are feeding fish performance that present you the frightening scene of shark, turtle, sea sturgeon and coral seas scrabbling for food.

Xin’ao underwater world lies on the seaside with attractive surrounding sea sights, so you can appreciate the charming sea sights of the Bo Hai as you are degusting the delicious dishes in the Viewing Sea restaurant.
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Shanhaiguan Pass of Great Wall----- "First Pass under Heaven"

Shanhai Pass, known in Chinese as Shanhaiguan, is one of the major passes in the Great Wall of China. The Chinese words "First Pass under Heaven" are engraved above one of the gates and so the site is also known by that name. Built in 1381 in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Shanhaiguan is a town situated in the northeast of Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province. In 1961, the pass became a National Cultural Site of China.

The location where the wall meets the Bohai Sea is nicknamed "Old Dragon's Head." The pass lies nearly 300 kilometers east of Beijing. The city wall of the ancient town is still well-preserved. While the Shanhai Pass is now the main entrance to the town, in the Ming Dynasty the area to the north of Shanhaiguan was not Chinese territory. Following the complex physical features of this area, the northern area was once part of the defensive system of the Great Wall.

Now, however the pass has become a famous attraction in China. As a Chinese saying goes, 'He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man.' There is truth in this saying because, if you do not visit the Shanhai Pass, you will not understand the military power of ancient China. At present, there are six primary tourist spots here, including the First Pass under Heaven, Laolongtou (Old Dragon's Head), the Temple of Mengjiangnu, the Jiaoshan Mountain, the Changshoushan Mountain (Longevity Mountain) and the Yansaihu Lake. Among them, the First Pass under Heavens and Laolongtou should be visited first.

The First Pass under Heaven is actually the east tower of the Shanhai Pass, called Zhendong Tower. It is 13.7 meters (44.95 feet) high with two floors. On the tower is a big board on which there are five huge Chinese characters 'tian xia di yi guan' (the First Pass under Heaven) inscribed by a calligrapher in the Ming Dynasty.  Climbing up the Zhendong Tower, you will see that to one side of the tower is the rolling sea, while on the other lies the lofty Great Wall. Furthermore, the Jingbian Tower, Linlu Tower, Muying Tower and Weiyuantang Hall stand on the same axis with the Zhendong Tower. Depending on the complex geographic conditions, these five buildings provided a strong protective screen.

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