Qinhuangdao 秦皇岛市

Setting and landscape

Behind the coast rise the Yan Mountains, where the city points to the peaks and sea of clouds of Zushan (祖山), Jieshi Mountain (碣石山), which it says seven emperors climbed, and the old Great Wall brick kilns and ancient volcanic crater at Banchangyu (板厂峪). The climate is warm-temperate and semi-humid; because of the sea, summers are warm without extreme heat and winters long but without severe cold.

History

Shanhaiguan (山海关), anciently called Yuguan (榆关), was founded in 1381 by the Ming general Xu Da (徐达) and named for its position between the Yan Mountains to the north and the Bohai to the south; it is known as the First Pass of the Great Wall. The city's history page recalls Cao Cao's (曹操) poem 'Viewing the Blue Sea' (观沧海), the legend of Meng Jiangnü (孟姜女) weeping at the Wall, the general Qi Jiguang (戚继光), and Wu Sangui (吴三桂) letting the Qing army through the pass. At Beidaihe (北戴河), old villas recall a resort where Chinese and foreigners once lived side by side and the 'summer capital' of the People's Republic; the city names Beidaihe with Jigongshan, Moganshan and Lushan as China's four great summer resorts.

What to see

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism's saved 5A list records Shanhaiguan with the years 2007 and 2018. The city calls Old Dragon's Head (老龙头) the Great Wall's starting point and also names the steep Dongjiakou Great Wall (董家口长城) among its sights. On the coast, Pigeon Nest Park (鸽子窝公园) is known for sunrise and sunset, the Beidaihe wetland for its flocks of birds, and the Golden Coast (黄金海岸) for dunes beside the sea. Museums include the Great Wall Museum, a glass museum and a port museum. Changli (昌黎) yangge dancing, on the national intangible-heritage list since 2006, and Funing (抚宁) wind-and-percussion music are among the city's national heritage items.

Getting oriented

The city's transport overview names five national trunk railways, the Tianjin–Qinhuangdao high-speed line, several expressways and Beidaihe Airport. The city describes Qinhuangdao port as the main hub for shipping northern coal to southern China.

Highlights

• Shanhaiguan 山海关: Pass founded in 1381 between the Yan Mountains and the Bohai, known as the First Pass of the Great Wall.
• Old Dragon's Head 老龙头: Called the Great Wall's starting point by the city government.
• Pigeon Nest Park 鸽子窝公园: Coastal park known for sunrise and sunset.
• Huang Jin Hai An 黄金海岸: Coast known for dunes beside the sea.
• Zu Shan 祖山: Peaks and sea of clouds in the Yan Mountains.