The golden tent replicates where Genghis Khan discussed official business with his ministers.

The Kangxi Ceremony, staged in the city's Shuangluan district, is a sound and light spectacular that includes plenty of action with horses, and it had me on the edge of my seat. It also gave the audience an insight into Kangxi's life and how he saw the world at different stages of his life.

Anyone coming to Chengde can also experience folk art, such as paper-cutting and making glassware firsthand, Li says.

Chengde is likely to have attracted 11 million visitors in the first six months of the year, he says. Last year 33.5 million tourists from home and abroad poured in, generating income of 33.8 billion yuan ($5.1 billion) for the city.

About 60 percent of the visitors were self-drivers, and people from Southeast Asia, France, Germany, Belgium and Italy figured strongly in those numbers, Li says.

"Many horse-themed products and a new horse ranches are being developed in Fengning at the moment," Li says.

Eight high-speed railway lines have been developed, radiating to Beijing, Tianjin, Tangshan and Qinhuangdao in Hebei, and Liaoning province and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

An airport will open in Chengde this year, with flights to: Xi'an, Shaanxi province; Luoyang, Henan province; and Shanghai.

By the end of 2018 or early 2019 it is expected that a high-speed rail to Beijing will take little more than 45 minutes.

These days the gorgeous grasslands of Inner Mongolia are difficult to resist for those looking to spend time close to nature, but if a touch of ancient royal elements and some sports are what you are looking for, Chengde is worth considering.