Baoding

Baoding is a prefecture-level city in central Hebei province, approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) southwest of Beijing. 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. At the end of 2024, the city's resident population is 9,046,200, of which the urban resident population is 5,527,200. 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 and the residence of the Viceroy of Zhili in the Qing dynasty. 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 (Chinese: 保定), dates back to the Song 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 (路治). 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 Beijing.

History

Baoding has a history dating back to the Western Han Dynasty.

Prehistory

The Nanzhuangtou site near Baiyang Lake is one of the earliest Neolithic site discovered in North China, dating back approximately 10,500–9,700 years. Other Neolithic sites in Baoding include Diaoyutai and Beifudi.

Early history

During the Warring States period, 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, 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 established the Bao prefecture ("Baozhou") with the administrative office in Baosai County (modern Baoding). This lasted until 1241, when the Mongol Empire (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 region acquired the name "Baoding" in 1275.

In 1669, Baoding became the capital of Zhili, ruled over by a Viceroy until the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1912.

In 1902, Yuan Shikai, 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 district.

In May 1958, the capital of Hebei was moved to Tianjin, then back to Baoding in January 1966, to Shijiazhuang 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 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, 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 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 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) 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 (歪头山), with an elevation of 2,286 metres (7,500 ft). 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 30 to 100 metres (98 to 330 ft) elevation. Here the primary rivers are the Xiaoyi River (孝义河), Fu River (府河), Bao River (瀑河), Ping River (萍河), Juma River (拒马河), Yishui River (易水河), Tang River (唐河), Cao River (漕河), Zhulong River (潴龙河), Qingshui River (清水河), and Sha River (沙河). Baiyangdian Lake, 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. The average annual runoff is 2.45 billion cubic meters. In the city itself, this amount has averaged to a meagre 496.1 millimetres (19.5 in) per annum. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from −2.7 °C (27.1 °F) in January to 27.1 °C (80.8 °F) in July, and the annual mean is 13.3 °C (55.9 °F). There are 2,500 to 2,900 hours of bright sunshine annually, and the frost-free period lasts 165−210 days.

Administrative divisions

Bǎodìng prefecture-level city consists of 5 municipal districts, 4 county-level cities, 15 counties:

• Dissolved districts: Beishi District and Nanshi District

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 of Ji-Lu Mandarin. 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, 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, 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 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 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.

Road

The Jingshi Expressway connects the two cities, and Baoding is also the western terminus of the Baojin Expressway linking Baoding with Tianjin, which is one out of two nearest ports (Huanghua is the other one).

Rail

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 9.5 km (5.9 mi) 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, 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. (Chinese: 驴肉火烧) Anxin County is home to the Quantou Village Music Association (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 around the city. Baoding is home to Hebei University, North China Electric Power University, three other universities and twelve 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:

1. Yan State Capital Relics (475BC-221BC, Yixian County)
2. Great Wall at Zijinguan Pass (1368–1644, Yixian County and Laiyuan County)
3. Stele of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching (618-907, Yixian County)
4. Western Qing Tombs (1730–1915, Yixian County)
5. Geyuan Temple (916-1125, Laiyuan County)
6. Ciyun Pavilion (1306, Dingxing County)
7. Yicihui Stone Pillar (550-577, Dingxing County)
8. Kaiyuan Temple (960-1127, Dingzhou County)
9. Kaishan Temple (618-907, Gaobeidian County)
10. Dingzhou Porcelain Kiln Relic (960-1127, Quyang County)
11. Beiyue Temple (386-543, Quyang County)
12. Jin-cha-ji Border Region Headquarters Ruins (1938, Fuping County)
13. Ranzhuang Underground Tunnel (1937–1945, Qingyuan County)
14. Mancheng Han Tombs (154BC-113BC, Mancheng County)
15. Zhili Provincial Governor Office (1730–1911, Baoding)
16. 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
• Fan Ye—gymnast, 2003 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships balance beam gold medalist
• Guo Jingjing—diver and Olympic gold medalist in 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics
• Qian Hong—swimmer and Olympic gold medalist in 1992 Summer Olympics
• Shi Changxu—materials scientist, recipient of the 2010 State Preeminent Science and Technology Award
• Tie Ning—author, president of the China Writers Association
• Wei Jianjun—billionaire, chairman of Great Wall Motors
• Yan Su—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:

• United States, Charlotte, North Carolina, 1987-09-29
• Japan, Yonago, Tottori, 1991-10-13
• Japan, Saijō, Ehime, 1994-9-21
• Iceland, Hafnarfjörður, 1994-10-09
• Japan, Kushima, Miyazaki, 2000-11-20
• South Korea, Dongdaemun District, Seoul, 2001-02-19
• Canada, Gravenhurst, Ontario, 2002-12-5
• Panama, Santiago de Veraguas, 2006-12-15
• Denmark, Sønderborg Municipality, 2012-04-23

Gallery

• Images from Baoding
• Temple in the centre of old Baoding
• Dongfeng Road, Baoding
• Part of Yuhua Road, the main street of old Baoding
• Arch on Yuhua Road, old Baoding
• An intersection in Yuhua Road's shopping district
• The Wanbo Tower in a sunny afternoon, Baoding CBD
• A civic monument
• A public park
• A public park
• Baoding Cathedral
• Baoding Railway Station
• Baoding East Railway Station for High-Speed Rail Trains
• Baoding city buses before 2007
• Baoding in the evening
• Old Baoding railway station
• Old Baoding railway station
• Baoding Old Quarter
• Skylines in Baoding CBD
• Closer look at the Wanbo Tower in a sunny day
• Closer look at the Maoye Tower in a sunny day, Baoding CBD
• The Wanbo Plaza at night, Baoding CBD
• The Wanbo Plaza at night, Baoding CBD
• The Wanbo Plaza at night, Baoding CBD

See also

• List of twin towns and sister cities in China

• Preston, Diana (2000). (illustrated, reprint ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 0802713610.

External links

Media related to Baoding at Wikimedia Commons