Things to do in Kuancheng

Chengde Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area

Chengdetianmenshan Mountain is located in Nantianmen Village, Mengziling Township, Kuancheng County, Chengde City, Hebei Province. The attraction features stream views, a children's playground, glass suspension bridge and glass walkway, Mu Guiying's command platform, mountain flower fields, cable cars, high-altitude zip lines, cliff swings, Tianmen flying waterfall, jungle adventure, heart-stopping steps, rainbow slide, visitor dining center, water recreation activities, lotus pond, Mu Guiying cultural park, and Mu Guiying takes command live-action theater.

Panjiakou Reservoir

2026 Global 100 - Best Things to Do

Universal Beijing Resort

Beijing Universal Studios is a highly anticipated theme park destination, including Universal Theme Park, Beijing Universal CityWalk, and two resort hotels. It features brand new selected Attraction and includes popular entertainment facilities and attractions from Universal Theme Parks around the world. ▲Universal Studios Beijing: Blending Chinese cultural elements to create a unique experience, it has seven theme Attraction, 37 rides and entertainment facilities and landmark attractions, 24 performances, 80 Dining and 30 retail stores.  ▲Minion Land: It is a colorful world full of joy! At this moment, these naughty Minions are walking around the streets, ports and city centers, having fun all over the world without restraint! At the same time, Gru is also recruiting soldiers for the Minions Army, so hurry up and sign up at Gru's house! ▲The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™: Here you can leave the ordinary world behind and experience the wonderful rides and endless magical adventures, which will lead you step by step into a thrilling and interesting magical world! ▲Transformers Metrobase: This is a Cybertron-style base, which is transformed by Transformers the size of a city. If you are ready to become an agent, then accept Optimus Prime's recruitment, join the Beijing Nest Force, fight side by side with the Autobots, and fight against the Decepticons to protect the earth! ▲Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness: This is an ancient place like a paradise, and also a legendary place that combines the beauty of nature and craftsmanship. Come here to explore your own Kung Fu! There's also Jurassic World Isla Nublar, Hollywood, and Waterworld waiting for you to explore! ▲The Universal Studios Grand Hotel The Universal Studios Grand Hotel is located at the entrance of Universal Studios Beijing and offers Hollywood-themed accommodation and the privilege of Early Park Admission via the Universal Studios Beijing VIP Experience entrance; NUO Resort Hotel is a 5-minute walk from the entrance. Guests can enjoy a well-equipped fitness center, indoor swimming pool, and spa center (NUO SPA). Guests can also enjoy Early Park Admission via the Universal Studios Beijing VIP Experience entrance. Both hotels combine themed features with high-end facilities to create an immersive vacation experience.

2026 Global 100 - Best Things to Do

The Palace Museum

The Forbidden City, also known as the Imperial Palace, was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and is also the symbol of ancient China. When you are in the majestic and orderly high walls and deep courtyards, you can truly feel its former glory. ▲The long history has left behind large-scale precious buildings and countless cultural relics, which have also become the main attraction of visiting the Forbidden City today. ▲Classic attractions: The Forbidden City Corner Tower is a polygonal building with a convex plane on all four sides. It is located in Dongcheng District, Beijing. The roof has three layers. The upper layer is a hip roof with vertical and horizontal intersections. It is composed of a gable roof with flowing water on two slopes and a hip roof with four slopes. Because there are nine main ridges on this roof, it is called the Nine-ridge Hall. ▲Sundials are divided into two types according to their installation principle: equatorial and horizontal. The sundial installed using the equatorial principle is called an equatorial sundial. The key points of its production are that it must have a time plate, a latitude arc and a gnomon. When operating, the time plate must be parallel to the equatorial plane of the earth, the gnomon must be in the same direction as the earth's axis, and the shadow cast by the gnomon on the gnomon is the desired time. ▲The Treasure House is located in the Ningshou Palace area. It has a rich collection of treasures, including Buddhist supplies, ornaments, daily utensils, and treasures for appreciation. Among them, the red coral lion about 14 cm high, the Dongzhu court beads about 130 cm long, and the gold "Fengtianzhibao" seal are all rare treasures. ▲The Clock and Watch Museum is located in the Fengxian Hall in the palace. Most of the clocks on display are British products, but there are also clocks from other countries such as France and Switzerland. In addition to the timing function, these clocks are decorated with figures, birds, beasts, flowers, etc., which can also make various different movements. They are very delicately made. Among them, the copper-plated gilded writing clock, the copper-plated gilded enamel gourd-top fishing and woodcutting farming clock, and the copper-plated gilded rotating flower running man rhinoceros carrying clock are very rare.

2026 Global 100 - Best Things to Do

Badaling Great Wall

The Badaling Great Wall is a highly representative section of the Ming Great Wall, located in Yanqing, Beijing, north of Juyong Pass. Since ancient times, it has been a strategic military location guarding the northwestern passage to the capital. The pass city is trapezoidal in shape, narrow in the east and wide in the west, with two gates, east and west. The east gate bears the inscription "Juyong Outer Town," and the west gate bears the inscription "Key to the North Gate." Both inscriptions remain clearly legible to this day. Extending north from the pass is the North Wall, along which more than ten watchtowers are distributed; to the south is the South Wall, which has fewer watchtowers. North Tower 8 is the highest point of the entire section, at over 1,000 meters above sea level, and from its top you can overlook the magnificent sweep of the wall winding along the mountain ridges. The North Wall has higher terrain and steeper slopes with open views, and is the main route for most visitors; the South Wall is relatively gentle and less crowded, making it suitable for visitors who want to take photos at a relaxed pace and avoid the crowds. If time permits, walking the South Wall first and then the North Wall is a more leisurely arrangement. Badaling Great Wall is also one of the earlier sections of the wall opened to the public. The top surface of the wall is paved with square bricks, and the widest parts can accommodate five horses walking side by side. Defensive structures such as battlements and arrow holes are well preserved, and walking along it gives a direct sense of the construction standards of Ming Dynasty border defense works. In fall, layers of red leaves on the mountains contrast beautifully with the gray brick wall, making it a season that many photography enthusiasts travel specifically to capture. ▲Travel through 600 years of gilded splendor and encounter the visual shock of crimson red leaves blanketing the mountains ▲nightAs night falls, it winds through the mountains like a brilliant golden dragon, and the ancient city wall illuminated by lights tells of the glory and mystery of a thousand years of history ▲ In winter, the Badaling Great Wall, covered in pristine white snow, winds through the mountains like a silver dragon. The golden light of dawn spills across the wall, painting a tranquil and magnificent picture.

2026 Asia 100 - Best Things to Do

National Museum of China

The National Museum of China is located on the east side of Tiananmen Square and was formed by merging the former Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of the Chinese Revolution. The building is one of the ten great structures built for the tenth anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1959. The museum holds over 1.4 million items, covering categories such as ancient artifacts, modern and contemporary artifacts, rare books and ancient texts, and artworks, among which the number of Grade One cultural relics is substantial. The three permanent exhibitions are the core of any visit. The "Ancient China" exhibition, located in the basement-level galleries, follows the succession of dynasties and is divided into eight sections from remote antiquity to the Ming and Qing dynasties, displaying heavyweight artifacts such as the painted pottery basin with human-face and fish design, the four-ram zun vessel, the Houmuwu ding, the drum-beating storyteller figurine, and the jade burial suit sewn with gold thread, several of which are listed as cultural relics prohibited from being exhibited abroad; this exhibition is also the most artifact-dense area in the museum and is worth spending time examining closely. The "Road to Rejuvenation" and "Road to Rejuvenation: New Era" exhibitions, located in the northern galleries, review the Chinese nation's journey of rejuvenation since the Opium War of 1840, with exhibits including the oil painting The Founding Ceremony of the Nation and the Shenzhou 5 return capsule, among other landmark artifacts. In addition to the permanent exhibitions, the museum regularly hosts thematic exhibitions on ancient Chinese Buddhist statues, coins, porcelain, and painting and calligraphy, and periodically presents special exhibitions and international exchange exhibitions covering history and culture, archaeological discoveries, and classic fine art. With numerous galleries spread across multiple floors, visitors are advised to plan their route in advance and allow ample time.

Panlong Lake Scenic Area, Kuancheng

Panlong Lake in Saiwai is a pearl embedded in the depths of Yanshan Mountain and at the foot of the Great Wall. It is a unique underwater Great Wall of the ancient Great Wall. The beautiful Ten-Li Long Corridor is just like the landscape of Guilin and the scenery of the Lijiang River. The green pines and cypresses are reflected in the lake, and the lake and mountains complement each other, forming a beautiful picture scroll of the south of the Yangtze River. The mysterious Panlong Cave, the fairyland of Xianjugou, the lifelike Toad Stone, and the "Little Penglai Island" surrounded by clouds and mist give people Unlimited reverie.

2026 Global 50 - Cool Water Escapes

The Mountain Resort Scenic Area

Construction of the resort began in 1703 and took 89 years to complete, spanning the reigns of the Qing emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong. This was the second political center apart from Beijing during the Qing dynasty. The mountain resort is divided into four major areas. On the south side are the palace and lake areas, and on the north side are the mountain and grassland areas. The palace and lake areas house the essence of the mountain resort. The lake area contains many examples of architecture from China's Jiangnan region just south of the Yangtze River. These are a result of the love the emperors Kangxi and Qianlong had for the Jiangnan scenery.

2026 Asia 100 - Best Things to Do

Prince Kung's Palace Museum

Prince Kung's Palace Museum is located by the Shichahai lakeside and stands as one of the best-preserved princely mansions from the Qing dynasty in Beijing. It originally served as the residence of Heshen, a powerful official during Emperor Qianlong's reign. After Heshen's downfall, the property was granted to Prince Qing Yonglin, and later to Prince Gong Yixin during the Xianfeng era, hence the name "Prince Kung's Palace." This mansion witnessed the entire decline of the Qing dynasty, earning the saying "One Prince Kung's Palace, half the history of the Qing dynasty." The complex features a mansion in the front and a garden at the rear, both laid out along central, eastern, and western axes with meticulous order and grandeur. The mansion consists of multiple siheyuan courtyards connected along a central axis: The central Yinan Hall, roofed with green glazed tiles, follows the specifications of a prince's main hall. On the eastern route, the two-courtyard complex of Ledao Hall and Duofu Pavilion once served as the residence of Heshen's son Fengshen Yinde and Princess Hexiao of the Gulun rank, with Ledao Hall later becoming Prince Gong's living quarters. The western route features delicate refinement, with Xijin Study standing out particularly – its partitions are entirely made of exquisitely carved nanmu wood, modeled after the Ning Shou Palace in the Forbidden City. This extravagant construction later became one of Heshen's listed crimes. At the mansion's end stands a two-story elongated building commonly called "Ninety-nine and a half rooms," its rear wall punctuated by a row of variously shaped decorative windows. Legend claims this was the treasure vault and marks the boundary between mansion and garden. The garden, named Cuijin Garden, was reconstructed by Prince Gong's commissioned artisans, blending the charm of Jiangnan landscapes with northern architectural layouts. Its three marvels are the Western-style gate carved from white marble, the stele inscribed with the character "Fu" (blessing) by Emperor Kangxi, and the grand all-wood theater. Hidden in the Secret Cloud Cave within rockeries, the "Fu" stele conceals wishes for numerous descendants, abundant harvests, talent, longevity, and blessings in its strokes—easily missed if one isn't attentive. The theater, an enclosed wooden structure, reportedly projects vocals throughout without amplification. Bat motifs dominate the garden's "blessing" theme: the Bat Pool, Bat Hall, and painted beams interplay harmoniously. From the Moon-Inviting Platform, visitors overlook the entire garden, while the Winding Stream Pavilion preserves the refined legacy of ancient floating wine cup poetry. When touring, you may first follow the central axis to see the mansion, then pass through the western gate to enter and appreciate the garden in detail. There are usually more travelers visiting during holidays, so it's advisable to start early and allow enough time to slowly savor the history and details of this princely mansion.

No. 2 of Night Attractions in Beijing

Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven is a unique altar for emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Here, people worship the heavens, ask for rain, and pray for a better harvest. It is a famous ancient building in China. The Temple of Heaven is divided into two parts: the Inner Altar and the Outer Altar. Well-known structures such as the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest and the Echo Wall are located in the Inner Altar. While visiting the Temple of Heaven, tourists get to experience the grand praying ceremony of ancient emperors and observe the ingenious designs such as the Echo Wall and the Triple Sound Stones. The wisdom of the ancient craftsmen will not fail to impress you.