Baoding is a

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

in central

Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...

province, approximately southwest of

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

. As of the 2020 census, Baoding City had 11,544,036 inhabitants, of which 2,549,787 lived in the metropolitan area made of 4 out of 5 urban districts: Lianchi, Jingxiu, Qingyuan, and Mancheng all of which are largely conurbated. Accounting for about one-sixth of the population of Hebei Province. Baoding is among 13 Chinese cities with a population of over 10 million, ranking seventh. Zhuozhou City in the northern part has now grown into part of the Beijing metro area. Baoding was the capital of

Zhili Province 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 ...

and the residence of the

Viceroy of Zhili The Viceroy of Zhili, officially in Chinese as the Governor-General of the Directly Subordinate Province and Other Local Areas, in Charge of Military Affairs, Food and Wages, Management of Rivers and Governor Affairs, was one of eight regional ...

in the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

. The city was also the capital of Hebei province until 1968, and is now a national historical and cultural city and one of the central cities in the Jing-Jin-Ji cluster, with the Xiong'an new area located within its jurisdiction.

Name

Baoding was known as Shanggu, Baozhou, Shoocheng and Baofu in ancient times. The city's name, Baoding ( zh, c=, links=no), dates back to the

Song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

and Yuan dynasties, In 1239, the Yuan Dynasty changed the name of Shuntian Army to Shuntian Road, which means "complying with the destiny of heaven", and Baozhou was renamed Luzhi (). Because Baozhou was the southern gate of the capital in the Yuan Dynasty, Shuntian Road was changed to Baoding Road in 1275, which means "defend the capital and stabilize the world". The name is roughly interpreted as "protecting the capital", referring to the city's proximity to

History

Baoding has a history dating back to the

Western Han Dynasty The Han dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and a warring in ...

Prehistory

The Nanzhuangtou site near Baiyang Lake is one of the earliest

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

site discovered in

North China North China () is a list of regions of China, geographical region of the People's Republic of China, consisting of five province-level divisions of China, provincial-level administrative divisions, namely the direct-administered municipalities ...

, dating back approximately 10,500–9,700 years. Other Neolithic sites in Baoding include Diaoyutai and Beifudi.

Early history

During the

Warring States period The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...

, what is now Baoding was along the dividing line between the Yan and Zhao states. One of the capitals of Yan during this period,

Xiadu The Xiadu or Lower Capital of Yan () was one of the capitals of Yan (state), Yan during the Warring States period of ancient China. Xiadu may have been List of largest cities throughout history, the largest city in the world from 400 to 300 BC, w ...

, is located in what is now Yi County, and from 400 to 300 BC may have been the largest cities in the world, with an estimated population of over 300,000.

Imperial era

In 960 the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

established the Bao

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...

("Baozhou") with the administrative office in Baosai County (modern Baoding). This lasted until 1241, when the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in human history, history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Euro ...

(who conquered the Jin dynasty in 1234) abolished it, incorporating Baozhou into the Central Region. In the year 1213 the Mongol army invaded and destroyed Baozhou, leaving it in ruins until it was reconstructed in 1227 during the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

. The region acquired the name "Baoding" in 1275. In 1669, Baoding became the capital of

Zhili 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 ...

, ruled over by a

Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

until the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1912. In 1902,

Yuan Shikai Yuan Shikai (; 16 September 18596 June 1916) was a Chinese general and statesman who served as the second provisional president and the first official president of the Republic of China, head of the Beiyang government from 1912 to 1916 and ...

, then Viceroy, established the Baoding Military Academy. Birthplace of many famous ROC and Communist generals in the early 20th century.

Contemporary history

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 A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

district. In May 1958, the capital of Hebei was moved to

Tianjin Tianjin is a direct-administered municipality in North China, northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the National Central City, nine national central cities, with a total population of 13,866,009 inhabitants at the time of the ...

, then back to Baoding in January 1966, to

Shijiazhuang Shijiazhuang; Mandarin: ; formerly known as Shimen and romanized as Shihkiachwang is the capital and most populous city of China's Hebei Province. A prefecture-level city southwest of Beijing, it administers eight districts, three county-le ...

in February 1968. In December 1994, the Baoding area merged with Baoding to become a provincial city. In April 2017, the

Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, officially the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is the Central committee, highest organ when the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, national congress is not ...

and the State Council announced the decision to transform Baoding's Xiong, Rongcheng, and Anxin counties into Xiong'an New Area, a new development area of national significance, with a focus on innovation, sustainability and quality of life, following the successes 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 () 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 bordered to the north by th ...

, with the

Taihang Mountains The Taihang Mountains () are a Chinese mountain range running down the eastern edge of the Loess Plateau in Shanxi, Henan and Hebei provinces. The range extends over from north to south and has an average elevation of ; its principal peak is ...

to the west. Bordering prefecture-level cities in the province are

Zhangjiakou Zhangjiakou (), also known as Kalgan and by several other names, is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hebei province in Northern China, bordering Beijing to the southeast, Inner Mongolia to the north and west, and Shanxi to the southwest ...

to the north,

Langfang Langfang is a prefecture-level city of Hebei Province of China, Province, China, and was known as Tianjin Prefecture until 1973. It was renamed Langfang Prefecture after Tianjin became a Direct-controlled municipalities of China, municipality ...

and

Cangzhou Cangzhou; Jilu Mandarin, locally pronounced as is a prefecture-level city in eastern Hebei province of China, province, People's Republic of China. At the 2020 Chinese census, 2020 census, Cangzhou's built-up (''or metro'') area made of Yunh ...

to the east, and Shijiazhuang and

Hengshui } Hengshui ( zh, s=衡水) is a prefecture-level city in southern Hebei province, People's Republic of China, bordering Shandong to the southeast. It borders Shijiazhuang City to the west, Xingtai City to the south, and Baoding City and Cangzhou ...

to the south. Baoding also borders Beijing to the northeast and

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

to the west. The geographical coordinates of Baoding are between 113°40'-116°20' east longitude and 38°10'-40°00' north latitude. 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 ( zh, labels=no, s=歪头山), 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 Xiaoyi River (), Fu River (), Bao River (), Ping River (), Juma River (), Yishui River (), Tang River (), Cao River (), Zhulong River (), Qingshui River (), and Sha River (). Baiyangdian Lake, the largest natural lake in northern China, can be found nearby.

Climate

Baoding has a continental,

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...

-influenced

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''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. The average annual runoff is 2.45 billion cubic meters. 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

Bǎodìng

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 ...

, 4

county-level cities , map = , category = Third level administrative division of a unitary state , territory = People's Republic of China , upper_unit = Prefectures, Provinces , start_date = , current_number = 411 (408 controlled, 3 claimed) , number_da ...

, 15

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

: * Dissolved districts: Beishi District 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 Han Chinese, alternatively the Han people, are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Greater China. With a global population of over 1.4 billion, the Han Chinese are the list of contemporary ethnic groups, world's la ...

. The language of Baoding is

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin ( ; zh, s=, t=, p=Guānhuà, l=Mandarin (bureaucrat), officials' speech) is the largest branch of the Sinitic languages. Mandarin varieties are spoken by 70 percent of all Chinese speakers over a large geographical area that stretch ...

— specifically, the Baoding dialect of Ji-Lu Mandarin. Despite Baoding's proximity to Beijing, the Chinese spoken in Baoding is not particularly close to the

Beijing dialect The Beijing dialect ( zh, s=北京话, t=北京話, p=Běijīnghuà), also known as Pekingese and Beijingese, is the prestige dialect of Mandarin spoken in the urban area of Beijing, China. It is the phonological basis of Standard Chinese, the ...

— 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, 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 Xiong'an New Area, 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,

, China. The company is named after the

Great Wall of China The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand ''li'' long wall") is a series of fortifications in China. They were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against vario ...

and was formed in 1984. It is China's largest

sport utility vehicle A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definitio ...

(SUV) and pick-up truck producer. It sells passenger cars and trucks under the Great Wall brand and SUVs under the Haval and WEY 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 manufactures blades used in

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that wind power, converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. , hundreds of thousands of list of most powerful wind turbines, large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, were generating over ...

generators, 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

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 linking Baoding with

, 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. Pr ...

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 lies to the east on the Beijing–Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong high-speed railway. On October 1, 2018, the east square of Baoding Railway Station was officially put into use, and the east station building of the railway station was also opened at the same time.

Military

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

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...

, one of the three group armies that comprise the

Beijing Military Region The Beijing Military Region was one of seven military regions for the Chinese People's Liberation Army. From the mid-1980s to 2017, it had administration of all military affairs within Beijing city, Tianjin city, Hebei province, Shanxi province, ...

responsible for defending the PRC capital.

Culture

Perhaps the best-known item to supposedly originate in Baoding are

Baoding Balls Baoding balls () are metal balls small enough to hold in one hand, used for physical exercise and therapy. They are also known as Chinese exercise balls, Chinese health balls, Chinese meditation balls, and Chinese medicine balls. Baoding balls ar ...

, 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 ( zh, s=驴肉火烧). Anxin County is home to the Quantou Village Music Association ( zh, labels=no, s=圈头村音乐会), a well known traditional music group performing on '' guan'' (oboes), '' sheng'' (mouth organs), and percussion. The village of Quantou is located on an island in Lake Baiyangdian. 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 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 in reducin ...

around the city. Baoding is home to

Hebei University Hebei University () is a provincial public university in Baoding, Hebei, China. The university has approximately 42,000 full-time students, including over 6,400 postgraduate students and about 28,000 undergraduates. History The university was ...

, 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 garden. In the hills to the northwest of the city, near the suburb of Mancheng, there are the Mancheng Han Tombs, where Prince Liu Sheng and his wife Dou Wan were buried. The greater Baoding administrative area has 16 designated state-level cultural relics: # Yan State Capital Relics (475BC-221BC, Yixian County) #

Great Wall The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand Li (unit), ''li'' long wall") is a series of fortifications in China. They were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection agains ...

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 (916-1125, Laiyuan County) # Ciyun Pavilion (1306, Dingxing County) # Yicihui Stone Pillar (550-577, Dingxing County) # Kaiyuan Temple (960-1127, Dingzhou County) # Kaishan Temple (618-907, Gaobeidian County) # Dingzhou Porcelain Kiln Relic (960-1127, Quyang County) # Beiyue Temple (386-543, Quyang County) # Jin-cha-ji Border Region Headquarters Ruins (1938, Fuping County) # Ranzhuang Underground Tunnel (1937–1945, Qingyuan County) # Mancheng Han Tombs (154BC-113BC, Mancheng County) # Zhili Provincial Governor Office (1730–1911, Baoding) # Historical Site of the Baoding Military Academy (1902–1923)

Notable people

* Abbie Goodrich Chapin (1868-1956), American missionary teacher based in Baoding * Chen Xu, Director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office * Fan Hongbin—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 60 ...

and

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

* Qian Hong—swimmer and Olympic gold medalist in

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

* Shi Changxu—materials scientist, recipient of the 2010 State Preeminent Science and Technology Award *

Tie Ning Tie Ning (born September 1957) is a Chinese author based in Beijing, China. She has, since 2006, been the president of the China Writers Association and is a member of the 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. Her works include ...

—author, president of the

China Writers Association The China 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 Literature Workers Association. ...

* Wei Jianjun—billionaire, chairman of

Great Wall Motors Great Wall Motor Company Limited ( zh, s=长城汽车, hp=Chángchéng Qìchē), trading as GWM, is a Chinese automobile manufacturer headquartered in Baoding, Hebei, China. Named after the Great Wall of China, the company largely produces sport-u ...

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 T ...

—Chinese playwright and lyricist * Xie Jun— chess grandmaster and Women's World Chess Champion 1991-1996, 1999-2001 * Zhang Shangwu-gymnast, 2001 Summer Universiade still rings gold medalist

Sister cities

Baoding is twinned with: *, Charlotte,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, 1987-09-29 *,

Yonago, Tottori is a city in western Tottori Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 146,139 in 68,534 households and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It is the prefecture's second largest city aft ...

, 1991-10-13 *,

Saijō, Ehime is a Cities of Japan, city in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 106,016 in 58,803 households and a population density of 210 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Saijō is in central Ehime ...

, 1994-9-21 *,

Hafnarfjörður Hafnarfjörður, officially Hafnarfjarðarkaupstaður, is a port town and municipality in Iceland, located about south of Reykjavík. The municipality consists of two non-contiguous areas in the Capital Region (Iceland), Capital Region, on the s ...

, 1994-10-09 *, Kushima, Miyazaki, 2000-11-20 *,

Dongdaemun District Dongdaemun District () is one of the 25 List of districts of Seoul, districts of Seoul, South Korea. It has a population of 346,770 (2010) and has a geographic area of 14.22 Square kilometre, km2 (5.49 sq mi), and is divided into 14 ''Dong (admin ...

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, 2001-02-19 *,

Gravenhurst, Ontario Gravenhurst is a town in the District Municipality of Muskoka, Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located approximately south of Bracebridge, Ontario. The Town of Gravenhurst includes a large area of the District of Muskoka, known to Ontar ...

, 2002-12-5 *, Santiago de Veraguas, 2006-12-15 *, Sønderborg Municipality, 2012-04-23

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 National Famous Historical and Cultural City