Qinhuangdao (qín huáng dǎo 秦皇岛) lies in the northeastern part of Hebei (hé běi 河北) Province, at the junction point of Northeast China and North China. Leaning against Yan Mountains (yān shān 燕山) to the north and facing the Bohai Sea (bó hǎi 渤海) on the south. Qinhuangdao received its name from a legend that Qinshihuang (qín shǐ huáng 秦始皇), the first emperor of China, visited the city's coast 2,200 years ago. And he sent two fleets from here to explore its offshore islands where he believed immortals dwelled, after then it got the name of Qinhuangdao.
Qinhuangdao is a beautiful coastal city. The forestation ratio of the urban area is 41.1%, and the average public green land per capita is 8.3 square meters. There are over 350 days with second-class air quality or above each year. The whole city is like a huge natural oxygen bar. The concentration of negative oxygen ions is more than 7000 per cubic millimeter, 10 to 20 times that in other domestic cities. The fine ecological environment makes Qinhuangdao one of the cities in North China with the best environment for living and making a career.

Scenic Spots
Beidaihe Scenic Spot (běi dài hé fēng jǐng qū 北戴河风景区) is located in the southwest of Qinhuangdao City, and it is a famous summer resort. Though the best time to visit is from May to October, it is suitable for all year round travel. Its coastlines, seaside attractions and convenient transportation all make it a popular destination for travelers. Beidaihe Scenic Spot is situated in the warm temperate zone, with a damp monsoon climate and four distinct seasons, neither too hot in summer nor too cold in winter. In the central area of the scenic spot is a great attraction called Tiger Rock Park (lǎo hǔ shí hǎi shàng gōng yuán 老虎石海上公园). It has many huge rocks looking like a herd of tigers. Standing on any of the rocks gives you a deep enjoyment of the beauties of nature. The sea breeze pushing against your face, the waves beating the rocks and the vast sea will make you feel refreshed and energetic. This is a good spot for photography.

Transportation of Tiger Rock Park:
Take Bus No. 22 and get off at Shopping Mall stop.
Tickets: RMB 8
Tel: 0335-4044470

The Mengjiangnu Temple (mèng jiāng nǚ miào 孟姜女庙) was first built in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), and then reconstructed in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), to commemorate this courageous and enduring heroine. The original statues inside survived until the Cultural Revolution (wén huà dà gé mìng 文化大革命: 1966-1976), when Red Guards (hóng wèi bīng
红卫兵) destroyed the elegant pieces. The Government had them remade, in approximate likeness, in the late 1970s. The temple is not very big, but is elegantly built and has some good views of the mountains and sea. There are a number of sights here, including a 108-step Stairway, 108 is a Buddhist number representing the troubles that plague man, a Looking for Husband Rock (wàng fū shí 望夫石), which has some interesting calligraphy, a Bell Pavilion (zhōng lóu 钟楼), a Front Hall (qián diàn 前殿), and a Back Hall (hòu diàn 后殿). And they all have some fantastic views.

Transportation:
Take Bus No. 23 from outside the South Gate, or Bus No. 34, getting off at the Shanhaiguan Stop.
Opening hours: 8:00-18:00.
Tickets: RMB 15 (May-September); RMB 10 for other months
Tel: 0335-5051359

Shanhaiguan (shān hǎi guān 山海关), the pass between the mountains and the sea is located south of Yan Mountains, and north of Bohai Gulf (bó hǎi wān 渤海湾). For centuries, the pass guarded the narrow passage between the Northeast and the Central East region of China. Both Northern Qi Dynasty (běi qí 北齐) and Tang Dynasty constructed passes. In 1381, Ming general Xu Da (xú dá 徐达) constructed Shanhaiguan, named due to its position. It is a town originally built as a fortress, to defend the eastern end of the Great Wall. The town was originally built to protect the most easterly section of the Great Wall that still runs through the eastern city walls, before winding south to the sea. The Eastern Gate (zhèn dōng mén 镇东门), a double storey, double roofed tower built in the Ming Dynasty attracts most visitors. Shanhaiguan enjoys a nice geographical location, long history and rich culture with abundant natural and human culture resources to make it a tour resort for its mountains, ocean, pass, town, rivers, lakes, caves, temples, pavilions and palaces.

Transportation:
Minibuses go from Qinhuangdao and Beidaihe to Shanhaiguan, at usual prices for RMB 2; trains are also available for Beijing, Tianjin, Qinhuangdao and Beidaihe. Bus No. 34 or No. 25 also arrive there at Shanhaiguan Stop.
Opening hours: 8:00-18:00
Tickets: RMB 30 (May-October); RMB 20 for the other months
Tel: 0335-5051737; 0335-5055992

The Changli Golden Beach (chāng lí huáng jīn hǎi àn 昌黎黄金海岸) lies in northeastern part of Hebei Province, it was formed 2,000-3,000 years ago by sand brought by the Liugu River (liù gǔ hé 六股河) that empties into the Bohai sea in Liaoning (liáo níng 辽宁) Province. Originating in the Yan Mountains that extend from northeast Beijing eastward to the Bohai Gulf, the river deposits huge quantities of silt into the sea, which drifts southeast with the current, driven by the strong northeasterly winds and piles up along the west coast of the gulf. The sand is then blown up by the northeast wind and after a short distance falls down on the beach, creating dunes. In the slow process of accumulation down the ages, the dunes have got biggest and higher. The gentle sea-facing slope has a gradient of 6-8 degrees, whilst the steep escarpment on the other is 30-32 degrees. There are all together 40 chains of dunes, forming a rare landscape 30 kilometers long and 4 kilometers wide, and 44 meters high at the highest part. The fine, glittering sand has earned the beach the accolade "golden beach".

Transportation:
Take Bus NO.5 or No.22 at Beidaihe Railway Station to 281 Hospital, then take minibus to The Changli Golden Beach.
Opening hours: 8:00-16:00
Tickets: RMB 62
Tel: 0335-2215699

Food
In Qinhuangdao, seafood restaurants line the seafront road. Seafood is the specialty of this area by the sea. Restaurants serving these delicacies are numerous in all three of the towns, and ordering is usually done by pointing at the live dishes that swim in washing up bowls at the entrance of, or tanks within, the restaurants.

  

Restaurant
Yuzhou (yǔ zhòu 宇宙) Seafood Restaurant
Add: NO.11, South Road of Emeishan (é méi shān nán lù 峨眉山南路), Development Zone, Qinhuangdao
Tel: 0335-8881919

Donglaishun (dōng lái shùn 东来顺) Restaurant
Add: NO.238, Gangcheng Street (gǎng chéng dà jiē 港城大街), Qinhuangdao
Tel: 0335-3262326

Shuanglong (shuāng lóng 双龙) Seafood City
Add: NO.338, Wenhua Road (wén huà lù 文化路), Haigang (hǎi gǎng 海港) District
Tel: 0335-8887778
Add: Qinghai (qīng hǎi 青海) Branch, NO.5, Zhujiang Road (zhū jiāng dào 珠江道), Development District.
Tel: 0335-3858811