Baoding (), formerly known as Baozhou and Qingyuan, is a prefecture-level city in central Hebei province, approximately southwest of Beijing. As of the 2010 census, Baoding City had 11,194,382 inhabitants out of which 2,176,857 lived in the built-up (''or metro'') area made of 4 out of 5 urban districts: Lianchi, Jingxiu, Qingyuan and Mancheng largely being conurbated, on . Baoding is among 13 Chinese cities with a population of over 10 million, ranking seventh. One can also note that Zhuozhou City in the northern part has now grown into part of the Beijing built-up (or metro) area.

History

Baoding is a city with a history dating back to the Western Han Dynasty. It was destroyed by the Mongols in the 13th century, but after the Mongols established the Yuan Dynasty, it was rebuilt. It acquired the name "Baoding" during the Yuan dynasty — the name is roughly interpreted as "protecting the capital", referring to the city's proximity to Beijing. Baoding served for many years as the capital of Zhili, and was a significant centre of culture in the Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty. During the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by ...

, Boxer rebels killed a Turk, two Swiss, and an Italian in Baoding. On August 1, 1949, the people's Government of Hebei province was established, Baoding was the capital of the province, and the city of Baoding was a provincial municipality. On August 9, the administrative inspector's office of the Baoding district was established, and it was established as the administrative inspector's office of the county district. In May 1958, the capital of Hebei was moved to Tianjin. In January 1966, the provincial capital was moved from Tianjin to Baoding. In February 1968, the provincial capital moved to Shijiazhuang. In December 1994, the Baoding area merged with Baoding to become a provincial city. In April 2017, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council announced the decision to transform Baoding's Xiong, Rongcheng, and Anxin counties into

Xiong'an New Area Xiong'an New Area () is a state-level new area in the Baoding area of Hebei, China. Established in April 2017, the area is located about 100 km southwest of Beijing and 50 km east of downtown Baoding. Its main function is to serve as ...

, a new development area of national significance, with a focus on innovation, sustainability and quality of life, following the success of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and Shanghai's Pudong New Area.

Geography

Baoding is located in the west-central portion of Hebei province and lies on the

North China Plain The North China Plain or Huang-Huai-Hai Plain () is a large-scale downfaulted rift basin formed in the late Paleogene and Neogene and then modified by the deposits of the Yellow River. It is the largest alluvial plain of China. The plain is bord ...

, with the Taihang Mountains to the west. Bordering prefecture-level cities in the province are Zhangjiakou to the north, Langfang and Cangzhou to the east, and Shijiazhuang and Hengshui to the south. Baoding also borders Beijing to the northeast and

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...

to the west. Elevations in Baoding's administrative area decrease from northwest to southeast. The western parts are dominated by mountains and hills that are generally more than tall; this area includes parts of Laishui, Yi, Mancheng, Shunping, Tang and Fuping Counties as well as the entirety of Laiyuan County, occupying 30.6% of the prefecture's area. The highest peak is

Mount Waitou Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish ...

(), with an elevation of . Moving southeast from this area, one encounters low-lying mountains and hills, taking up 18.9% of the prefecture's area. Further to the east lies generally flat terrain of elevation. Here the primary rivers are the Juma,

Yishui Yishui County () is a county of south-central Shandong province, People's Republic of China, located in the foothills region of the province. It is the northernmost county-level division of the prefecture-level city of Linyi Linyi () is a ...

(),

Cao Cao or CAO may refer to: Mythology *Cao (bull), a legendary bull in Meitei mythology Companies or organizations * Air China Cargo, ICAO airline designator CAO *CA Oradea, Romanian football club *CA Osasuna, Spanish football club *Canadian Assoc ...

(), Longquan (),

Tang Tang or TANG most often refers to: * Tang dynasty * Tang (drink mix) Tang or TANG may also refer to: Chinese states and dynasties * Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) b ...

(), and

Sha River The Ying River () is the largest tributary of the Huai River with its origin in Henan Province, People's Republic of China. From Zhoukou City in Henan the river flows through Fuyang City in Anhui Province then empties into the Huai River at Zheng ...

Baiyangdian Lake Baiyang Lake, also known as Lake Baiyangdian, is located in the Xiong'an New Area of Baoding, a prefecture-level city in Hebei Province, China. It is the largest freshwater lake in northern China. It is referred to as the Kidney of North China. ...

, the largest natural lake in northern China, can be found nearby.

Climate

Baoding has a continental, monsoon-influenced humid continental climate/ semi-arid climate ( Köppen ''Dwa/BSk''), characterised by hot, humid summers due to the East Asian monsoon, and generally cold, windy, very dry winters that reflect the influence of the vast Siberian anticyclone. Spring can bear witness to sandstorms blowing in from the Mongolian steppe, accompanied by rapidly warming, but generally dry, conditions. Autumn is similar to spring in temperature and lack of rainfall. The annual rainfall, about 60% of which falls in July and August alone, is highly variable and not reliable. In the city itself, this amount has averaged to a meagre per annum. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to in July, and the annual mean is . There are 2,500 to 2,900 hours of bright sunshine annually, and the frost-free period lasts 165−210 days.

Administrative divisions

Baoding prefecture-level city consists of 5 municipal

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

, 4 county-level cities, 15 counties: * Dissolved districts:

Beishi District Beishi District () is a district of Baoding, Hebei, People's Republic of China. In May 2015, it was merged with Nanshi District to form the new Lianchi District. Administrative Divisions Subdistricts: * Hepingli Subdistrict (), Wusi Road Subdist ...

and Nanshi District Txu-pclmaps-oclc-22834566 g-9b

Demographics

According to the 2010 Census, the residence population stood at 11,194,382, an increase of 605,100 (5.71%) from 2000. The male-female ratio was 101.94:100. Children aged up to 14 numbered 1,915,800 (17.11% of the population), citizens 15 to 64 numbered 8,370,600 (74.78%), and 65+ numbered 908,000 (8.11%). The urban area of Baoding made of 5 urban Districts had a population of around 2,739,887 (2010 census). The overwhelming majority of the population is Han Chinese. The language of Baoding is Mandarin Chinese — specifically, the

Baoding dialect Baoding (), formerly known as Bao Prefecture, Baozhou and Qingyuan, is a prefecture-level city in central Hebei province, approximately southwest of Beijing. As of the 2010 census, Baoding City had 11,194,382 inhabitants out of which 2,176,857 ...

Ji-Lu Mandarin Jilu or Ji–Lu Mandarin, formerly known as Beifang Mandarin "Northern Mandarin", is a dialect of Mandarin Chinese spoken in the Chinese provinces of Hebei (Jì) and the western part of Shandong (Lǔ) and Xunke, Tangwang & Jiayin countie ...

. Despite Baoding's proximity to Beijing, the Chinese spoken in Baoding is not particularly close to the Beijing dialect — rather, it is more closely related to Tianjin dialect.

Economy

Baoding is located in the centre of the Bohai Rim economic area which includes Beijing, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang. One of the largest employers in Baoding is

China Lucky Film China Lucky Film Corporation () is the largest photosensitive materials and magnetic recording media manufacturer in Baoding, Hebei province, China. History Founded in 1958, Lucky Film markets consumer and industrial chemicals and photosensitive ...

, the largest photosensitive materials and magnetic recording media manufacturer in China. And, Yingli group, 2010 World Cup sponsor, has its headquarters in Baoding, who is the Global Top 10 solar panel manufacturer. More renowned companies include ZhongHang HuiTeng Windpower Equipment Co., Ltd (Wind Turbine), Baoding Tianwei Group Co., Ltd (Transformer) and Great Wall Motor. In April 2017, an area in Baoding was designated as a

, a development zone of initially 100 km² and up to 2000 km², the site of what will eventually be a new city and the hub of the Beijing-Tinajin-Hebei development area. * Baoding High-tech Industrial Development Zone Great Wall Motors Company Limited is a Chinese automobile manufacturer headquartered in Baoding, Hebei, China. The company is named after the Great Wall of China and was formed in 1984. It is China's largest sport utility vehicle (SUV) and pick-up truck producer. It sells passenger cars and trucks under the Great Wall brand and SUVs under the Haval and

WEY Wey may refer to: Places *Wey (state) (衞), or Wei, ancient Chinese state during the Zhou Dynasty *River Wey, river in Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex, England *River Wey (Dorset), river of Dorset, south west England *Wey and Arun Canal, canal ...

brands. In 2016, Great Wall Motors set a historical sales record of 1,074,471 cars worldwide, increased by 26% compared to 2015.

Renewable energy

Baoding city has one of China's biggest plants which manufacture

blades A blade is the portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with an edge that is designed to puncture, chop, slice or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are to be used on. Historic ...

used in wind turbine

generator Generator may refer to: * Signal generator, electronic devices that generate repeating or non-repeating electronic signals * Electric generator, a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. * Generator (circuit theory), an eleme ...

s, catering mainly to the domestic market. Tianwei Wind Power Technology is one of the three main plants in Baoding that produces wind turbine generators. It wheeled out its first 20 turbines in 2008, and it will produce 150 units in 2009 and another 500 in 2010. Nevertheless, Baoding is currently listed as the most polluted city in China.

Transport

NG-0395 at Baoding Railway Station (20160310114142)

Baoding has good connections to other cities, being located on one of the main routes in and out of Beijing. The Jingshi Expressway connects the two cities, and Baoding is also the western terminus of the

Baojin Expressway The Baojin Expressway/ Jinxiong Expressway () is a highway in north China, linking Baoding in Hebei province with Tianjin municipality. The expressway was first built in 1995 and opened to the general motoring public in mid-December 1999. It li ...

linking Baoding with Tianjin, which is one out of two nearest ports (

Huanghua Huanghua () is a county-level city located in the Bohai Gulf coastal region of Hebei province, China. It is under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Cangzhou. Huanghua is named after Chinese Communist revolutionary Huang Hua. Pre ...

is the other one). The Jingguang Railway provides frequent services to Beijing West railway station. On 30 December 2012, a new Baoding station was opened, while the old train station was closed for passengers.

Baoding East railway station Baoding East railway station is a railway station of Beijing–Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong high-speed railway located in Baoding, Hebei Province, the People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), ...

lies to the east on the

Beijing–Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong high-speed railway } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

Military

Baoding is headquarters of the 38th Mechanized Group Army of the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...

, one of the three group armies that comprise the Beijing Military Region responsible for defending the PRC capital.

Culture

Perhaps the best-known item to supposedly originate in Baoding are Baoding Balls, which can be used to relax one's keyboard hand and strengthen one's wrist. The most famous local specialty food is the Donkey Burger ().

Anxin County Anxin () is a county in central Hebei province, China. It is under the jurisdiction of Baoding City, the centre of which lies about to the west, and , it has a population of 420,000 residing in an area of . Most of Baiyang Lake is located in the ...

is home to the Quantou Village Music Association (), a well known traditional music group performing on ''

guan Guan may refer to: * Guan (surname), several similar Chinese surnames ** Guān, Chinese surname * Guan (state), ancient Chinese city-state * Guan (bird), any of a number of bird species of the family Cracidae, of South and Central America * Guan ( ...

'' (oboes), '' sheng'' (mouth organs), and percussion. The village of Quantou is located on an island in

Lake Baiyangdian Baiyang Lake, also known as Lake Baiyangdian, is located in the Xiong'an New Area of Baoding, a prefecture-level city in Hebei Province, China. It is the largest freshwater lake in northern China. It is referred to as the Kidney of North China. ...

. The city's streets follow a rough grid pattern, although this is less obvious in the older part of the city. The traditional main street of old Baoding is Yuhua Road, running from the city's centre to its eastern edge — most of Baoding's historic buildings are located in this area, along with some of its larger shopping centres. Other major streets include Dongfeng Road and Chaoyang Avenue. There is a

ring road A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop, bypass or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city, or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist i ...

around the city. Baoding is home to

Hebei University Hebei University () is a public comprehensive university in Baoding, Hebei Province, China. The university has an estimated student population of 33,000, including 6,100 full-time postgraduates and 26,900 full-time undergraduates. History The un ...

, North China Electric Power University with other 3 universities and 12 colleges.

Historic sites

Baoding contains a number of notable historic sites. In the city proper, there can be found a historic provincial governor's mansion and an ancient

lotus Lotus may refer to: Plants *Lotus (plant), various botanical taxa commonly known as lotus, particularly: ** ''Lotus'' (genus), a genus of terrestrial plants in the family Fabaceae **Lotus flower, a symbolically important aquatic Asian plant also ...

garden. In the hills to the northwest of the city, near the suburb of

Mancheng Mancheng District () is a district of west-central Hebei province, China, in the eastern foothills of the Taihang Mountains. It is administratively part of Baoding prefecture-level city, of which the Mancheng is a northwestern suburb. Mancheng is ...

, there are the

Mancheng Han Tombs Mancheng District () is a district of west-central Hebei province, China, in the eastern foothills of the Taihang Mountains. It is administratively part of Baoding prefecture-level city, of which the Mancheng is a northwestern suburb. Mancheng is ...

, where Prince Liu Sheng and his wife

Dou Wan Dou Wan () was a Western Han noblewoman married to Liu Sheng, Prince of Zhongshan, a brother of Emperor Wu of Han. Her tomb was discovered in Mancheng County, and many of her burial goods, including her jade burial suit, have been declared national ...

were buried. The greater Baoding administrative area has 16 designated state-level cultural relics: # Yan State Capital Relics (475BC-221BC, Yixian County) # Great Wall at Zijinguan Pass (1368–1644, Yixian County and Laiyuan County) # Stele of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching (618-907, Yixian County) # Western Qing Tombs (1730–1915, Yixian County) #

Geyuan Temple Geyuan Temple () is a Buddhist temple located in Laiyuan, Hebei Province, China. The temple consists of three main buildings and other auxiliary structures. The main hall of the temple, the Wenshu Hall dates from 966 CE.Steinhardt (1997), 59. Hist ...

(916-1125, Laiyuan County) # Ciyun Pavilion (1306, Dingxing County) # Yicihui Stone Pillar (550-577, Dingxing County) # Kaiyuan Temple (960-1127, Dingzhou County) #

Kaishan Temple Kaishan Temple is a Buddhist temple located in Xincheng village near Gaobeidian, Hebei Province, China. The temple was first founded in the Tang dynasty, and grew large and important in the subsequent centuries until declining in recent centuries. ...

(618-907, Gaobeidian County) # Dingzhou Porcelain Kiln Relic (960-1127, Quyang County) #

Beiyue Temple Beiyue Temple () is a Taoist temple located in Quyang, Hebei Province, China. The temple was used to make sacrifices to Mount Heng by the emperors of the Song dynasty while the mountain was occupied by the Liao dynasty. The Dening Hall of the te ...

(386-543, Quyang County) # Jin-cha-ji Border Region Headquarters Ruins (1938, Fuping County) # Ranzhuang Underground Tunnel (1937–1945, Qingyuan County) #

(154BC-113BC, Mancheng County) #

Zhili Provincial Governor Office Zhili, alternately romanized as Chihli, was a northern administrative region of China since the 14th-century that lasted through the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty until 1911, when the region was dissolved, converted to a province, and renamed ...

(1730–1911, Baoding) # Historical Site of the Baoding Military Academy (1902–1923)

Notable people

Abbie Goodrich Chapin Abbie Goodrich Chapin RRC (April 2, 1868 – July 24, 1956) was an American missionary in China. In 1901 she became the first American decorated with the Royal Red Cross, for services rendered at Peking's International Hospital during the Boxer ...

(1868-1956), American missionary teacher based in Baoding *

Chen Xu Emperor Xuan of Chen (陳宣帝) (530–582), personal name Chen Xu (陳頊), also called Chen Tanxu(陳曇頊),《新唐書·宰相世系表》 courtesy name Shaoshi (紹世), childhood name Shili (師利), was an emperor of the Chen dynasty o ...

, Director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office *

Fan Hongbin Fan Hongbin (范红斌; born 13 May 1975) is a Chinese gymnast. He competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the m ...

—gymnast, Olympic silver medalist in

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

* Fan Ye—gymnast,

2003 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships The 37th World Artistic Gymnastics Championships were held in Anaheim, California, United States, from 16 to 24 August 2003. Tie-breakers were not used at this competition. If two gymnasts received identical scores in the event finals, they were ...

balance beam gold medalist * Guo Jingjing—diver and Olympic gold medalist in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

and

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

* Qian Hong—swimmer and Olympic gold medalist in

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

Shi Changxu Shi Changxu (; 15 November 1920 – 10 November 2014) was a Chinese metallurgist. He served as vice president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Biography Born in Xushui County, Zhili (now Baoding, Hebei), he attended National Northweste ...

—materials scientist, recipient of the 2010

State Preeminent Science and Technology Award The Highest Science and Technology Award () also known as the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, State Supreme Science and Technology Award, or China's Nobel Prize is the highest scientific award issued by the President of the PRC to ...

* Tie Ning—author, president of the

China Writers Association China Writers Association or Chinese Writers Association (CWA, ) is a subordinate people's organization of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC). Founded in July 1949, the organization was initially named the China National Liter ...

Wei Jianjun Wei Jianjun (; born 1964) is a Chinese businessman, chairman of Great Wall Motors, the largest Chinese SUV manufacturer. Early life Wei Jianjun was born in Baoding, Hebei, China. Career According to Forbes, Wei Jianjun has a net worth of $7.5 ...

—billionaire, chairman of Great Wall Motors *

Yan Su Yan Su (; 9 May 1930 – 12 February 2016) was a Chinese playwright and lyricist who served as vice-president of China Theatre Association. He held the civilian rank equivalent to general in the PLA Air Force Political Department Song and Dance Tr ...

—Chinese playwright and lyricist

Sister city

* Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

Gallery

File:BaodingTemple.jpg, Temple in the centre of old Baoding File:Baoding 001.jpg, Dongfeng Road, Baoding File:BaodingYuhuaRoad.jpg, Part of Yuhua Road, the main street of old Baoding File:BaodingArch.jpg, Arch on Yuhua Road, old Baoding File:BaodingIntersection.jpg, An intersection in Yuhua Road's shopping district File:Baoding 002.jpg, The Wanbo Tower in a sunny afternoon, Baoding CBD File:BaodingMonument.jpg, A civic monument File:BaodingPark.jpg, A public park File:BaodingPark2.jpg, A public park File:BaodingCathedral.jpg, Baoding Cathedral File:Baoding 010.jpg, Baoding Railway Station File:Baoding 011.jpg, Baoding East Railway Station for High-Speed Rail Trains File:BaodingBuses.jpg, Baoding city buses before 2007 File:Evening Baoding.JPG, Baoding in the evening File:Baoding Railway station.JPG, Old Baoding railway station File:BaodingRailwayStation.jpg, Old Baoding railway station File:Baoding old quarter.JPG, Baoding Old Quarter File:Baoding 008.jpg, Skylines in Baoding CBD File:Baoding 006.jpg, Closer look at the Wanbo Tower in a sunny day File:Baoding 007.jpg, Closer look at the Maoye Tower in a sunny day, Baoding CBD File:Baoding 003.jpg, The Wanbo Plaza at night, Baoding CBD File:Baoding 005.jpg, The Wanbo Plaza at night, Baoding CBD File:Baoding 009.jpg, The Wanbo Plaza at night, Baoding CBD

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Hebei Prefecture-level divisions of Hebei