Its spring water has various mineral constituents that are thought to have curative properties.

Zhuozhou, another Hebei city only 60 km away from Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, has a population of 600,000 and covers of 742 sq km. As a popular tourism destination, it has a history stretching back more than 2,300 years.

It was the cradle of culture for the Three Kingdoms (220-280) and locale for the well-known story of the Oath of the Peach Garden.

It was an oath in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, by which the three warriors Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei became sworn brothers in a ceremony amid peach blossom trees. The original goal of the Peach Garden Oath was to protect the Han Dynasty from the Yellow Turbans. This act bound the three key men of the future Shu-Han Kingdom of China and is often alluded to as a symbol of fraternal loyalty.

Zhangjiakou and Chengde

Zhangjiakou in the northwestern Hebei province covers 37,000 sq km and has a population of 4.5 million. Its natural terrain divides the city into two sectors, Bashang and Baxia.

The Great Wall, grasslands and ancestral cultures attract tourists to Zhangjiakou.

Only 200 kilometers from Beijing, Zhangbei county is located in the Bashang plain over 1,500 m high.

The Bashang grasslands are 280 km north of Beijing. The climate and lands at the junction of the north China plain and Inner Mongolia give the area a unique landscape and make it a popular destination for tourists and photographers.

With an average temperature much lower than Beijing, the grasslands offer a nearby escape from the summer heat. May through November is the best time to visit, and as early as October visitors may have the chance to see snow.

In recent years, tourism in Bashang has flourished and many special activities for tourists have been started. An inexpensive and interesting holiday is spending time at a farmer's home - eating roasted whole sheep and other simple food, chatting with farmers and sleeping on heated brick beds.

From the Liao Dynasty (916-1125) to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Bashang was where the imperial families went to escape the summer heat.

Today, the ecology of Bashang remains well preserved. Beautiful scenery and local foods like milk tea, mutton and mushrooms are all part of the experience.

Besides the charm of Bashang, visitors from Beijing can enjoy the sights during the six-hour drive along mountain highways, relaxing along the way at restaurants run by farmers.

Chengde is in the northeast of Hebei province about 230 km from Beijing, Tianjin, Tangshan and Qinhuangdao. The topography of Chengde is divided into plateaus and mountains, including Yanshan, Yinshan and Qilaotushan mountains, as well as the Luanhe, Liaohe, Chaobaihe and Jiyunhe rivers flowing through the city.

Chengde, originally called Rehe, was once the summer resort capital of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It still offers rich history and relics dating as far back as the Neolithic Age. Ethnic groups such as Xiongnu (Hun), Xianbei, Qidan, Nuzhen and Mongols once led a nomadic existence in this region from the Qin (221BC-AD206) to the Ming (1368-1644) dynasties.

The Chengde Bashang grasslands cover 350 sq km and are a part of the topography that begins in Inner Mongolia.

It is now a place where many overseas Chinese come to find their roots and also a destination for investment.

Great Wall in Hebei

Hebei province boasts that it has the longest and best-preserved parts of the Great Wall in all of China.

The Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty with over 200 passes zigzags more than 2,000 km through the province. Dozens of sections are famous, including the walls at Laolongtou and Jiaoshan, Shanhaiguan Pass, Xifengkou Gateway and Zijingguan Pass.

Shanhaiguan Pass holds the strategic route from north China to the northeast. Jiaoshan is the first mountain the Great Wall climbs in Hebei province. Laolongtou is where the Great Wall meets the sea, termed the head of this giant dragon. Xifengkou Gateway, now submerged by Panjiakou Reservoir, likewise possessed a strategically important position in history, as did Zijingguan Pass, where many famous battles took place.

Starting from Beijing along the Beijing-Chengde highway, it takes about two hours to drive the 100 km to the Jinshangling Great Wall - and then onward to other sections.