() is a

prefecture-level city A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. During the Republican era, many of China ...

in western Shaanxi province, People's Republic of China. Since the early 1990s, Baoji has been the second largest city in Shaanxi.

Geography

The prefecture-level city of Baoji had a population of 3,321,853 according to the 2020 Chinese census, inhabiting an area of . The built-up (or metro) area made of 3 urban districts had a population of 1,475,962 inhabitants as of the 2020 Chinese census, Fengxiang District not being conurbated yet. Surrounded on three sides by hills, Baoji is in a valley opening out to the east. Its location is strategic, controlling a pass on the Qin Mountains between the

Wei River The Wei River () is a major river in west-central China's Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. It is the largest tributary of the Yellow River and very important in the early development of Chinese civilization. The source of the Wei River is close to ...

valley and the Jialing River.

History

Thriving early in the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

, it has roots to 2000 BC. Today it is a large industrial center. Railways first reached Baoji in 1937 and have been key to its modern growth. SeidenstrasseGMT

Passing through Baoji is the ancient

Northern Silk Road The Northern Silk Road is an ancient trackway in northern China originating in the early capital of Xi'an and extending north of the Taklamakan Desert to reach the ancient kingdoms of Parthia, Bactria and eventually Persia and Rome. It is the nor ...

, the northernmost route of about in length, which connected the ancient Chinese capital of Chang'an to the West over the Wushao Ling Mountain to Wuwei and emerging in Kashgar before linking to ancient Parthia. Baoji is considered the gateway between western and eastern China since most trains from Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an pass through here on their way to Gansu, Sichuan, Xinjiang and Tibet (Lhasa). Famen temple, home to one of Buddha's finger bones, is in Baoji County. The Baoji area was home to the legendary Yandi, one of the

Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctiv ...

forefathers. His tomb is in the southern part of the city and his temple is in the north. People who are interested in the Three Kingdoms of ancient China can visit Zhuge Liang's Memorial Temple, about from Baoji.

Ancient trackways

Mount Taibai Mount Taibai () is a mountain located on the border between Mei, Taibai and Zhouzhi counties in the south west of Shaanxi Province, China. The mount's highest point, Baxian Tower (), rises to a height of and is the tallest in the Qinling Range ...

still has some remaining traces of roadways built during the Three Kingdoms Period (220−280 CE) which are all generally unusable due to decay. They remain a popular attraction because they were built by making wood plank bridges along the side of the mountain. To the South of Baoji lies the beginning of the plank road into the Qin Mountains. There are also several natural sites such as the Jialing Jiang Fountainhead with its small waterfalls and forests. To the north is Bei Puo, a giant hill made of loess with a panoramic view of the city and a landscape dotted with small farming villages that offer local cuisine. A number of Longshan archaeological sites have been found north of the

near the North Silk Road.

Baoji Bronze Museum

Baoji is home to the

Baoji Bronze Museum The Baoji Bronzeware Museum () is an archaeology museum in Baoji, Shaanxi, China. It has a collection of more than 120,000 pieces of cultural relics through the ages, most of them are Zhou dynasty bronze wares. Baoji Bronze Ware Museum's present ...

which holds more than 120,000 pieces of cultural relics, primarily of

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by ...

descent.

Administrative divisions

Climate

Economy

Industrial Zone

Established in 1992, Baoji Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone was approved as a national hi-tech zone by State Council. It has a long-term planned area of . The transportation system around the zone includes

Xi'an Xianyang International Airport Xi'an Xianyang International Airport is the main airport serving Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, as well as the whole Guanzhong area. Covering an area of , it is the largest airport in Northwest China, and the second largest airport in Northern Chi ...

and National Highway 310. Its encouraged industries are auto parts, electronics, IT, pharmaceutical and bioengineering industry and new materials.

Military

Baoji is the headquarters of the 21st Group Army of the People's Liberation Army, one of the two group armies that comprise the Lanzhou Military Region responsible for defending China's northwest borders.

Transportation

The G85 Yinchuan-Kunming Expressway,

China National Highway 310 China National Highway 310 (G310) runs northwest from Lianyungang, Jiangsu towards Anhui, Henan, Shaanxi provinces, and ends in Tianshui, Gansu. It was originally 1613 kilometres in length, but was later extended westward to Gonghe County in Qing ...

, and G30 Lianyungang-Khorgas Expressway are major highways that run through Baoji. The city is serviced by the Baoji South on the Xi'an-Baoji and Baoji-Lanzhou sections of the Xuzhou-Xinjiang high speed railway. The Longhai, Baocheng and Baozhong railways also call at Baoji railway station. A

metro system Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...

is in the planning stages.

Education

College

* Baoji University of Arts and Sciences * Baoji Vocational & Technical school

High school

* Baoji middle school

Sister city

Japan

* Yawata, Kyoto Prefecture *

Kitakata, Fukushima is a city located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 46,269 in 16,769 households, and a population density of 83 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Kitakata was once written '北方', which me ...

* Gifu, Gifu Prefecture

Other countries

Belfort Belfort (; archaic german: Beffert/Beffort) is a city in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Northeastern France, situated between Lyon and Strasbourg, approximately from the France–Switzerland border. It is the prefecture of the Terri ...

, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, France * Beirut,

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

References

External links

Baoji City Government Website
{{Authority control Cities in Shaanxi National Forest Cities in China