Empire Beijing has as its main historic sites - its former Imperial Palace (now the Palace Museum) with the (former) Dragon Throne at its center, The New Center symbolised by the largest square in the World - TiananMen Square (square of heavenly peace), the TianTan or Temple of Heaven in the South, another world heritage site the Imperial Summer Palace (now Park and Museum) in the North-West and last but not least the Imperial Ming Dynasty Tombs, just outside the city near ChangPing Village (now fast becoming a district of Beijing). As mentioned Beijing gives access to several locations on the Great Wall of China as well as many many smaller sites located in Beijing City Province and Hebei.
This page was last updated on: June 16, 2008
Hebei Province is one of China's 9 coastal Provinces lying in the upper North-East of the country, above the mouth of the Yellow River at the Bohai Sea. Neighboring Provinces are in clockwise direction - Shanxi Province in the West (behind Wu Tai Shan mountains), in the North the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (AR), to the East and North Liaoning Province and to the South and East Shandong Province. Finally, Henan Province in the extreme South closes the list.
The Topography of Hebei Province can general be seen as follows - In the North and North-West a Ring of Mountains encloses Beijing City. Most of the North is Mountainous or Hilly. In the South the situation is the complete opposite, where the North China Plain leads down south into the fertile central and coastal provinces. Other notable features are the dry and arrid conditions in the West, owing to the encroaching of the Gobi Desert and the loess-deposits of yellow dust blown in from the Gobi and the Yellow River Basin (in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia and Gansu).
Municipality, both centrally administered City Provinces
that are independent of Hebei Province and have their
own city Governments. The city provinces of Beijing and
Tianjin are the economic engines of the City Province.
Beijing City is the seat of the Central Government of China, a major business and administrative center with a booming Central Business District, a (light) manufacturing and central transportation hub with an international airport (Beijing Capital). Further Beijing is home to a major tourist industry.
Tianjin in turn, is a manifacturing hub in the heavy industries, a harbor city and international port.
Other cities of Hebei Province are Handan, Shijiazhuang, the current capital of Hebei, and BaoDing in the South of the Province below Beijing. Small XuanHua and ZhangjiaKou (Kalgan) lie in the dry lands to the west beyond expanding Beijing City and City Province. Miyun, a city with mosques, a gate on an inner layer of the great wall and the miyun fresh water reservoir, lies north-west of
Map of the Gobi Desert & Yellow River Flow
Satellite Image Map of the Gobi Desert Region. Map overviews North-West Xinjiang Autonomous Region, Mongolia, Inner Mongolia and North and North-Eastern China giving a Full Overview of the Gobi Deserts and Yellow River Basin. Map includes country borders, name + location of Cities and Villages (clearly visible).
China Report - Map of the Great Wall during the Ming Dynasty
Satellite image of China and North-East Asia, with a super-imposed schematic Map of the location and Path of the Great Wall as constructed during the Reign of the Ming Dynasty. Included for reference are City names, geographical features of landscape, Names and locations of Passes on the Great Wall of China.
Highlights, Monuments and Scenic sites of Hebei Province
With China as a civilization having over 5000 years of history, it is said that every town
and village in the entire country has its own story and relics. The Province of Hebei, since
the 4Th Century home to several of the leading Dynasties and multiple wars has for
certain its fair share. The Province and Cities of Hebei are sown with historical sites,
large and small to visit and enjoy.
The Main sites of interest are first and foremost : the Great Wall of China, running from QinhuangDao's Old Dragons Head and the "First Pass under Heaven" in the East, above
and North of Beijing (in multiple layers), to the West into Shanxi Province, where the
Great Wall continues to the Great Wall Pass (YanMenGuan) at Datong, the Coal Capital of
China. Datong has some interesting sites of itself, including the Yungang Buddha
Third in the list of Top-sites in Hebei Province are not the Monuments of Tianjin, former Capital of Hebei Province and the second largest City in Hebei, but a much lesser and smaller city. The absolute Top of Ching Dynasty architecture and landscaping can be found at the city of Chengde, just 4 hours travel by train or car from Beijing City. Chengde or Jehol, was the Home of the Imperial
regal gardens in China entire, and a further stunning array of 8 or 9 Temples of splendid
architecture. The Temples include the so-called Mini-Potala, designed and constructed for
the pleasure of visiting Tibetan Diplomats and to further the complicated ethnic relations
inside the Chinese Empire. Chengde's Pule Temple is home the largest standing wooden
GuanYin Statue in Asia. Further surrounded by green mountains that offer a great hiking
experience and lying within range of the former hunting territories of the Ching Dynasty, it
is no wonder that Chengde is becoming one of the resort towns of Hebei Province.
Other Hebei landmarks are of various nature. For chinese an absolite highlight is
the clean and green coastal resort of BeidaHe, famous for summer holidays of the
Party Elite. There are the ancient historic city of ZhengDing, a myriad of Temples
just outside Shijiazhuang. Other worthwhile sites include the eastern and western
Ching Tombs of Beijing City Province and the restored Walled City of Shanhai
Guan, at the most eastern pass on the Great Wall of China (near QinhuangDao).
Tianjin, although mainly an industrial City has its own historic monuments, dating to more recent history. In Hebei Province there are further various high mountains to climb and the
and abundance of Parks, Zoo's, Temples and other sites to visit and enjoy. Railway
enthusiasts will find some interesting tracks leading into mountainous area's and
tunnels such as the "Iron Wall in Silver Mountain", although most high mountains
are just outside the Hebei Province borders.
Find out more through our respective photo-lined-reports on the Cities of Beijing,
Full Introduction to Hebei Province - Coming Soon !!
The famed Great Wall of China leading away into the distance along mountain-ridges of Hebei Province near Beijing.
Schematic Map depicting the multiple layers of the Great Wall of circling Beijing and North and North-East China.
An epic Trip through North and West China in Marco Polo's Shangri La.
Buy it at Movie Universe - Click Here
HEBEI MAP 2 :
A second topographical map of Hebei Province.
Click to go to Full Map.
Beijing, one of it's latest landmarks an imitation european castle. Magnificent, green, historic and fresh Chengde, home of the (former) Imperial Summer Mountain Retreat of the Ching Dynasty lies between mountains in the North-East. Find QinghuangDao, home of the eastern terminus of the Great Wall of China known as "Old Dragon's Head" in the East on the Coast of Hebei. Last but not least there are Tangshan Holy Mountain, the summer resort city of BeidaHe, near QinhuangDao, and the equally green city of Tangshan, due North-East of Tianjin City. BeidaHe is the resort City of choice the leadership and others wishing to escape the Summer Heat and enjoy the coastal breeze & waters.
Soundbonus - Traditional Chinese Folk Song "Jasmine Flower", performance on Erhu by Lei Qiang.
The Jasmine Flower is the State Flower of Hebei Province.
