About QinHuangDao
What to see and do in QinHuangDao
Weather in QinHuangDao
Airport in QinHuangDao
Visa
Qinhuangdao is a city in Hebei province, China. It is about 300 km east of on the Bohai Sea, the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea.
Since the elevation of Tianjin to a provincial-level municipality, Qinhuangdao is the chief port of Hebei province. The Qin emperor Qin Shi Huang is said to have sought immortality on an island in the Haigang district, but did not find it.
Qinhuangdao is named after Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor in Chinese History, who is said to have looked for the immortals on an island in Qinhuangdao. Today Qinhuangdao is mainly an industrial city best known for its heavy industries such as glass manufacturing, aluminum processing, vehicle wheel production, gas turbine engine manufacturing, etc.
Boasting a history of more than one hundred years, Qinhuangdao is also the main port of Hebei province.
Qinhuangdao local government administers Beidaihe, Shanhaiguan, and Haigang District, as well as 4 additional Manchu Autonomous Counties: Funing, Changli, Lulong, and Qinglong. It covers a total area of 7,812.4 square kilometers, the population of 2.76 million. Qinhuangdao has three main developed areas:
Beidaihe: A summer seaside resort for senior government officials. Many political decisions affecting China are made here, making it the equivalent to resorts in Maine or Camp David in Maryland in the United States.
Haigang District: the harbor city. Qinhuangdao proper. Home of Yan Shan University, the leading university in NE Hebei province.
Shanhaiguan: a popular tourist destination, featuring the eastern end of the Great Wall.
Qinhuangdao's Olympic Sports Centre Stadium was used as an Olympic Competition Venue (Football Preliminary) during the 2008 Summer Olympics.
With a history of more than 2,000 years, neighbouring Liaoning Province. Legend tells that Emperor Qinshihuang stayed temporarily here for seeking immortality, hence the name. The city is non-freezing port, and it mainly exports coal and petroleum. Along the seacoast, it produces a large quantity of aquatic products. Industries include machinery, bridge building, glass and refractory material. Of interest to visitors are Shanhaiguan Great Wall, Beidaihe Beach, and Meng Jiangnu Temple.
Qinhuangdao is a seaport city consisting of Shanhai guan, Beidaihe, seaport district and Changli County. Shanhaiguan is a famous pass located at a strategic spot of the Great Wall between mountains and sea. It is renowned for its magnificent gatetower named No.l Pass under Heaven. The well-known scenic spot Laolongtou is the starting point of the Great Wall.
What to see and do in Qinghuangdao
Tourist attractions:
"The First Pass Under Heaven"
This pass, also called Shanhai pass, is located fifteen kilometers
northeast of Qinhuangdao at the eastern terminus of the Great Wall.
The "pass city" was built during the Ming Dynasty in the fourteenth year of
Emperor Hong Wu's rule (A.D. 1381). It controlled communications between
north and northeast China, a strategic location for which wars were often
fought. At the entrance to the pass is a twelve-meter-high rectangular city gate,
which connects the Great Wall to the south and north. On top of the gate is a
two-storied tower, which is 13 meters high, 20 meters wide, and 11 meters tick
and decorated with painted eaves. The tower commands a spectacular view of
distant Bohai Bay to the south and the tortuous path of the Great Wall to the north.
The Estuary Stone City
The Stone City lying at the estuary was built by Qijiguang, a famous general
of the Ming dynasty. It used to serve as a defense work to resist the aggression
of Nuchen and Mongolia. The Stone City was based on natural reefs and constructed
with huge rocks, which were rabbet and connected by cast iron chains.
With battlements placed on walls the Stone City extends into the sea and is very
grandiosity.
Jinglu Watchtower
Connecting with the Stone City in the north, Jinglu Watchtower, was built with
granite bars and has a commanding height to block the sea. The straight-cut
plane of the watchtower is an equilateral trapezium with a bottoms length of
11.7 meters and a top of 10.7 meters.
Wangshou Watchtower
Wangshou Watchtower and Jinglu Watchtower echo each other at a distance
to form defense fortifications that outflank the Old Dragon's Head Bay.
As a close defense work, the protruding tower is 25 meters-wide and 34 meters
long, with parapet walls inside and a basement beneath that is over 20-meter-long .
Nanhaikou Pass
Nanhaikou Pass is the only pass of the Ming Great wall established on the
seashore. With a height of 5.4 meters, this pass was supposed to be the
commanding center of the Laolongtou Great Wall defense system.
Chenghai Tower
Chenghai Tower, 20 meters away from Nanhaikou pass, was built after
Nanhaikou Pass was deserted. It functioned as a defensive arrow tower
and retired after the Qing dynasty.
Ninghai City
Ninghai City is the city where Chenghai Tower locates. It is about
6.6-meter-high and 500-meter-long in circumference and has 2 gates,
one in the west and another in the north. The city wall was built with bricks
on a stone basement and was rammed with loess inside the walls.
The city has now been rebuilt and is open to tourists.
Meng Jiangnu Temple This temple is located in the Shanhai Pass District of Qinhuangdao. Legend says that in the time of Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty, Meng Jaingn|'s husband was conscripted to help build the Great Wall. Missing her husband very much, Meng jiangnu set out on the long journey to see him. When she arrived at eh foot of the wall, she learned that her husband had been worked to death and buried beneath it, and she wept so many tears that a huge section of the Great Wall crumbled away. The sorrowful woman then drowned herself in the sea, and a temple was erected to commemorate her. A clay sculpture of Meng Jaingnnu stands in front of the temple hall. Dressed in a black gown, she gazes out at the sea, her expression revealing her grief and indignation.
Beidaihe Beach
This resort is located fifteen kilometers southwest of Qinhuangdao.
It faces Bohai to the south and has the Lianfeng Hills, with their forests
of pine and cypress, as a back drop. The beach is two kilometers wide
and extends for ten kilometers from Daihekou in the west to Eagle Rock
in the east. With its beautiful winding coastline and its pleasant, moderate
climate, Beidaihe Beach is a popular spot for summer vacations.
The area is dotted with buildings and villas, some along the beach and
others hidden in groves. The main attractions are South Heavenly Gate
(Nantianmen), Cave Leading to the Sky (Tongtiandong), Camel Rock
(Luotuosi), Tiger Rock (Laohusi), Guanyin Monastery, and Lotus Park.
Since national liberation of 1949, roads in downtown districts and a beachside highway have been built or repaired. Sanatoriums embracing an area of 3,160,000 square meters have been built and five beachside parks restored.
situated in the hilly eastern end of Yanshan Mountains and plains that lie before the mountain range. From the north to south, the city covers an array of terrain, with mountainous areas, hilly areas, valleys, plains and a coastal region. Three city districts join with Funing and Changli counties to comprise the main tourist zones in coastal area of Qinhuangdao. The area's unique natural landscape boasts a blue sea, golden beach, and thickly forested areas, which create a splendid backdrop for the grand Great Wall and the many beautiful villas on the coast.
The city has a warm, temperate, semi-humid monsoon climate. Strongly affected by the sea, Qinhuangdao's weather is moderate throughout the year. Spring is a dry season that seldom sees rain. Summers are warm but not sweltering. Autumns bring clear skies and cool, refreshing days. Winter days are long, but the proximity to the sea removes much of the harsh chill felt in other areas of the country. The annual average temperature is above 10 C (50 F).
Summers in Qinhuangdao are much cooler than most other cities in China, making it a first class summer resort. May to October is the golden season to visit Beidaihe. Other scenic areas are best visited from June to August, when the natural scenery is at its best.
Beidaihe is a prime location for bird watching. Flocks of birds migrate throughout the winter and spring months. Multitudes of birds arrive in Qinhuangdao in the early days of September and can be observed in the city and from the costal wetlands. The best time of year to bird watch in Beidaihe is in early September.
Most visitors come to Qinhuangdao during the summer months, and the city holds festivals and celebrations primarily geared towards the tourist industry. Celebrations are held at many of the popular scenic spots, and include the Great Wall Festival in Shanhaiguan, the Temple Fair in the Temple of Mengjiangnu, and the Red Wine Festival in Changli County. Qinhuangdao does hold additional events for tourists throughout the year, and will hold many activities in 2008 in preparation for the Beijing Olympics.
January - 2 C to -16 C
February 1 C to -13 C
March 8 C to -5 C
April 17 C to 3 C
May 24 C to 10 C
June 27 C to 14 C
July 28 C to 18 C
August 27 C to 17 C
September 23 C to 10 C
October 17 C to 2 C
November 7 C to - 5 C
December 1 C to -13 C
Qinhuangdao Shanhaiguan Airport is an airport in Qinhuangdao, Hebei, People's Republic of China (IATA: SHP, ICAO: ZBSH).
Airport Code: SHP
Location: halfway between Haigang District and Shanhaiguan District, about 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from downtown Qinhuangdao
Brief Intro: Qinhuangdao (Shanhaiguan) Airport, commonly known as Shanhaiguan Airport, is an airport for both civilian and military use first built in the middle of 1980s. The airport in Qinhuangdao has developed as an important traffic hub after expansion and two renovations. During the culmination, there are more than thirty flights a week to twenty domestic major cities.
To support the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the newly expanded terminal building was completed in April, 2007, and the renovation of runways was finished in December. After the expansion project, entire area of the parking apron and apron for airport to turn around is 15,200 square meters (about 3.8 acres) larger. Five Boeing-757 airplanes can park simultaneously. The Terminal Building has been enlarged to more than 6,000 square meters (7,176 square yards). It could serve 800 passengers.
Flights here are available between Qinhuangdao and Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dalian, Harbin, Heihe, Shijiazhuang, Chengdu, Xian and Hangzhou. There are some connecting flights transferring through Shanghai, Shijiazhuang and Hangzhou to many other cities and Yakutsk and Blagoveshchensk of Russia.
Transportation: Transportation between Qinhuangdao Airport and the downtown area is convenient. Every flight has shuttle buses to pick up passengers, and outbound passengers can find shuttle buses at the Civil Aviation Building in the downtown area. It takes only twenty minutes for the 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) distance. Departure time from the downtown area: 08:30 (flights to Shanghai), 18:20 (flights to Shijiazhuang, Chengdu and Shenzhen) Address of the Civil Aviation Building: No.169, Yingbin Lu
To be able to travel to Qinhuangdao you need to have a valid China Visa, issuefrom your local government at the China Embassy, Chinese visa fall into four types: diplomatic visa, courtesy visa, service visa and ordinary visa. Ordinary visa is further divided into the following 8 categories each marked with a letter:
(1) Tourist and family visit visa (L-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who comes to China for tourist purpose, family visit or other personal affairs.
(2) Business Visa (F-visa ) is issued to a foreign citizen who is invited to China for visit, research, lecture, business, exchanges in the fields of science, technology, education, culture and sports, or attending various kinds of trade fairs or exhibitions, or short-term study, intern practice for a period of no more than 6 months.
(3) Student Visa (X-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who comes to China for the purpose of study or advanced study for a period of six or more months.
(4) Work Visa (Z-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who comes to China to work and his or her accompanying family members, or to give commercial performances in China.
(5) Transit Visa (G-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who is to transit through China on his or her way to a third country (or region).
(6) Crew Visa(C-visa)is issued to crew member performing his/her duties on board an international train, or on an international airliner, to a sailor on board an international ocean-liner or freighter, and also to their accompanying family members..
(7) Journalist Visa (J-visa)is issued to foreign journalists. J-visa has two categories: J-1 visa and J-2 visa. J-1 visa is issued to resident foreign journalists in China and their accompanying spouses and under-age children, J-2 visa to foreign journalists who visit China for temporary news coverage.
(8) Permanent Residence Visa(D-visa)is issued to a foreign citizen who has been approved by China's public security authority to reside in China permanently.
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