(Translator:Bian Fenglian, Wang Wei, Proofreader: You Jianmin)
Qinhuangdao is a beautiful coastal city that breeds dreams, passions and energies. It is located in the northeast of Hebei Province, with Liaoning on the east, close to Beijing and Tianjin to the west. There is Mt. Yanshan on the north and Bohai Sea on the south, a joint place between the two economic areas of Northeast China and North China. It’s also the center of Circum-Bohai-Sea Economic Zone.
Qinhuangdao includes four urban districts of Haigang, Beidaihe, Shanhaiguan and Funing, as well as three counties of Changli, Lulong, Qinglong. Besides, there are Qinhuangdao Economic & Technological Development Zone and Beidaihe New District under its jurisdiction. Qinhuangdao is the sole city named after an emperor in China, for First Emperor of Qin Dynasty (259B.C-210B.C) stayed here and sent people to the sea in search of immortality in his Eastern Tour in 215B.C. After years of construction, Qinhuangdao has become a famous coastal resort, and has successively won the title of China's first batch of outstanding tourism cities, international tourism cities, national top ten livable cities, and the nation's best leisure cities.
The ecological environment of Qinhuangdao is unique. Qinhuangdao features neither severe cold in winter nor intense heat in summer. The average annual temperature is 11.1°C. It boasts plenty of sunshine, golden beaches, blue seas, lush vegetation, and fresh air. The three main urban areas of the city are connected with green forest belts, which are unique beaded groups. The forest coverage rate of the city is 51%. With 7,000-10,000 of negative oxygen ions per cubic centimeter, Qinhuangdao is known as a “natural oxygen bar”. The beautiful natural environment of Qinhuangdao also attracts more than 400 species of birds to inhabit this area. It is a world famous bird watching resort.
Historical events make the city known for its culture. Qinhuangdao inherited a long and rich historical context of more than two thousand years with many historical anecdotes including Yi Qi’s abdication , Qinhuang (259B.C-210B.C., first emperor of Qin Dynasty,) seeking immortality, Jiang Nv’s searching for her husband, Han Wu’s (156B.C-87B.C, the seventh emperor of Han Dynasty) Tour, Wei Wu’s 155A.D-220A.D., first king of Wei, one of the three kingdoms) north expedition, Tang Zong’s (599A.D.-649A.D., the second emperor of Tan Dynasty) residence, and so on. Kang Youwei, Xu Shichang, Zhang Xueliang, and other fingers, left their anecdotes here. In 1889, the Qing government opened up Beidaihe as a “Summer Place for Chinese and Foreigners”, which pioneered modern and contemporary tourism in China. Missionaries, diplomats, and wealthy businessmen from dozens of countries around the world built more than 700 villas in Beidaihe, leaving behind them a spectacular World Architecture Expo.
A rich abundance of tourism products. The magical hands of nature have endowed Qinhuangdao with plenty of premium tourism resources, including the sea, the Great Wall, the beach, lakes, green mountains, springs, and wet lands, which are concentrated together to give Qinhuangdao a unique charm.
Qinhuangdao is known as one of the best bathing beaches and sea-based recreation activities for its 162.7 kilometers of soft sands and gentle beaches, mainly dotted with Ledao Happy Sea Recreation Center, site of Qinshihuang Seeking Immortality, Pigeons’ Nest Park, Zhuhai Yudao Hot Spring Resort, and Sand Sculpture Recreation Center. Down to Changli District, rolling sand hills are seen where the vast sea water kisses the desert.
The age-old Great Wall stretches about 223.1 kilometers in Qinhuangdao city, combining the mountains, the sea and the old military passes, consisting of one of the essential parts of China’s Great Wall. Here in Qinhuangdao, the imposing Great Wall lives to tell its legendary tales: Laolongtou (Old Dragon’s Head) joins the sea and the Wall; Shanhaiguan starts the first military pass along the Great Wall; a spectacular sight of three passes resembles V; Jiaoshan boasts itself as the first cliff along the Great Wall.