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   Shijiazhuang (simplified Chinese: 石家庄; traditional Chinese: 石家莊; pinyin: Shíjiāzhuāng; literally "The Stones' Village") is a prefecture-level city and the capital of Hebei province, China. It is about 320 km south of Beijing. Shijiazhuang is a newly industrialized city. It experienced dramatic growth only after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 and was relatively unknown until then.
[edit] Quick Facts
[edit] GeographyShijiazhuang stands on the edge of the North China Plain at the foot of the Taihang Mountains, which lie to the west. The city stands south of the Hutuo River. [edit] HistoryIn pre-Han times (i.e., before 206 BC) it was the site of the city of Shihi in the state of Zhao, and, from Han (206 BC–AD 220) to Sui (581–618) times, it was the site of a county town with the same name. With the reorganization of local government in the early period of the Tang dynasty (618–907), the county was abolished. Shijiazhuang then became little more than a local market town, subordinated to the flourishing city of Zhengding (modern Zhengding) a few miles to the north. The growth of Shijiazhuang into one of China's major cities began in 1905, when the Beijing–Wuhan (Hankou) railway reached the area, stimulating much new trade and encouraging local farmers to grow cash crops. Two years later the town became the junction for the new Shitai line, running from Shijiazhuang to Taiyuan in central Shanxi province. This connection immediately transformed the town from a local collecting center and market into a communications center of national importance on the main route from Beijing and Tianjin to Shanxi and — later, when the railway from Taiyuan was extended to the southwest — to Shaanxi province as well. The city also became the center of an extensive road network. During the pre-World War II period, Shijiazhuang was a large railway town as well as a commercial and collecting center for Shanxi and the regions farther west and for the agricultural produce of the North China Plain, particularly for grain, tobacco, and cotton. By 1935 it had far outstripped Zhengding as an economic center. At the end of World War II the character of the city changed once again. Not only did it assume an administrative role as the preeminent city in western Hebei but it also developed into an industrial city. Some industry, such as match manufacturing, tobacco processing, and glassmaking, had already been established before the war. Only after 1949, however, did the planned industrialization of the city gather momentum. Its population more than tripled in the decade 1948–58. In the 1950s the city experienced a major expansion in the textile industry, with large-scale cotton spinning, weaving, printing, and dyeing works. In addition, there are various plants processing local farm produce. In the 1960s it was also the site of a new chemical industry, with plants producing fertilizer and caustic soda. Shijiazhuang also became an engineering base, with a tractor-accessory plant. There are important coal deposits at Jingxing and Huailu, now named Luquan, a few miles to the west in the foothills of the Taihang Mountains, which provide fuel for a thermal-generating plant supplying power to local industries. The city's role as a transport center has been supplemented by the construction of an airport handling regular domestic flights. [edit] AdministrationShijiazhuang has direct jurisdiction over:
[edit] Economy In 2008, the GDP of Shijiazhuang reached RMB283.8 billion, an increase of 11 percent over the previous year. Salaries continue to experience relatively rapid growth as well. The city continues to strive to create an economic atmosphere encouraging investment and growth. Total fixed investment reached RMB172.7 billion. Shijiazhuang has become a major industrial city in North China and is considered to be the economic center of Hebei province. The city is the largest base for the pharmaceutical industry and is also one of the most important textile industry bases. Other main sectors include machinery and chemicals, building materials, light industry and electronics. With abundant agricultural resources, Shijiazhuang has 590,000 hectares of cultivated land and is the main source of high quality cotton, pears, dates and walnuts in Hebei province.[2] In 2008, total imports reached US$1.393 billion, an increase of 42.1 percent over the previous year. Exports rose, too, by 34.9 percent to US$5.596 billion.[2] The Shijiazhuang municipal government reports that higher education and vocational education continue to experience rapid development, while compulsory education has experienced an increase in quality. A 2006 World Bank reports that Shijiazhuang spends less than RMB400 per capita on education, as opposed to Beijing (RMB1,044) and Weihai (RMB1,631).[3] [edit] Development zonesShijiazhuang New High-Tech Industrial Development Zone The zone was established in March 1991 as a State-level development zone and is divided into three districts. The Eastern District, located in the eastern part of Shijiazhuang, covers an area of 5.8 square kilometers, and serves as the primary section of the New High-tech Industrial Development Zone. The district focuses on the establishment of new high-tech enterprises. There are plans to expand the district into an area of 9.8 square kilometers. A special railway line operated by Shijiazhuang Oil Refinery runs through the zone from north to south, making it easy for enterprises in the zone to build lines of their own if necessary.[2] The Western District, located in the southwest of Shijiazhuang, covers an area of 8.2 square kilometers. It focuses on small- and medium-sized technology enterprises and technology incubation. Liangcun District, which borders the Western District, covers four square kilometers, and focuses on the pharmaceutical industry and the petrochemical industry. All three districts are subject to the same policies and regulations.[2] Since its foundation 2,560 enterprises have settled in the zone, of which 185 are foreign-funded enterprises. At present, firms from Japan, the US, the Republic of Korea, Germany, Italy, Canada, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan have all established themselves in the zone.[3] [edit] Dairy centreThe city is an important centre for the dairy trade, being the headquarters of the Sanlu Group. Both were rocked by the 2008 Chinese milk scandal. Chairman and General Manager of Sanlu, and several party officials, including vice mayor in charge of food and agriculture, Zhang Fawang, were reportedly removed from office.[4][5][6] Mayor Ji Chuntang reportedly resigned on 17 September;[7] Since Sanlu, the region's largest purchaser of milk, was ordered to halt production, farmers in Hebei are suffering hardship because of the lack of purchasers for their milk. Many are said to be contemplating selling their cows into a buyerless market.[8] [edit] InfrastructureIn 2001 the city received approval from the World Bank for a US$100 million loan for the Shijiazhuang Urban Transport Project, which was designed to foster the development of an efficient and environmentally sustainable urban transport system while providing a wider set of travel choices for users. The project is scheduled to be completed by December 31, 2008, with a total estimated cost of US$266 million. Major elements of the project include the upgrading of 25 kilometers of peripheral roads linking the city to the surrounding provincial highways, the upgrading and construction of 52 kilometers of urban major arterial roads, and the construction of six multi-level interchanges, two major rail overpasses, and 21 pedestrian crossing facilities. [2] [edit] Transportation  Shijiazhuang is a transportation hub: it is at the intersection point of the Beijing-Guangzhou, Taiyuan-Dezhou, and Shuozhou-Huanghua railroads and many expressways, including the Beijing-Shenzhen and Taiyuan-Cangzhou Expressways. [edit] AirportThe Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport is the province’s center of air transportation. It is located about 30 kilometers northeast of the city and can accommodate all types of medium and large-sized aircraft. Presently there are 32 domestic routes arriving at and departing from Shijiazhuang, including destinations such as Shanghai, Shenzhen, Dalian, Hong Kong, and other medium and large cities. In addition, the airport services 12 international destinations including four routes to Russia. The airport is currently being expanded and will be capable of being an alternate airport to Beijing Capital International Airport.[3] [edit] CultureAs a young industrial city, Shijiazhuang city proper is generally considered to have relatively few sights of historical or cultural interest. Exceptions are:
However, several sites of historical and cultural significance are located in the surrounding area, including:
[edit] Rock CultureShijiazhuang is also famous for its rock cultures. Several underground rock bands are active in this city, mostly performing in pubs. Two nation-wide rock magazines, SoRock(我爱摇滚乐) and XMusic (通俗歌曲) are based in Shijiazhuang and act as major platforms promoting rock music in China. [edit] Hospitals
[edit] Universities and collegesFurther information: List of universities in the People's Republic of China#Hebei and Hebei#Colleges and universities [edit] Sister cities
Shijiazhuang also has a Sister City Agreement: [edit] References
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 38°02′37″N 114°29′54″E / 38.04361°N 114.49833°E | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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