In 1928 Hebei 河北 'north of the [yellow] river' was formed after the central government dissolved the province of Zhili 直隶; 'directly ruled (by the Imperial Court)'. However, the name 河北 dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). 河北 completely surrounds Beijing and Tianjin municipalities (which also border each other). It borders Liaoning to the northeast, Inner Mongolia to the north, Shanxi to the west, Henan to the south, and Shandong to the southeast. Bohai Bay of the Yellow Sea is to the east. Most of central and southern Hebei lies within the North China Plain. The western part of Hebei rises into the Taihang Mountains 太行山, while the Yan Mountains 燕山 run through northern 河北, beyond which lie the grasslands of Inner Mongolia.
In 2008, 河北's GDP was US$233 billion, ranked 6th in the PRC. It has a population of 68 million, the sixth most populous in China, which would make it the 19th most populous country in the world - close to Turkey's 72 million in less than 1/4 of the land area. 河北's main agricultural products are cereal crops including wheat, maize, millet, and sorghum. Cash crops like cotton, peanut, soya bean and sesame are also produced. Industries include textiles, coal, steel, iron, engineering, chemical production, petroleum, power and ceramics.
Shijiazhuang 石家庄 'the stones village' is the capital of 河北 province, about 200 miles south of Beijing. It was an unimportant town until the building of the Zhengtai and Jinghan railways saw it become an important regional transport hub. Captured by the PLA under the leadership of the CPC in 1947, it was the cradle of the new China, and for three years housed the headquarters of the CPC. Shijiazhuang is the largest pharmarceutical base in China and is as well an important center in the textile, IT, manufacturing and chemical industries. The city was until recently an important centre for the dairy trade, being the headquarters of the Sanlu 三鹿 (3 deer) Group, and the region's dairy farmers have been hit hard by Sanlu's bankrupcy.
Baoding 保定 - 'protecting the capital' has a history dating back to the Western Han Dynasty. It was destroyed by the Mongols in the 13th century, but after the Mongols established the Yuan Dynasty, it was rebuilt. After Zhili province was abolished in 1928 Baoding became the capital of the newly formed 河北 . During World War II, the city was the site of a headquarters for Japanese occupation forces. In 1958, the role of provincial capital was assumed by Tianjin, which had lost its status as a provincial level municipality, but when Tianjin was elevated again in 1966, Baoding regained its position. In 1970, however, the rapidly growing city of Shijiazhuang became capital instead. Due to this history, the two cities have maintained a certain rivalry.
Major employers in Baoding include China Lucky Film, the largest photosensitive materials and magnetic recording media manufacturer in China, and one of the country's largest wind turbine blade manufacturing facilities, catering mainly to the domestic market.
Probably the most famous cultural product of Baoding is 'Baoding Balls' thought to have been invented during the Ming dynasty as a courtly plaything. Baoding balls are currently used a tool for injury recovery and to improve manual dexterity and strength. This iron-ball system is regarded as the greatest of Baoding prefecture's "three treasures."
Elsewhere in 河北, Cangzhou 沧州 is famous for martial arts and acrobatics, and also for a thousand-year-old 40 ton cast-iron sculpture of a lion, aptly named the 'Iron Lion of Cangzhou'. Anguo 安国 has a renowned medicine market dating back to the Southern Song (1120's), with a 'Medicine King Temple' dedicated to Pi Tong, a famous general of the Eastern Zhou (25-200AD).
