| Baoding | |
| Settlement Type: | Prefecture-level city |
| Other Name: | Paoting |
| Native Name: | 保定市 |
| Native Name Lang: | zh |
| Nickname: | Boot-Shaped City (Chinese: 靴城) |
| Image Map1: | Location_of_Baoding_Prefecture_within_Hebei_(China).png |
| Map Caption1: | Location of Baoding City jurisdiction in Hebei |
| Pushpin Map: | China Hebei#China Northern Plain#China |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 225px |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the city centre in Hebei |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | People's Republic of China |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Hebei |
| Subdivision Type2: | County-level divisions |
| Subdivision Name2: | 5 districts 4 county-level cities 15 counties |
| Subdivision Type3: | Township-level divisions |
| Subdivision Name3: | 28 subdistricts 142 towns 170 townships 3 ethnic townships |
| Government Type: | Prefecture level city |
| Governing Body: | Baoding City People's Congress |
| Established Title: | Settled |
| Established Date: | 477 |
| Established Title2: | Established |
| Established Date2: | 1925 |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 22185 |
| Area Blank1 Title: | Districts |
| Area Metro Km2: | 1840 |
| Area Urban Km2: | 326 |
| Area Urban Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Footnotes: | [3] |
| Population Total: | 11194382 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Density Metro Km2: | auto |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Districts |
| Population Metro: | 2176857 |
| Population Urban: | 1976000 |
| Population Density Urban Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type2: | GDP[4] |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Prefecture-level city |
| Demographics2 Info1: | CN¥ 408.7 billion US$ 52.9 billion |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Per capita |
| Demographics2 Info2: | CN¥ 28,648 US$4,600 |
| Timezone: | China Standard |
| Utc Offset: | +8 |
| Coordinates: | 38.874°N 115.464°W |
| Coor Pinpoint: | Baoding municipal government |
| Elevation Max M: | 2286 |
| Elevation M: | 25 |
| Elevation Ft: | 83 |
| Elevation Min M: | 7 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 071000 |
| Area Code: | 0312 |
| Iso Code: | CN-HE-06 |
| Blank Name: | License plate prefixes |
| Blank Info: | Chinese: 冀F |
| Population As Of: | 2010 census |
| L: | "protect (the capital) and stabilize (the territory)" |
| W: | Pao2-ting1 |
| P: | Bǎodìng |
| J: | Bou-ding |
| Y: | bou2 ding6 |
Baoding 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, of which 2,176,857 lived in the metropolitan area made of 4 out of 5 urban districts: Lianchi, Jingxiu, Qingyuan, and Mancheng all of which are largely conurbated.[1] Baoding is among 13 Chinese cities with a population of over 10 million, ranking seventh.[5] 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, and was 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,[6] with the Xiong'an new area located within its jurisdiction.
The city's name, Baoding,[7] [8] dates back to the Song and Yuan dynasties, the name is roughly interpreted as "protecting the capital", referring to the city's proximity to Beijing.
Baoding has a history dating back to the Western Han Dynasty.
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.[9] Other Neolithic sites in Baoding include Diaoyutai and Beifudi.
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. [10]
In 960 the Song dynasty established the Bao prefecture ("Baozhou") with the administrative office in Baosai County (modern Baoding). [11] 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.
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.
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.
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.[1] The highest peak is Mount Waitou, with an elevation of .[1] Moving southeast from this area, one encounters low-lying mountains and hills, taking up 18.9% of the prefecture's area.[1] Further to the east lies generally flat terrain of 30to elevation. Here the primary rivers are the Xiaoyi River (Chinese: 孝义河), Fu River (Chinese: 府河), Bao River(Chinese: 瀑河), Ping River(Chinese: 萍河), Juma River(Chinese: 拒马河), Yishui River (Chinese: 易水河), Tang River (Chinese: 唐河), Cao River(Chinese: 漕河), Zhulong River(Chinese: 潴龙河), Qingshui River (Chinese: 清水河), and Sha River (Chinese: 沙河)s.[12] Baiyangdian Lake, the largest natural lake in northern China, can be found nearby.
Baoding has a continental, monsoon-influenced humid continental climate/semi-arid climate (Köppen Dwa/BSk),[13] 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 496.1mm per annum. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from NaN°C in January to 27.1°C in July, and the annual mean is 13.3°C. There are 2,500 to 2,900 hours of bright sunshine annually, and the frost-free period lasts 165−210 days.
Bǎodìng prefecture-level city consists of 5 municipal districts, 4 county-level cities, 15 counties:
| Map | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division code[14] | English name | Simp. Chinese | Pinyin | Area in km2[15] | Seat | Postal code | Divisions[16] | |||||||
| Subdistricts | Towns | Townships | Ethnic townships | Residential communities | Villages | |||||||||
| 130600 | Baoding | Bǎodìng Shì | 22185 | 071000 | 31 | 207 | 105 | 2 | 514 | 6184 | ||||
| 130602 | Jingxiu District | Chinese: 竞秀区 | Jìngxiù Qū | 149 | Xianfeng Subdistrict (Chinese: 先锋街道) | 071000 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 81 | 71 | |||
| 130603 | Lianchi District | Chinese: 莲池区 | Liánchí Qū | 82 | Wusi Road Subdistrict (Chinese: 五四路街道) | 071000 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 151 | 120 | |||
| 130605 | Mancheng District | Chinese: 满城区 | Mǎnchéng Qū | 658 | Mancheng Town (Chinese: 满城镇) | 072100 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 16 | 183 | |||
| 130606 | Qingyuan District | Chinese: 清苑区 | Qīngyuàn Qū | 856 | Qingyuan (Chinese: 清苑镇) | 071100 | 13 | 5 | 14 | 266 | ||||
| 130607 | Xushui District | Chinese: 徐水区 | Xúshuǐ Qū | 723 | Ansu (Chinese: 安肃镇) | 072500 | 10 | 4 | 28 | 304 | ||||
| 130633 | Yi County | Chinese: 易县 | Yì Xiàn | 2535 | Yizhou (Chinese: 易州镇) | 074200 | 11 | 16 | 1 | 10 | 469 | |||
| 130630 | Laiyuan County | Chinese: 涞源县 | Láiyuán Xiàn | 2431 | Laiyuan (Chinese: 涞源镇) | 074300 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 283 | ||||
| 130626 | Dingxing County | Chinese: 定兴县 | Dìngxīng Xiàn | 714 | Dingxing (Chinese: 定兴镇) | 072600 | 9 | 7 | 23 | 274 | ||||
| 130636 | Shunping County | Chinese: 顺平县 | Shùnpíng Xiàn | 712 | Puyang (Chinese: 蒲阳镇) | 072200 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 237 | ||||
| 130627 | Tang County | Chinese: 唐县 | Táng Xiàn | 1414 | Renhou (Chinese: 仁厚镇) | 072300 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 345 | ||||
| 130631 | Wangdu County | Chinese: 望都县 | Wàngdū Xiàn | 358 | Wangdu (Chinese: 望都镇) | 072400 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 142 | ||||
| 130623 | Laishui County | Chinese: 涞水县 | Láishuǐ Xiàn | 1662 | Laishui (Chinese: 涞水镇) | 074100 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 284 | ||||
| 130628 | Gaoyang County | Chinese: 高阳县 | Gāoyáng Xiàn | 496 | Gaoyang (Chinese: 高阳镇) | 071500 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 149 | ||||
| 130632 | Anxin County | Chinese: 安新县 | Ānxīn Xiàn | 728 | Anxin (Chinese: 安新镇) | 071600 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 223 | ||||
| 130638 | Xiong County | Chinese: 雄县 | Xióng Xiàn | 513 | Xiongzhou (Chinese: 雄州镇) | 071800 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 287 | ||||
| 130629 | Rongcheng County | Chinese: 容城县 | Róngchéng Xiàn | 311 | Rongcheng (Chinese: 容城镇) | 071700 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 127 | ||||
| 130634 | Quyang County | Chinese: 曲阳县 | Qūyáng Xiàn | 1076 | Hengzhou (Chinese: 恒州镇) | 073100 | 11 | 16 | 10 | 367 | ||||
| 130624 | Fuping County | Chinese: 阜平县 | Fùpíng Xiàn | 2494 | Fuping (Chinese: 阜平镇) | 073200 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 209 | ||||
| 130637 | Boye County | Chinese: 博野县 | Bóyě Xiàn | 331 | Boye (Chinese: 博野镇) | 071300 | 7 | 11 | 133 | |||||
| 130635 | Li County | Chinese: 蠡县 | Lǐ Xiàn | 653 | Liwu (Chinese: 蠡吾镇) | 071400 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 232 | ||||
| 130682 | Dingzhou City | Chinese: 定州市 | Dìngzhōu Shì | 1284 | Nanchengqu Subdistrict (Chinese: 南城区街道) | 073000 | 4 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 31 | 470 | ||
| 130681 | Zhuozhou City | Chinese: 涿州市 | Zhuōzhōu Shì | 751 | Shuangta Subdistrict (Chinese: 双塔街道) | 072700 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 39 | 402 | |||
| 130683 | Anguo City | Chinese: 安国市 | Ānguó Shì | 485 | Qizhouyaoshi Subdistrict (Chinese: 祁州药市街道) | 071200 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 198 | |||
| 130684 | Gaobeidian City | Chinese: 高碑店市 | Gāobēidiàn Shì | 674 | Xinghua Road Subdistrict (Chinese: 兴华路街道) | 074000 | 5 | 10 | 19 | 409 | ||||
| Xiong'an New Area | Chinese: 雄安新区 | Xióng'ān Xīnqū | 106.46 | Rongcheng (Chinese: 容城镇) | ||||||||||
| Note: Baoding New High Technology Product Development Zone (Chinese: 保定高新技术产业开发区) includes Damafang Township (Chinese: 大马坊乡) of Jingxiu District and Jiantai Township (Chinese: 贤台乡) of Mancheng District; the Baigou New City (Chinese: 白沟新城) includes Baigou Town (Chinese: 白沟镇) of Gaobeidian City. | ||||||||||||||
| Division name | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residence population[17] (November 2010) | Hukou population[18] (end of 2010) | |||
| Total | Ratio (%) | Population density (persons/km2) | ||
| Baoding City | 11,194,379 | 100 | 504.55 | 11610199 |
| Xinshi District | 482,768 | 4.31 | 2540.88 | 459038 |
| Beishi District | 387,339 | 3.46 | 5164.52 | 322205 |
| Nanshi District | 287,784 | 2.57 | 2877.84 | 279725 |
| Mancheng District | 387,307 | 3.46 | 615.75 | 411417 |
| Qingyuan District | 631,659 | 5.64 | 728.56 | 648645 |
| Laishui County | 339,063 | 3.03 | 204.50 | 352993 |
| Fuping County | 205,299 | 1.83 | 82.28 | 223846 |
| Xushui County | 563,030 | 5.03 | 778.74 | 586104 |
| Dingxing County | 517,873 | 4.63 | 725.31 | 585913 |
| Tang County | 529,066 | 4.73 | 373.37 | 590575 |
| Gaoyang County | 345,160 | 3.08 | 695.89 | 340163 |
| Rongcheng County | 258,179 | 2.31 | 822.23 | 265389 |
| Laiyuan County | 260,678 | 2.33 | 106.49 | 283537 |
| Wangdu County | 250,014 | 2.23 | 781.29 | 265525 |
| Anxin County | 437,378 | 3.91 | 604.11 | 440817 |
| Yi County | 537,564 | 4.80 | 212.14 | 570806 |
| Quyang County | 588,559 | 5.26 | 542.95 | 610065 |
| Li County | 505,574 | 4.52 | 775.42 | 532322 |
| Shunping County | 295,764 | 2.64 | 417.75 | 317484 |
| Boye County | 245,504 | 2.19 | 741.70 | 268941 |
| Xiong County | 359,506 | 3.21 | 686.08 | 375470 |
| Zhuozhou City | 603,535 | 5.39 | 813.39 | 645542 |
| Dingzhou City | 1,165,182 | 10.41 | 914.59 | 1214852 |
| Anguo City | 370,314 | 3.31 | 761.96 | 409834 |
| Gaobeidian City | 640,280 | 5.72 | 938.83 | 608991 |
| Note: The 58,709 people residing in Baoding High Technology Product Development Zone and the 124,274 in the Baigou New City are not listed separately. |
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.
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.[19] 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.
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.
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.[21]
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 Tianjin, which is one out of two nearest ports (Huanghua 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.[22] Baoding East railway station lies 9.5km (05.9miles)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.[23]
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.
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 is home to the Quantou Village Music Association, 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 with other 3 universities and 12 colleges.
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:
