Mountain Resort & Outlying Temples, Chengde 避暑山庄和外八庙 (1994)

... The resort fits beautifully in its natural surroundings, simple but graceful. Unfortunately, one will miss the tranquility one should expect due to the crowds of visitors. Only very briefly, early in the morning or shortly after the sunset, it resorts to a quietness in faint light, when locals start to come practising Tai Chi under the canopy of tremendous Chinese scholar trees in full blossom or forming a circle in the now spacious courtyards (free of visitors) to kick colourful shuttlecocks. I made return visits to the Resort during these narrow gaps to see it almost free of disturbance, peaceful and atmospheric. ...

For full note on visit, please see "Mountain Resort & Its Outlying Temples, Chengde" at http://web.me.com/wang_hong/Site/World_Heritage_in_China/World_Heritage_in_China.html.