Bashang Grassland - Picturesque Landscape without Summer Heat

Bashang Grassland is a kind of meadow grassland formed by the abrupt rise of land and is influenced by the climate and vegetation. It is located in the border of Inner Mongolia Plateau and the southern foot of Daxing'an Mountains, with an average altitude of 1500-2100 meters. Now it generally refers to the place 100 kilometers north of Zhangjiakou to 100 kilometers north of Chengde, covering an area of about 200,000 square kilometers. With cool weather and grand grassland scenery, it is one of the first choices for tourism, leisure, and vacation in northern China, especially in summer. It is also an ideal place for tourists who want to get close to the invigorating nature and get a refreshed mind.

Bashang Grassland is mainly divided into Mulan Paddock (Paddock Bashang), Fengning Bashang, Zhangbei Bashang and Guyuan Bashang. Mulan Paddock is across Chengde City and Inner Mongolia. Fengning Bashang is in Chengde. Zhangbei Bashang and Guyuan Bashang are in Zhangjiakou City. Apart from the grassland scenery, there are also many activities you can take part in to fully enjoy yourself on the prairie and blend into the daily life of local nomads.

✔ 4 Days Bashang Grassland Unparalleled Landscape Tour from Beijing
✔ 7 Days Bashang Grassland Photography Tour

Location: Haliha County, Chengde Weichang Manchu and Mongolian Autonomous County 承德市围场满族蒙古族自治县哈里哈乡, about 200 km (3 hours’ drive) from Chengde downtown.

Opening Hours: All day.

Ticket: CNY 150 for Saihanba National Forest Park, Yudaokou Ranch, and Hongsongwa Natural Reserve, CNY 120 for Hongshan Army Horse Ranch (also referred as Wulanbutong), etc.

Mulan Paddock (Mulan Weichang), the royal hunting garden of the Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1636-1912), is located in the northeast of Hebei Province. Since ancient times, it has been a grassland with abundant water and fertile land for animal reproduction. In 1681, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty opened a hunting ground of more than 10000 square kilometers to train the army. In the first half of the Qing Dynasty, the emperor led princes, ministers and eight banners elite soldiers to hunt here every year, known as "Mulan Autumn Hunting". In the more than 140 years from Kangxi to Jiaqing in Qing Dynasty, 105 times of Mulan hunting were conducted here.

Mulan Paddock is mainly composed of Saihanba National Forest Park, Hongshan Army Horse Ranch, Yudaokou Grassland and Forest Scenic Spot, and Hongsongwa Natural Reserve. The scenic spots are quite far away from each other, and each one is very large with many small scenic spots. Therefore, the best way to visit Mulan paddock is to charter a car or drive by yourself. The most beautiful scenery is not necessarily in a certain spot but on the road when you drive on the vast grassland, along the lakes, rivers, birch forests, and occasionally pass through small deserts, large sheet of wild flowers, groups of horses, and so on.

Saihanba National Forest Park is the largest forest park in northern China with a forest coverage rate of 75.2%. The unique climate and long history have created a special natural and cultural landscape here: there are vast forests, grasslands, clear plateau lakes and historical sites of the Qing Dynasty. Qixing Lake in the scenic area is a place that almost every tourist will visit. It is composed of seven small lakes, which form a large wetland. Its original name is Huopaozi (paozi refers to the small lake formed naturally by the groundwater seeping from the grassland). Now there is plank road for a better sightseeing.

Hongshan Army Horse Ranch (Wulanbutong Grassland) has beautiful scenery and unique landscape. Summer with blue sky, white clouds, green grass, and cool climate is a good season for sightseeing. In autumn, the colorful vegetation makes it an ideal destination for photographers. In recent years, many films and TV series have been shot here. Jiangjun Paozi is a landmark of Wulanbutong, which is famous for the war between Emperor Kangxi and Galdan in history. Beigou is another place worth visiting as grazing is allowed. The beautiful scenery of "cattle and sheep in the wind blowing grass" can only be seen here, and it is endowed with amazing sunset.

Yudaokou Grassland and Forest Scenic Spot has a total area of 1000 square kilometers composed of primitive grassland, wetland, natural forest, fresh water lakes, springs and rivers. It is one of the birthplaces of Luanhe River. Taoxian Lake is the most beautiful place in Yudaokou. There is a hill shaped like a peach in the south of the lake.

Hongsongwa Natural Reserve is located deep in the grassland where few tourists visit. It is characterized by mountains, plateaus, rolling hills, scattered rivers and lakes, together forming a spectacular scene. The windmill on the grassland is the highlight.

Location: Yushugou, Datanzhen, Chengde Fengning Manchu Autonomous County 承德市丰宁满族自治县大滩镇榆树沟, about 240 km (3 hours’ drive) from Chengde downtown, 280 km (4.5 hours’ drive) from Beijing.

Opening Hours: All day.

Ticket: Free, but extra fee is needed for some attractions and entertainment activities such as: CNY 70 for Liushugou National Forest Park, CNY 80 for Qiansongba National Forest Park, CNY 90 for Dahan Temporary Palace (entertainment area is CNY 190), etc.

Fengning Bashang is known as the “No. 1 Grassland North of Beijing” as it is only 280 km from Beijing. It enjoys a good ecological environment with clear water, vast grassland, and flocks of cattle and sheep.

In July and August of every year, when Beijing is still very hot, the temperature on the grassland is only about 18-20℃. At this time, the scenery is beautiful and it is very suitable for traveling here. There is not only the charming grassland scene, but also rich and colorful entertainment activities, such as riding horses, driving cross-country motorcycles, participating in bonfire parties, enjoying local songs and dances. However, if you come in winter, some of the activities may be closed, and the scenery is not as beautiful as summer and autumn.

Dahan Temporary Palace, with a total area of 2 million square meters, is the largest scenic spot on Fengning Bashang Grassland. It has the world's only palace in the Yuan Dynasty (A.D. 1271-1368), the world's largest stone eagle statue, magnificent tent of Genghis Khan, authentic Mongolian food, fascinating wetland garden, the large historical relief depicting Genghis Khan's life, and a variety of entertainment projects such as archery, rafting, golf, lawn motorcycle, bungee jumping, grass skiing, and grassland train sightseeing.

Location: Guyuan County, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province 河北省张家口市沽源县, about 170 km (2.5 hours’ drive) from Zhangjiakou City, 300 km (4.5 hours’ drive) from Beijing.

Opening Hours: All day.

Ticket: Free, but CNY 30 is needed for Shandian River Wetland Park and CNY 80 for Wuhua Meadow.

In the scenic area, there are complete tree burial buildings and a large number of imperial palace sites of Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties (A.D. 907-1368). Along Luanchi road to Houcheng village, you can see the huge "Red Cliff" on the right. It is the famous Dishui Cliff, quite an eye appeal under the blue sky. From here, you can enjoy the grassland scenery of the northern part of the country. Wuhua Meadow is a mixture of dicotyledons with bright and colorful flowers in summer.

Shandian Lake, or Lightning Lake, is the largest lake in the upper reaches of Luanhe River. Seen from above, the shape of the lake is very much like a flash of lightning. There are thousands of hectares of grassland by the lake. The scenery is picturesque. It seems that the sky is falling down and the clouds are trying to wipe over your shoulders when they are in the boundless green fields. Along the lake, visitors can also ride horses quietly to forget the noise and pressure of the city.

Location: Sanbao Yingpan Village, Zhangbei County, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei 张家口市张北县城郝家营乡三宝营盘村, about 80 km (1.5 hours’ drive) from Zhangjiakou, 270 km (4 hours’ drive) from Beijing.

Opening Hours: All day.

Ticket: Free, but CNY 100 is needed for Zhongdu Grassland.

Zhangbei Bashang is a large area mainly composed of Zhongdu and Anguli Grassland. It used to be a hunting spot for the Qing dynasty emperors in autumn. Now it has been commercialized into two grassland resorts.

If you drive here along the Zhangjiakou-Shijiazhuang expressway, you can see many relief sculptures on both sides which reflect the customs of Mongolian people and the history of Yuan Dynasty. In summer and autumn, you can see golden wheat piles, beautiful daisies, herders and sheep. Blue sky, white clouds and grassland combine perfectly. Another highlight is that Zhangbei Grassland Music Festival is held here every summer, usually in late July or early August. At that time, many stars and young people who love rock music will come here, which also brings much popularity to the grassland.

Bashang Grassland has a continental monsoon plateau climate featured in short spring and autumn, dry weather with little rain, long and windy winter, cool and pleasant summer. The average temperature in July is 17.4 ℃, and the highest temperature in a year is only 24 ℃.

People usually come here to escape summer heat and appreciate the endless grassland. So the best time to visit Bashang Grassland is from middle June to late September. When it enters October, it will be a little cold for traveling. In July and August, you will be amazed by the endless stretch of green to the horizon and there will be many colorful wild flowers. In late September, it begins to show the wonder of autumn and everything changes its color. It’s a good season to take some beautiful pictures.

Mulan Paddock is about 200 km (3 hours’ drive) from Chengde downtown. Fengning Bashang is about 240 km (3 hours’ drive) from Chengde downtown, 280 km (4.5 hours’ drive) from Beijing. Guyuan Bashang is about 170 km (2.5 hours’ drive) from Zhangjiakou. Zhangbei Bashang is about 80 km (1.5 hours’ drive) from Zhangjiakou.

All of them are far from downtown and there is no tourist bus inside the scenic area. Public buses can only get you to the nearby county and you still need to find a car to take you finish the rest journey. So it is most recommended to travel Bashang Grassland charting a car. Taking the most travelled Mulan Paddock as an example, the map shows you its location and distance from main landmarks in Chengde City.

Chengde can be reached by flight from Shijiazhuang (1hr 10min), Xian (2hr), Tianjin (1hr), etc. and by train from Beijing (3.5~9.5 hours), Shijiazhuang (9.5~10.5 hours), Shenyang (2 hours), Dalian (4.5 hours), etc.

Travel with China Discovery

If you are looking for a reliable travel agency, you can book a private tour package with us China Discovery which covers sightseeing, dining, accommodation and transfer. Our local tour guide and driver will escort you to Bashang Grassland with speed and convenience, and take care of all the details. You just need to focus on sightseeing. Contact us now >

As Bashang Grassland is very large and far from downtown, many tourists will choose to stay a night there. Most accommodation choices in the four parts mentioned above (especially in Fengning, Guyuan, and Zhangbei) are homestays run by the locals. They are clean, tiny, and you can join in activities like bonfire parties with the local people. But they are usually not as cozy as the ones you live in the big cities.

Take the most scenic Mulan Paddock as an example. You can live in Weichang County, Sanhanba National Forest Park, and Yudaokou Grassland and Forest Scenic Spot. Apart from the homestays, there are some 5-star hotels such as Narada Hotel and Arcadia Resort that can provide you with better accommodation environment.

★ Learn more about Hotels in Bashang Grassland

Chengde, a city neighboring Beijing, is known for the Imperial Mountain Resort and surrounding temples such as Putuo Zhongcheng Temple, Puning Temple, and Pule Temple, where the royal family members have come to visit and had a retreat here to escape the summer heat, and about 100km away from Chengde downtown is the magnificent Jinshanling Great Wall. Further away to the northwest of suburban Chengde is the vast picturesque Bashang Grassland. Usually, 2 or 3 days is suitable for visiting major highlights of Chengde. To make photography tour or landscape tour to Bashang Grassland, you need to plan at least 2 days.

✔ 2 Days Chengde Tour from Beijing
✔ 2 Days Classic Chengde Tour
✔ 3 Days Chengde Highlights Tour including Jinshanling Great Wall Hiking

For the short distance to Beijing, generally, many tourists would like take 4 to 5 days to travel Chengde after your trip in Beijing, and Beijing is usually the gateway city to start your trip in Chengde with world-renown ancient wonders such as the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, and Temple of Heaven, Mutianyu Great Wall, Hutongs, etc. After your 2 or 3 days' Beijing highlight trip, soon your can start your exploration in Chengde. It's convenient to visit the temples and royal resort in the city center area and to see the unmissable Jinshanling Great Wall along your way between Chengde and Beijing. If time allows and you’re quite interested in natural scenery, the idyllic Bashang Grassland is also charming to see.

✔ 4 Days Bashang Grassland Unparalleled Landscape Tour from Beijing
✔ 5 Days Beijing Highlights Tour with Sidetrip to Chengde
✔ 7 Days Bashang Grassland Photography Tour

Besides Beijing, travelers can also extend the Chengde trip further to Tianjin, Qinhuangdao, Zhangjiakou, in Hebei Province and even other northern cities like Dalian and Shengyang to see more stunning heritage and nature sights in China.

Travel with China Discovery

China Discovery is an experienced, professional, and reliable travel companion devoted to offering high-quality and the best tour services for all travelers to China. To have a hassle-free journey and focus on the trip itself, it’s highly recommended to travel with China Discovery. So, you can enjoy convenient airport pick-up and drop-off service and transportation to all scenic spots in a safe, clean, comfortable, air-conditioned, and non-smoking vehicle. Also, we will arrange a knowledgeable local tour guide, excellent accommodation, and dining arrangements to ensure you rest well in Chengde and Beijing and get a better understanding of the culture behind the attractions. You may select a favorite from our most popular Chengde tours or contact us to design a unique itinerary according to your personal time and preference.