I never tire of this type of site seeing .I may well have seen thousands of temples before but nothing detracts from the beauty I found here .With a back drop of pure blue sky this was seen at it's best .I could have happily spent a lot longer here just to soak up the atmosphere .Would recommend

As we approached entrance to the first Temple, Puning Si, the smell of incense immediate engulfed your olfactory. The wind was blowing towards the entrance. As we entered the property it was similar to other temples we had seen except this one had a fire pit burning with incense and a stand where visitors could buy incense to burn. Many of the Chinese or Buddhist visitors purchased, bowed in multiple directions and then lit the incense. The Temple was grand, but the most amazing part and the thing to now miss was the statue of the Goddess Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, carved from wood that stood over 72 feet. There is just no words to describe it and in my opinion it is a must see and worth the stop if you are in Chengde. My teen girls loved it. The day we were there, during the National Holiday week in October, there were a ton of visitors to the property, both Western and local. Throughout the property not far from the incense burning areas were these large copper drums that everyone would walk down and turn. It was clearly a ritual of some sort. Although I am not up on my Buddhist transitions. It was honestly a very cool looking thing to watch. At the top of the property were a ton of locks, yep, pad locks. Strung all over the place. You could purchase one to hang for what ever fortune you wished bestowed on you: Peace, Love, Fortune, Health, Career, Good Luck, Inner Peace, or Affection. As with most ancient properties in China, to really see everything, be prepared to walk stairs. There are many. But it is so worth the hike!