Qinhuangdao seaside Photo: cnc-mm.net

Qinhuangdao is a city located between the Bohai Sea on the south and Mt. Yanshan on the north, neighboring Liaoning province on the east, close to Beijing and Tianjin to the west. A prosperous city, one of the 10 tourist cities in China (sea, beach, mountain, etc), near the great wall and a few other interesting locations, it is one of China's first 14 coastal cities opened to the outside world since 1984.

Qinhuangdao is the only city in China named after an emperor, the Emperor Qinshihuang of the Qin Dynasty and the first emperor in the Chinese History. In 215 BC, Emperor Qinshihuang arrived in Jieshi (ancient name of Qinhuangdao) on his fourth eastern inspection and sent Lusheng and Han Zhong out to the sea to look for the immortal for him. Numerous legends and historical events endorse the city for rich culture background.

Qinhuangdao enjoys pleasant climate, splendid landscape and beautiful scenery with the Great Wall running through to make a world-known tourist resort. The coastline stretches 126.4 kilometers with over 40 scenic areas scattered around, such as the First Pass Under Heaven (Shanhaiguan Pass), the Old Dragon's Head (Laolongtou), the Pigeons' Nest (Geziwo), the Golden Beach, Emperor Qinshihuang's Immortal-seeking Seaside, Mt. Zushan Scenic Area, Qinhuangdao Wildlife Park and Shanhaiguan Customs Museum. The best liked among them are splendid tours of the Great Wall culture, beach holidays, historical surveys, bird-watching, together with local culture tours of Shanhaiguan Great Wall Festival, Jiangnu Temple Fair, and Sea-watching Fair.
 
Qinhuangdao has a long history of tourism. In 1898, the Qing Dynasty government opened Qinhuangdao as a commercial port and made Beidaihe a summer resort for foreigners. Well-known people came to Qinhuangdao from home and abroad in large numbers. In 1954, a great man Mao Zedong stood here watching the sea and wrote the immortal poem entitled "Langtousha Beidaihe", which made Qinhuangdao known more widely.

Source: CRI.com