Hebei
Hebei[a] is a province in North China. Hebei is China's sixth most-populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and 0.3% Mongol. Varieties of Chinese spoken include Jilu Mandarin, the Beijing dialect of Mandarin, and Jin Chinese.
Not to be confused with the unrelated province of Hubei or the cities of Hebi, Henan and Hefei, Anhui.
Hebei
河北
河北省 (Héběi shěng)
- HE
- HEB
- 冀 (Jì)
11 prefectures, 121 Counties, 2207 Townships
Ni Yuefeng
188,800 km2 (72,900 sq mi)
2,882 m (9,455 ft)
74,610,235
400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
CN¥54,172
US$8,397
CN-HE
Hopeh
North of the Yellow River
Héběi
Héběi
ㄏㄜˊ ㄅㄟˇ
Herbeei
Ho2-pei3
Hé-běi
حَبُوِ شْ
Ghu平poh入
Hò-pet
Hòh-bāk
ho4 bak1
Hô-pak
Jì
Jì
ㄐㄧˋ
Jih
Chi4
Jì
Kei
kei3
Kī
直隶省
Directly ruled
Zhílì Shěng
Zhílì Shěng
ㄓˊ ㄌㄧˋ ㄕㄥˇ
Chih2-li4 Sheng3
Jhíh-lì Shěng
Hebei borders the provinces of Shanxi to the west, Henan to the south, Shandong to the southeast, Liaoning to the northeast, and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the north. Hebei province additionally borders the direct-administered municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin, whose territory it entirely surrounds on land. Its economy is based on agriculture and manufacturing. The province is China's premier steel producer, although the steel industry creates serious air pollution.[8][9][10]
Five UNESCO World Heritage Sites can be found in the province: the Great Wall of China, Chengde Mountain Resort, Grand Canal, Eastern Qing tombs, and Western Qing tombs. It is also home to five National Famous Historical and Cultural Cities: Handan, Baoding, Chengde, Zhengding and Shanhaiguan.
During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (771–226 BC), the region was ruled by the states of Yan and Zhao. During the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), the region was called Zhongshu. It was called North Zhili during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), and simply Zhili during the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). The modern province of Hebei was created in 1928.
Etymology[edit]
"Hebei" means 'north of the river', derived from the province's location north of the Yellow River in the North China Plain.[11][12][13][14] In the Yu Gong, the province is recorded as "Jizhou", lending to its traditional abbreviation of "Ji" (冀).
The province's nickname is "Yanzhao" (燕赵), which is the collective name of the Yan and Zhao states that controlled the region during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (771–221 BC).[15] In 1421, the Yongle Emperor of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing, and the province surrounding the new capital was first called North Zhili or Zhili, meaning 'directly ruled'.[16][17] When Nanjing became the capital of the Republic of China in 1928, the province of Zhili was abolished and given its present name of Hebei.[18]
History[edit]
Pre and early history[edit]
Peking man, an early pre-historic Homo erectus, lived on the plains of Hebei around 200,000 to 700,000 years ago. Neolithic findings at the prehistoric Beifudi site date to 7000 and 8000 BC.[19]
Many early Chinese myths are set in the province. Fuxi, one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, is said to have lived in present-day Xingtai.[20] The mythical Battle of Zhuolu, won by the Yellow Emperor, Yan Emperor, and their Yanhuang tribes against the Chiyou-led Jiuli tribes, took place in Zhangjiakou and started the Huaxia civilization.
During the Spring and Autumn period (722 BC–476 BC), Hebei was under the rule of Yan in the north and Jin in the south. Also during this period, a nomadic people known as Dí invaded the plains of northern China and established Zhongshan in central Hebei. In the Warring States period (403 BC–221 BC), Jin was partitioned and much of its territory in Hebei went to Zhao.
Qin and Han dynasties[edit]
The Qin dynasty unified China in 221 BC. The Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) ruled the area under two provinces, You Prefecture in the north and Ji Province in the south. At the end of the Han dynasty, most of Hebei was under the control of warlords Gongsun Zan in the north and Yuan Shao further south. Yuan Shao emerged as the victor of the two, but he was defeated by Cao Cao in the Battle of Guandu in 200. Hebei came under the rule of the Kingdom of Wei, established by the descendants of Cao Cao.
Jin through the Three Kingdoms[edit]
After the invasions of northern nomadic peoples at the end of the Western Jin dynasty, chaos ensued in the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern dynasties. Because of its location on the northern frontier, Hebei changed hands many times and was controlled at various times by Later Zhao, Former Yan, Former Qin, and Later Yan. The Northern Wei reunified northern China in 440 but split in 534, with Hebei coming under Eastern Wei; then the Northern Qi, with its capital at Ye near modern Linzhang, Hebei. The Sui dynasty again unified China in 589.
Culture[edit]
Language[edit]
People speak dialects of Mandarin across the Hebei, with most classified as part of the Ji Lu Mandarin subdivision of Chinese. Along the western border with Shanxi, dialects are distinct enough for linguists to consider them as part of Jin, another subdivision of Chinese. In general, the dialects of Hebei are similar to the Beijing dialect, which forms the basis for Standard Chinese and the official language of the nation. However, there are also some distinct differences, such as the pronunciation of some words, made by entering tone syllables (syllables ending on a plosive) in Middle Chinese.
Sports[edit]
The 2018 Women's Bandy World Championship was held in Hebei. Sports teams based in Hebei include National Basketball League (China), Hebei Springs Benma, and the Chinese Football Association team Hebei F.C., Hebei Elite F.C., and Cangzhou Mighty Lions F.C. Baoding is home to the Baoding balls, a kind of metal ball for exercise and meditation.
Under the national Ministry of Education:
Under other national agencies:
Under the provincial government:
There are also Tibetan Buddhist schools in the province.
Media[edit]
Hebei is served by the province-wide Hebei Television, abbreviated HEBTV. Shijiazhuang Radio & Television is a regional network that covers the provincial capital. Hebei is also served by three major newspapers: Hebei Daily, Yanzhao Metropolis Daily, and Yanzhao Evening News. Hebei Daily Newspaper Group publishes all three newspapers.
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Hebei is a sister district with the following country states, districts, and other subdivisions:[65]