- Wade-Giles romanization:
- Ho-pei
- Conventional:
- Hopeh
Hebei
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Where is Hebei located in China?
Hebei is a province in northern China that is on the Bo Hai (Gulf of Chihli) of the Yellow Sea. It is bordered to the northwest by the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, to the northeast by the province of Liaoning, to the southeast by Shandong, to the south by Henan, and to the west by Shanxi. Beijing and Tianjin, which are province-level administrative units, are located within Hebei.
Hebei province consists of the northern part of the North China Plain and mountain ranges along its northern and western frontiers. The Yan Mountains form the northern rim of the North China Plain. To the west of the North China Plain are the Taihang Mountains, which separate the Hebei Plain from the Shanxi Plateau.
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What is the capital city of Hebei province?
The capital of Hebei province is Shijiazhuang. Until 1939, Shijiazhuang was a small village. Its transformation began in 1906 with the opening of the Beijing-Hankou railway, which stimulated trade and encouraged local farmers to grow cash crops. By 1935, it had surpassed Zhengding as an economic center and has since grown into a major industrial city with a population of 2,417,000 as of 2007.
Hebei is at the heart of one of China's major industrial regions, with a focus on coal, iron, and textiles. The province is a central hub in China’s north-south railway network, with express highways connecting its major cities, Beijing, and Tianjin.
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What are some major cities in Hebei besides the capital?
Hebei province in northern China has several major cities in addition to its capital, Shijiazhuang. These cities include Tianjin, a primary industrial and commercial center, and Baoding. Other significant industrial cities are Tangshan and Qinhuangdao in the east, and Handan in the south. Qinhuangdao is also one of China’s open coastal cities and an important trade port.
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What is the geography like in Hebei province?
Hebei province has two main sections: the North China Plain's northern part and mountain ranges on the northern and western borders. The Hebei Plain slopes eastward, bounded by the Yan Mountains to the north, the Taihang Mountains to the west, and the Bo Hai to the east.
The Yan Mountains form the northern edge of the North China Plain with peaks averaging 4,900 feet. The Taihang Mountains to the west have the highest peak rising above 9,000 feet.
Major rivers, like the Hai, flow from the Taihang Mountains, depositing silt and causing floods. The Bo Hai is a shallow sea that receives these rivers.
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What is the historical importance of Hebei in Chinese history?
Hebei province in northern China, meaning "North of the [Yellow] River," has long held strategic importance. Before its incorporation into the Qin empire in the 3rd century BCE, the states of Yan and Zhao occupied the region.
During the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), Hebei served as a frontier zone against enemies like the Xiongnu people, leading to the construction of walls and garrisons. Under dynasties such as the Liao, Jin, and Yuan, Hebei's significance grew, with Beijing becoming the capital under the Yuan rulers.
During the Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12), Hebei, then named Zhili, remained strategically crucial, especially amidst foreign imperialist pressures. After Japanese defeat in 1945, Chinese communist forces took over the province in January 1949. Today, Hebei is culturally and economically advanced.
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What are some major industries or economic activities in Hebei today?
Hebei province is a major economic hub in China, with a diverse range of industries and activities. It is one of China's leading regions for grain and cotton production, with wheat, corn, millet, potatoes, and other cereals as chief crops. Cash crops consist of oil-bearing seeds, hemp, beets, and tobacco.
Hebei is also at the heart of a major industrial region, with strengths in coal, iron, and textiles. The province has also become a major oil producer since the 1960s. Other key products include cement, agricultural equipment, and fertilizer. Light industries include textile and ceramics manufacture, food processing, and paper and flour milling.
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News •
Hebei, sheng (province) of northern China, located on the Bo Hai (Gulf of Chihli) of the Yellow Sea. It is bounded to the northwest by the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and by the provinces of Liaoning to the northeast, Shandong to the southeast, Henan to the south, and Shanxi to the west. Hebei means “North of the [Yellow] River.” The provincial capital was at Baoding until 1958, when it was transferred first to Tianjin and then briefly (1966–68) back to Baoding; since 1968 it has been at Shijiazhuang, about 175 miles (280 km) southwest of Beijing. The present capital is at the junction of three railways: the Beijing-Guangzhou (Canton) line, China’s north-south trunk line, and lines to Shanxi and to Shandong. The large municipalities of Beijing, the national capital, and of Tianjin lie within Hebei province but are both province-level administrative units. Culturally and economically, Hebei is one of the most advanced provinces in northern China. Area 78,200 square miles (202,700 square km). Pop. (2020) 74,610,235.
Land
Relief
Hebei province consists of two almost equal sections: the northern part of the North China Plain and the mountain ranges along the northern and western frontiers. The former is sometimes called the Hebei Plain. It is formed largely by the alluvial deposits of the five principal tributaries of the Hai River system, which converge on and then (as the Hai proper) flow past Tianjin to the sea. Two of them, the Yongding and the Chao, flow down from the northern highlands. The other three have their sources in the western and southern part of Hebei: the Daqing and Ziya rivers and the Southern Grand Canal (Nan Yunhe).
The Hebei Plain slopes gently from west to east. It is bounded by the Yan Mountains on the north, the Taihang Mountains to the west, and the Bo Hai to the east. The mountains have at their base a string of alluvial fans. This inner belt of the Hebei Plain is generally well drained. Until the late 20th century the groundwater level usually was fairly close to the surface and was easily tapped for domestic water and irrigation. However, since then overuse has lowered the water table, necessitating deeper wells.
The Yan Mountains form the northern rim of the North China Plain, displaying to the traveler an endless sea of rounded hills, with peaks averaging 4,900 feet (1,500 metres) above sea level. The Great Wall of China zigzags along its crests. Beyond these mountains the Mongolian Plateau stretches from the northernmost part of Hebei province to Mongolia. This part of Hebei was incorporated into the province in 1952, when Hebei’s boundaries were extended beyond the North China Plain for the first time. The rim of the plateau has an average elevation of 3,900 to 4,900 feet (1,200 to 1,500 metres) and is rugged and inhospitable to human settlement. Between the Yan Mountains are large basin plains, cultivated and well inhabited. Coal and iron are mined in the northern mountains.
To the west of the North China Plain sprawls the lofty north-south range of the Taihang Mountains, separating the Hebei Plain from the Shanxi Plateau, its highest peak rising above 9,000 feet (2,750 metres). The range is pierced by a number of west-east streams whose narrow valleys (the famous “Eight Gorges” of Taihang) are the routes of highways and railroads between the Hebei Plain and the Shanxi Plateau.
Drainage and soils
The major Hebei rivers flow down from the loess-covered Taihang Mountains and the Shanxi Plateau. They carry a heavy load of silt after the summer downpours, depositing it in the shallow channels downstream on the plain, gradually silting them up and causing widespread floods in low-lying areas. Since 1949 vigorous measures for water control and soil conservation have been carried out together with reforestation in the upland areas. Numerous dams, generally small to medium-size, have been built upstream and in the tributaries to conserve the water for irrigation and other uses; flood-retention basins and storage reservoirs have been built downstream. The Duliujian River, connecting the Daqing to the sea, helps to drain the extremely low-lying tract around the large Baiyang Lake and the Wen’an Marsh. Water from the streams is used to wash away excess salt in the alkaline soil and to make it arable. Similar jian he (“reducing streams”) have been completed for the Southern Grand Canal.
The Hai River is only 35 miles (55 km) long, from the city of Tianjin to the sea, but the drainage basin of its five tributaries covers two-thirds of the province. A number of flood-control and power-generation projects have been developed in the Hai basin, including reservoirs to the northeast and northwest of Beijing. Another major river is the Luan, which drains northeastern Hebei. A major project of the 1980s was the construction of a diversion channel carrying water from the Luan to Tianjin. All the major Hebei rivers empty into the Bo Hai, a shallow sea with an average depth of only 100 feet (30 metres). The water and nutrient matter brought down by the rivers nourish a rich marine fauna. In winter the surface water along the coast is frozen, but navigation is possible with the use of icebreakers. There are three important ports: Tianjin, which is about 35 miles up the Hai, Tanggu, and the major coal-handling and oil-shipping port of Qinhuangdao.
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The most common soil in the Hebei Plain is dark brown earth developed on loessial alluvium, modified by cultivation over several millennia. It is extremely fertile—the famous “good earth”—yielding crops with little fertilization for thousands of years. New alluvium is distributed in the areas along the rivers by frequent flooding. In the mountains the soils vary: the upland hills have leached dark brown soils, the more humid mountainous areas of the Yan and Taihang ranges have brown forest soils suited to fruit trees, and the northernmost Zhangbei plateau has light chestnut zonal soils.