Story by Will Swarts
Photos by Qin Fengjing

Weekend getaways from the big city are one of the pleasures of a hot Beijing summer, and Chengde's cool weather and a less frantic environment are a pleasant combination.

Modern visitors to the former summer capital, once known as Jehol, will have an easier time getting there than Kangxi, first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, when he first made the trek in the early 18th century.

You need only pack a bag with a couple of changes of clothes, some snacks for the train and good walking shoes.

There's no need to assemble the imperial retinue and all its finery ?leave the ceremonial robes and jewelry for the concubines behind and take the 61-renminbi express 255 kilometers north of the sweltering capital.

With the start of construction on the Summer Villa in 1703, Kangxi embarked on a building program meant to placate and enmesh the Mongols and Tibetans, who were then troublesome fringes of the Ming empire.

Some of the eight outer temples north of the palace are done in Tibetan style, including a replica of Lhasa's Potala Palace. This "Fauxtala" is one-third the size of the original, but is a fairly faithful reproduction.

Kangxi's grandson, Qianlong, was among the most religious of the emperors, and he continued this tradition. Chengde was also the scene of Qianlong's 1793 dismissal of the British trade envoy, Lord Macartney, who went away with a message for King George III that China had no need for trade, and that he should "tremblingly obey" the edict.

Modern Chengde is a more populist draw, as tourists flock to the Imperial Summer Villa, the Bishu Shanzhuang, which translates literally as the "Escaping the Heat Mountain Villa".

The imperial palace is currently undergoing renovations. While this affects the palace, it's still easy to be taken in by the 590-hectare park, ringed by a 10-kilometer wall. Little remains of the original 72 scenic garden spots set up by Kangxi and Qianlong, but it's open, grassy and a fine place for a walk on a clear, sunny day.

The Yongyou Pagoda on the western edge of the Imperial Villa is a good place to survey the area, and if you have a half-day for the park, plan your trek from here to the nearby outer temples and hillside hiking spots, which really deserve a full day.

The Putuozongsheng Temple and its neighbor, the Xumifoushou Temple, just to the north of the imperial wall, are worth a visit. Pule Temple, whose round altar is similar to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, is undergoing heavy renovations, but remains a good spot for a hike up Club Rock. The Rock is a good 45-minute hike at a brisk pace, or a 15-minute chairlift ride.

However, there is no reward for hikers at the top -- there's a 15-kuai admission fee, and it makes no difference how you got there. Club Rock is an impressive stone pillar that looks rather unsteady from a distance, and only slightly more stable up close. From there, a quick trip to the appropriately named Toad Rock is another 15-minute hike.

Chengde is a tourist town these days, and its hotels are nothing fancy. But as a popular destination, rooms are pricey. Bargaining is possible, especially during the week. The Yindu Hotel and the Mountain Villa Hotel are among the better options. Give the imitation Mongolian yurts in the Summer Villa grounds a miss -- they have concrete walls and look more like fuel storage tanks than nomads's homes.

Express trains leave Beijing at 7:29 a.m. and 1:28 p.m., and arrive about four-and-a-half hours later. Return times are 2:40 p.m. and 6:16 a.m. for the express. The local train, which stops at many suburban Beijing stations, is much less comfortable and takes seven hours. It's not the two-week trek made by the imperial courts of old, but it does put a dent in an easy, pleasant jaunt -- and the convenience is one of the best reasons to make the trip.