Baoding
Baoding is a prefecture-level city in central Hebei province, approximately 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, 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. 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 with the administrative office in Baosai County. This lasted until 1241, when the Mongol Empire 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 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, 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-influenced humid continental climate/semi-arid climate, 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 prefecture-level city consists of 5 municipal districts, 4 county-level cities, 15 counties:- Dissolved districts: Beishi District and Nanshi District
Demographics
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, Baoding Tianwei Group Co., Ltd, 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
In 2016, Great Wall Motors set a historical sales record of 1,074,471 cars worldwide, increased by 26% compared to 2015.