Baodu Zhai

Baodu Zhai (simplified Chinese: 抱犊寨; traditional Chinese: 抱犢寨; pinyin: Bàodúzhài), or Baodu Village, is an ancient fortified hilltop settlement located in the outlying Luquan District about 16 km (9.9 mi) from central Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.

According to legend, the Han dynasty commander Han Xin ambushed 2000 soldiers at the site, and in the Wei dynasty, an uprising by Ge Rong forced local villagers to flee to the mountain carrying their calves, hence the name "Baodu" ("bao" means "to carry" and "du" means "calf").

[1][better source needed] The settlement is completely encircled by a fortified stone wall, much like Chengde Mountain Resort.

Inside the wall there are several important cultural sites, which have earned Baodu Zhai a national AAAA rating as a scenic spot, as well as a large area of vegetation and gardens.

Baodu Zhai can be accessed by a footpath leading up from the southeast, or a cable car with a middle station.

Nantianmen ( 南天门 ), the main entrance of the settlement.
Some of the 500 carved luohan .
Middle station of the cable car, viewed from the bottom.