Qinhuangdao 秦皇岛

1

Core of the national 5A-rated Shanhaiguan scenic area; the pass was built in the 14th year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming dynasty (1381) on the orders of Xu Da, Prince of Zhongshan, named for backing onto mountains and adjoining the sea, and is the first pass at the eastern starting point of the Ming Great Wall

2

The only section of the Ming Great Wall that reaches the sea; Qi Jiguang built the Stone City into the Sea in the Longqing reign (approx. 1571), extending the Great Wall into the Bohai Sea, and Chenghai Tower, perched on the wall for sea views, has long been a stop for literati

3

A specialist museum themed on Great Wall history, exhibiting the Wall's evolution, building techniques and military institutions; sand tables and excavated components give a vivid picture of the Nine Border Garrison Towns system, with Ming-dynasty weapons and inscribed steles as collection highlights

4

Beidaihe's number-one spot for sunrise viewing and birdwatching; Yingjiao Pavilion (Eagle Cliff Pavilion) stands on a solitary cliff, and the vast tidal-flat wetlands are a node on the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, with tens of thousands of migratory birds stopping over in spring and autumn

5

Named for the giant rocks in the Zhonghaitan area that reach into the sea like a crouching tiger; one of Beidaihe's earliest developed bathing beaches, where Russian-language signs and crowds of Russian visitors have long been part of the streetscape

6

In 1898, the 24th year of the Guangxu reign, the Qing government officially designated Beidaihe as a summer resort. Over the decades that followed, Chinese and foreign residents built hundreds of villas here, with British, Tudor, and Chinese courtyard styles mingling across the wooded slopes, forming the seaside character of one of modern China's most famous summer retreats.

7

A night park centered on Biluo Tower, a spiral observation tower rising over the sea, with the conch-shaped tower as the park's landmark.

8

In 215 BC, Qin Shi Huang toured east to Jieshi and sent the alchemist Lu Sheng out to sea in search of immortals—Qinhuangdao takes its name from this quest-for-immortality legend.

9

A man-made lake created by damming the Shihe River, with a gorge stretching over ten kilometers and sheer cliffs facing off on both banks—mountains holding a lake, a lake holding mountains, gorge-and-calm-water scenery rarely seen in northern China.

10

A community-style resort famed for two white seaside buildings: the Lonely Library and the Aranya Chapel.