Hebei Province, abbreviated as “Ji”, is a provincial-level administrative region of the People’s Republic of China, with Shijiazhuang as its capital. Located in North China north of the Zhanghe River, it borders the Bohai Sea to the east and surrounds Beijing and Tianjin internally. It adjoins Shandong and Henan to the southeast and south, faces Shanxi across the Taihang Mountains to the west, borders Inner Mongolia to the northwest, and connects with Liaoning to the northeast. Its coastline stretches 487 kilometers. As of March 2024, Hebei governs 11 prefecture-level cities and 167 counties (county-level cities and districts), including 49 urban districts, 21 county-level cities, 91 counties and 6 autonomous counties. Local dialects include Beijing Mandarin, Ji-Lu Mandarin, Northeast Mandarin, Central Plains Mandarin and Jin language.
Hebei gets its name because it lies to the north of the great river. The Yellow River was known as “He Shui” or “Da He” in ancient times. According to expert research and textual verification, for more than 20,000 years before the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Yellow River flowed across the hinterland of present-day Hebei for a long period and emptied into the sea around today’s Cangzhou and Tianjin. Records of “the land north of the Yellow River” can be found in Rites of Zhou · Offices of Territorial Surveys written over 2,000 years ago, while Strategies of the Warring States · Strategies of Zhao III compiled in the Western Han Dynasty states that “Zhao possesses Hebei, and Qi holds Hedong”. In these ancient documents, “Hebei” referred to the vast area north of the Yellow River, covering most parts of modern Hebei.
The terrain of Hebei slopes from the northwest to the southeast. The western part consists of the Taihang Mountains, the northern part the Yanshan Mountains, the area north of the Yanshan Mountains the Zhangbei Plateau, and the rest the Hebei Plain. It is the only province in China that combines plateaus, mountains, hills, plains, lakes and coastlines. The province has a temperate continental monsoon climate.
In remote ancient times, the region was called Jizhou. During the Warring States Period, most of its territory belonged to the State of Yan and the State of Zhao, hence the well-known title “Land of Yan and Zhao”. In the Tang Dynasty, it came under Hebei Circuit, marking the official emergence of Hebei as a formal administrative division. In the Ming Dynasty, it was called the Metropolitan Province or Northern Zhili; in the Qing Dynasty, it was renamed Zhili Province, and finally officially designated Hebei Province in 1928. Strategically situated on the outskirts of the national capital, Hebei is a core region approved by the State Council for implementing the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Its industrial system is dominated by eight major sectors: high-end equipment manufacturing, information technology and intelligent industries, biomedicine and healthcare, new energy, new materials, iron and steel, petrochemicals, and food processing. As one of the birthplaces of the Chinese nation, Hebei also witnessed the early emergence of urban civilization in China.
Boasting splendid culture and abundant valuable cultural relics, Hebei stands as a crucial cradle of Chinese civilization. By the end of 2020, the province had 6 national historical and cultural cities, 6 provincial-level historical and cultural cities, 90 famous historical and cultural towns and villages, and a total of 161 museums.
Hebei is home to the longest, best-preserved and most architecturally representative section of the Great Wall nationwide, with over 2,000 kilometers of remaining relics. Iconic sections such as Laolongtou, Shanhaiguan and Jinshanling Great Wall are all located here. Chengde Mountain Resort is the largest existing imperial garden in the world, and the Outer Eight Temples surrounding it form China’s largest imperial temple complex. The Eastern Qing Tombs and Western Qing Tombs rank among China’s largest and best-preserved imperial mausoleum clusters.
As of December 2024, Hebei hosts more than 400 tourist attractions at all levels, including 3 World Cultural Heritage sites, 6 national historical and cultural cities (Chengde, Baoding, Zhengding, Shanhaiguan, Handan and Yuxian), 4 Excellent Tourism Cities of China, 7 national scenic areas, 11 national forest parks, 5 national nature reserves, 3 sites among China’s Top 40 Tourist Attractions, 2 of China’s Top Ten Scenic Spots, and 23 AAAA-level scenic areas.
Major attractions include: Chengde Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Baiyangdian Scenic Area in Baoding, Yesanpo Scenic Area in Baoding, Xibaipo Scenic Area in Shijiazhuang, Eastern Qing Tombs in Tangshan, Nvwa Palace in Handan, Guangfu Ancient City in Handan, Hengshui Lake Tourist Area in Hengshui, South Lake & Kailuan Tourist Area in Tangshan, Jinshanling Great Wall in Chengde, Western Qing Tombs in Baoding, Shanhaiguan Scenic Area in Qinhuangdao, and Baishi Mountain Scenic Area in Baoding.