General Introduction

As Hebei surrounds tile nation's capital, Beijing, it is a geographically important province. North of the lower Huanghe River valley, it has a 500-kilometre-long coastline along the Bohai Sea in the east and has an area of more than 180,000 square kilometers. Of its population of 51.68 million, 10.5 per cent live in the cities and 89.5 per cent in the rural areas.

Scenic Spots

Chengde -- Mountain Resort
Handan -- City of Developing Industries
Qinhuangdao -- Natural Harbor
Shijiazhuang -- Capital of Hebei

Topography

With mountains in the west and the sea in the east, Hebei is high in the northwest and low in the southeast. Of its total area, mountains make up 35 per cent; highlands 12 per cent; and plains, hills and basins 50 per cent. The province is divided into, four topographical zones. 1) Tile Zhangbei Plateau, the southeastern extension of the Inner Mongolia Plateau, is a fine natural pastureland. 2) The Northern Hebei Mountain Area consists mainly of the Yanshan Mountains which stretch from west to east, and of peaks mostly 1,000 meters or more above sea level. Of the many strategic passes in the mountains, the best-known are Xifengkou, Gubeikou and Shanhaiguan. The world-renowned Great Wall starts at Shanhaiguan, popularly known as "the First Pass Under Heaven". 3) The Western Hebei Mountain Area, 1,000 meters or more above sea level, includes the mountains of the Taihang range that borders on Shanxi Province. The Lesser Wutai Mountain on the northern rim, which rises 2,870 meters above sea level, is the highest peak in Hebei. 4) The Hebei Plain in the southeast, formed of the silt deposits of the Huanghe, Haihe and Luanhe rivers, is generally 50 meters above sea level. It is an extension of the North China Plain and the major grain and cotton grower of the province.

The catchment area and flow of the Haihe River, the largest of Hebei's river systems, account for more than two-thirds of the province's total area. Because most of the precipitation occurs in summer, the Haihe River is deep in summer and shallow in winter.

Climate

Hebei Province has a temperate continental climate, with dry and windy springs, hot and rainy summers and dry-cold winters. Its maximum temperature is 40ºC and minimum temperature -18ºC. The mean annual temperature differs greatly between north and south, increasing from 1ºC gradually to 1ºC from north to south. The province has a frost-free period of 120-220 days and an annual mean precipitation of 400-800 mm.


Communications

Hebei leads the provinces south of the Great Wail in railway mileage, The railways open to traffic in Hebei total 2,013 kilometers, including the Beijing-Guangzhou, Beijing-Shenyang, Beijing-Chengde, Beijing-Baotou, Beijing-Shanghai, Shijiazhuang-Taiyuan and Dezhou-Shijiazhuang railways. There are also 569 kilometers of locally run small railways. Highways total 41,298 kilometers. The Haihe and its tributaries are the trunk navigation lines. The 17-berth Qinhuangdao Harbor is an excellent, ice-free natural harbor in north China.