Hebei

HebeiTemplate:Efn is a province in North China. It is China's sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It borders Shanxi to the west, Henan to the south, Shandong and Liaoning to the east, and Inner Mongolia to the north; in addition, Hebei entirely surrounds the direct-administered municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin on land. Its population 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.

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. 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.

Hebei's economy is based on agriculture and manufacturing; it is China's premier steel producer, which has contributed to serious air pollution.

Etymology

"Hebei" means 'north of the river', derived from the province's location north of the Yellow River in the North China Plain. In the Yu Gong, the province is recorded as "Jizhou", lending to its traditional abbreviation of "Ji" (Template:Zhi).

The province's nickname is "Yanzhao" (Template:Zhi), 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). 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'. 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.

History

Pre and early history

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.

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. 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 (722–476 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 (403–221 BC), Jin was partitioned and much of its territory in Hebei went to Zhao.

Qin and Han dynasties

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

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.

File:Sancai Duck-Shaped Cup.jpg

Tricolor Duck-Shaped Cup, Tang dynasty, unearthed from Anxin County

Tang and Five dynasties

During the Tang dynasty (618–907), the area was officially called Hebei for the first time. The Great Yan State was established in Hebei from 756 to 763 during the An Lushan Rebellion. After the rebellion, Lulong Jiedushi retained its autonomy from Tang during most of the 9th century. During the late Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Lulong was fragmented among several regimes including the short-lived Yan. It was eventually annexed in 913 by Li Cunxu, who established the Later Tang (923–936). Emperor Gaozu of the Later Jin dynasty ceded much of northern Hebei to the Khitan Liao dynasty. This territory, called the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, became a weakness in the Chinese defense against the Khitans for the next century because it lay within the Great Wall.

Song through Yuan dynasties

During the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127), the sixteen ceded prefectures continued to be an area of contention between Song China and the Liao dynasty. Later, the Southern Song dynasty abandoned all of North China, including Hebei, to the Jurchen Jin dynasty after the 1127 Jingkang Incident of the Jin–Song wars. Hebei was heavily affected by the flooding of the Yellow River; between 1048 and 1128, the river ran directly through the province rather than to its south.

The Mongol Yuan dynasty divided China into provinces but did not establish Hebei as a province. Instead, the area was directly administrated by the Secretariat at the capital Dadu.

Ming and Qing dynasties

The Ming dynasty ruled Hebei as Beizhili, meaning Northern Directly Ruled because the area contained and was directly ruled by the imperial capital in Beijing. The "Northern" designation was used because there was a southern counterpart covering present-day Jiangsu and Anhui. When the Manchu Qing dynasty came to power in 1644, they abolished the southern counterpart, and Hebei became known as Zhili or Directly Ruled. During the Qing dynasty, the northern borders of Zhili extended deep into Inner Mongolia and overlapped in jurisdiction with the leagues of Inner Mongolia.

Republic of China

File:Hbeisheng.jpg

Hebei in 2022

The Qing dynasty collapsed in 1912 and was replaced by the Republic of China. In a few years, China descended into a civil war, with regional warlords vying for power. Since Zhili was so close to the capital of Beijing, it was the site of the Zhiwan War, the First Zhifeng War, and the Second Zhifeng War. With the success of the Northern Expedition in 1926 and 1927 by the Kuomintang, the capital was moved from Beijing to Nanjing. As a result, the province's name was changed to Hebei, reflecting the relocation of the capital and its standard provincial administration.

During World War II, Hebei was under the control of the Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China, a puppet state of Imperial Japan.

People's Republic of China

The founding of the People's Republic of China saw several changes. The region around Chengde, previously part of Rehe Province (historically part of Manchuria), and the region around Zhangjiakou, previously part of Chahar Province (historically part of Inner Mongolia), were merged into Hebei. This extended its borders northwards beyond the Great Wall. Meanwhile, the city of Puyang was carved away, causing Hebei to lose access to the Yellow River. The city became part of the short-lived Pingyuan Province before eventually being annexed into Henan.

The capital was also moved from Baoding to the new city of Shijiazhuang, and, for a short period, to Tianjin. On July 28, 1976, Tangshan was struck by the Tangshan earthquake, the deadliest earthquake of the 20th century, killing over 240,000 people. There were a series of smaller earthquakes in the following decade.

Today, Hebei, along with Beijing and Tianjin municipalities which it includes, make up the Jing-Jin-Ji megalopolis region. With a population of 130 million, it is about six times the size of the New York metropolitan area and is one of the largest megalopolis clusters in China. Beijing had also unloaded some of its non-capital functions to the province with the establishment of the Xiong'an New Area, which integrates the three municipalities.

File:LangYaShan5.jpg

Langyashan (Wolf Tooth Mountain), in Yi County

File:Fengning Jing Bei meadow.jpg

Bashang Meadows in Fengning County

Geography

Hebei is the only province in China to contain plateaus, mountains, hills, shorelines, plains, and lakes. Most of central and southern Hebei lies within the North China Plain. Western Hebei rises into the Taihang Mountains (Taihang Shan), while the Yan Mountains (Yan Shan) runs through northern Hebei. Beyond the mountains are the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. The highest peak is Mount Xiaowutai in Yu County in the northwest of the province, with an altitude of Template:Convert.

Hebei borders the Bohai Sea on the east. The Hai River watershed covers most of the province's central and southern parts; the Luan River watershed covers the northeast. Excluding manmade reservoirs, the largest lake in Hebei is Baiyangdian, located in Anxin County, Baoding.

Major cities in Hebei include: Shijiazhuang, Baoding, Tangshan, Qinhuangdao, Handan, and Zhangjiakou.

Hebei has a monsoon-influenced humid continental climate. Its winters are cold and dry, while its summers are hot and humid. Temperatures average Template:Convert in January and Template:Convert in July. The annual precipitation ranges from Template:Convert, concentrated heavily in summer.

Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for selected locations in Hebei Province, China

City	July (°C)	July (°F)	January (°C)	January (°F)
Baoding	31.7/22.6	89.1/72.7	2.5/–7.7	36.5/18.1
Qinhuangdao	28.1/21.7	82.6/71.1	0.1/–8.8	32.2/16.2
Tangshan	30.2/21.7	86.4/71.1	0.9/–10.2	33.6/13.6
Zhangjiakou	29.4/18.7	84.9/65.7	2.2/–12.9	36.0/8.8

Government

As with other provincial-level divisions in mainland China, Hebei is governed under a dual party-government system. The Governor of Hebei is the highest-ranking official in the People's Government of Hebei and is responsible for the provincial administration. However, the most powerful official in the province is the Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Hebei Provincial Committee, commonly known as the "Party Secretary", who holds greater influence than the governor within the province's political structure.

Administrative divisions

Hebei is divided into 11 prefecture-level divisions, all of which are prefecture-level cities:

• Shijiazhuang
• Tangshan
• Qinhuangdao
• Handan
• Xingtai
• Baoding
• Zhangjiakou
• Chengde
• Cangzhou
• Langfang
• Hengshui

These prefecture-level cities are further subdivided into 168 county-level divisions:

• 47 districts
• 21 county-level cities
• 94 counties
• 6 autonomous counties

These in turn are divided into 2,207 township-level divisions, comprising:

• 1 District public office
• 937 towns
• 979 townships
• 55 ethnic townships
• 235 subdistricts

As of the end of 2017, Hebei had a population of approximately 75.2 million.

Map and division table

Shijiazhuang

Tangshan

Qinhuangdao

Handan

Xingtai

Baoding

Zhangjiakou

Chengde

Cangzhou

Langfang

Hengshui

Template:Nobold

Template:Nobold

Division code	Division	Area (km2)	Population (2020)	Seat	Districts	Counties	Autonomous counties	County-level cities
130100	Shijiazhuang	15,848	11,235,086	Chang'an District	8	11	—	3
130200	Tangshan	14,334.6	7,717,983	Lunan District	7	4	—	3
130300	Qinhuangdao	7,791.6	3,136,879	Haigang District	4	2	1	—
130400	Handan	12,066	9,413,990	Congtai District	6	11	—	1
130500	Xingtai	12,433	7,111,106	Xindu District	4	12	—	2
130600	Baoding	22,185	11,544,036	Jingxiu District	5	15	—	4
130700	Zhangjiakou	36,861.6	4,118,908	Qiaoxi District	6	10	—	—
130800	Chengde	39,513	3,354,444	Shuangqiao District	3	4	3	1
130900	Cangzhou	14,305.3	7,300,783	Yunhe District	2	9	1	4
131000	Langfang	6,417.3	5,464,087	Anci District	2	5	1	2
131100	Hengshui	8,836.9	4,212,933	Taocheng District	2	8	—	1

Urban areas

The following table lists major urban areas in Hebei based on the 2020 census, along with historical comparisons and total city populations. "Urban area" refers to built-up zones and may exclude newer administrative districts established since the 2010 census.

#	City	2020 Urban Area	2010 Urban Area	2020 City Population
1	Shijiazhuang	4,805,079	2,770,344Template:Efn	11,235,086
2	Tangshan	2,667,603	2,128,191Template:Efn	7,717,983
3	Handan	2,280,755	1,316,674Template:Efn	9,413,990
4	BaodingTemplate:Efn	2,167,607	1,038,195Template:Efn	11,544,036
5	Xingtai	1,371,150	668,765Template:Efn	7,111,106
6	Qinhuangdao	1,320,988	967,877Template:Efn	3,136,879
7	Zhangjiakou	1,185,494	924,628Template:Efn	4,118,908
8	Langfang	768,439	530,840	5,464,087
9	Cangzhou	727,879	499,411	7,300,783
10	Hengshui	707,905	389,447Template:Efn	4,212,933
11	Chengde	548,329	540,390	3,354,444
12	Xiong'anTemplate:Efn	717,120	—

Economy

Hebei is one of northern China's major industrial provinces, with a diverse economy shaped by its strategic location surrounding Beijing and Tianjin, and a strong manufacturing base—though by national standards, it ranks relatively low in per capita income and development indicators. As of 2023, Hebei's gross domestic product (GDP) was approximately 4.394 trillion yuan (about US$624 billion), ranking it 12th among China's provincial-level regions. The province's GDP per capita was around 59,300 yuan (roughly US$8,420), placing it 26th nationally.

In terms of economic structure, Hebei's economy in 2023 was composed of a primary sector (agriculture, forestry, and fisheries) contributing 446.6 billion yuan, a secondary sector (manufacturing and construction) contributing 1.397 trillion yuan, and a tertiary sector (services) contributing 2.551 trillion yuan. The registered urban unemployment rate was 3.08% as of the latest available data from 2021.

Hebei's economy is supported by a robust industrial base, with mining and heavy industry playing a central role. The province is a key hub for coal and iron ore mining, as well as for steel production. Other important industries include petroleum refining, chemical manufacturing, ceramics, power generation, food processing, and textiles.

Hebei possesses significant mineral resources, which form the backbone of its industrial development. The Kailuan coal mine in Tangshan, with origins dating back to the late 19th century, is one of China's oldest and most historically important modern mines. It remains operational today, producing over 20 million tonnes of coal annually. In addition to coal, the province is rich in iron ore. Major deposits are found in Handan and Qian'an, both of which supply raw materials to nearby steel plants.

Hebei is also home to a portion of the North China Oilfield, one of China's largest inland oilfields, which supports the province's petroleum and petrochemical industries.

Despite its industrial strength, Hebei also retains a significant agricultural workforce, with about 40% of the labor force engaged in agriculture, forestry, and animal husbandry. A large portion of Hebei's agricultural output supplies the neighboring cities of Beijing and Tianjin. Principal crops include wheat, maize, millet, and sorghum, while cash crops such as cotton, peanuts, soybeans, and sesame are also cultivated.

Economic and technological development zones

• Baoding Hi-Tech Industry Development Zone
• Langfang Export Processing Zone
• Qinhuangdao Economic & Technological Development Zone
• Qinhuangdao Export Processing Zone
• Shijiazhuang Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone
• Xiong'an New Area

Demographics

The population in Hebei is mostly Han Chinese. There are 55 ethnic minorities in Hebei, representing 4.27% of the total population. The largest ethnic groups are Manchu (2.1 million people), Hui (600,000 people), and Mongol (180,000 people). Population totals do not include those in active service with the People's Liberation Army.

Ethnic groups in Hebei, 2000 census
Nationality	Population	Percentage
Han Chinese	63,781,603	95.65%
Manchu	2,118,711	3.18%
Hui	542,639	0.78%
Mongol	169,887	0.26%
Zhuang	20,832	0.031%

In 2019, the birth rate was 10.83 births per 1,000 people, while the death rate was 6.12 deaths per 1,000 people. The male population is 37,679,003 (50.50%), the female population is 36,931,232 (49.50%). The gender ratio of the total population was 102.02, decreasing by 0.82 from 2010.

Religion

The dominant religions in Hebei are Chinese folk religions, Taoist traditions, and Chinese Buddhism. According to surveys conducted in 2007 and 2009, 5.52% of the population believe in and are involved in ancestor veneration, while 3.05% identify as Christian, belonging mostly to the Catholic Church. As of 2010 Muslims constitute 0.82% of the population of Hebei.

Although the surveys did not provide specific data for other religions, 90.61% of the population are either nonreligious or are involved in worship of nature deities, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and folk religious sects. Zailiism is a folk religious sect that originated in Hebei. Local worship of deities organized into benevolent churches in reaction to Catholicism in the Qing dynasty.

Hebei has the largest Catholic population in China, with one million members and 1.5 million Catholics according to the Catholic Church. In 1900, apparition of the Virgin Mary was said have appeared in the town of Donglu in Baoding. As a result, Donglu is "one of the strongholds of the unofficial Catholic Church in China". Many Catholics in Hebei remain loyal to the Pope and reject the authority of the Catholic Patriotic Church. Four of Hebei's underground bishops have been imprisoned in recent years: Bishop Francis An Shuxin of Donglu since 1996; Bishop James Su Zhimin since October 1997; Bishop Han Dingxiang of Yongnian who died in prison in 2007, and Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo of Zhengding since late 1999.

File:Zhengding Lingxiao Pagoda 3.jpg

The Lingxiao Pagoda of Zhengding, Hebei Province, built in AD 1045 during the Song dynasty

Culture

Language

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.

Arts

File:Bowl (Wan) with Peony, Chrysanthemum, and Prunus Sprays LACMA M.73.48.101.jpg

A Ding ware bowl

Traditional forms of Chinese opera in Hebei include Pingju, Hebei Bangzi (Hebei Clapper Opera), and Cangzhou Kuaiban Dagu. Pingju is especially popular because it tends to use colloquial language which is easier for audiences to understand. Originating from northeastern Hebei, Pingju was influenced by other forms of Chinese opera such as Beijing opera. Traditionally Pingju has a xiaosheng (young male lead), a xiaodan (young female lead), and a xiaohualian (young comic character), though it has diversified to include other roles.

Quyang County, in central Hebei, is noted for Ding ware, a type of Chinese ceramics which includes various vessels such as bowls, plates, vases, and cups, as well as figurines. Ding ware is usually creamy white, though it is also made in other colors.

File:Donkey sandwich, Hejian style (20160220143311).jpg

Hejian-styled donkey burger

Cuisine

Hebei cuisine is typically based on wheat, mutton, and beans. The donkey burger, originating from the cities of Baoding and Hejian, Cangzhou, is a staple in provincial cuisine and has spread into the two municipalities. Other dishes include local variants of shaobing.

Entertainment

Beidaihe, located near Shanhaiguan, is a popular beach resort.

Architectural and cultural sites

File:Phillipvn2.jpg

Section of the Great Wall of China at Jinshanling

File:Xumipagodazhengding.jpg

Xumi Pagoda of Zhengding, built in 636 AD

The Ming Great Wall crosses the northern part of Hebei, and its eastern end is located on the coast at Shanhaiguan (Shanhai Pass), near Qinhuangdao. Informally known as the First Pass of The World, Shanhaiguan Pass was where Ming general Wu Sangui opened the gates to Manchu forces in 1644, beginning nearly 300 years of Manchu rule.

The Chengde Mountain Resort and its outlying temples are a World Heritage Site. Also known as the Rehe Palace, this was the summer resort of the Manchu Qing dynasty emperors. The resort was built between 1703 and 1792. It consists of a palace complex and a large park with lakes, pavilions, causeways, and bridges. There are also several Tibetan Buddhist and Han Chinese temples in the surrounding area.

File:避暑山庄小金山.jpg

Chengde Mountain Resort

There are Qing dynasty imperial tombs at Zunhua (Eastern Qing Tombs) and Yixian (West Qing Tombs). The Eastern Qing Tombs are the resting place of 161 Qing emperors, empresses, and other members of the Qing imperial family, while the West Qing Tombs have 76 burials. Both tomb complexes are part of a World Heritage Site.

The Zhaozhou, or Anji Bridge, was built by Li Chun during the Sui dynasty and is the oldest stone arch bridge in China. It is one of the most significant examples of pre-modern Chinese civil engineering. Baoding, the old provincial capital, contains the historic Zhili governor's residence and the former court.

Xibaipo, a village about Template:Convert from Shijiazhuang in Pingshan County, was the location of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and the headquarters of the People's Liberation Army during the decisive stages of the Chinese Civil War between May 26, 1948, and March 23, 1949. Today, the area houses a memorial site.

Sports

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.

Education

Under the national Ministry of Education:

• North China Electric Power University ()

Under other national agencies:

• Central Institute for Correctional Police ()
• Chinese People's Armed Police Force Academy ()
• North China Institute of Science and Technology ()

Under the provincial government:

• Chengde Medical College ()
• Handan College ()
• Hebei Agricultural University ()
• Hebei Engineering University ()
• Hebei Institute of Architecture and Civil Engineering ()
• Hebei Medical University ()
• Hebei Normal University ()
• Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology ()
• Hebei North University ()
• Hebei Physical Educational Institute ()
• North China University of Science and Technology ()
• Hebei University ()
• Hebei University of Economics and Business ()
• Hebei University of Technology ()
• Hebei University of Science and Technology ()
• Hengshui University ()
• Langfang Teacher's College ()
• North China Coal Medical College ()
• Shijiazhuang College ()
• Shijiazhuang Railway Institute ()
• Shijiazhuang University of Economics ()
• Tangshan College ()
• Tangshan Teacher's College ()
• Xingtai University ()
• Yanshan University ()

There are also Tibetan Buddhist schools in the province.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Intracity Rail

The Shijiazhuang Metro is the only operational rapid transit system in Hebei. Xiong'an Rail Transit is a planned metro system in Xiong'an.

Intercity Rail

As of early 2013, railway schedule systems listed 160 passenger train stations within the province. Because Hebei surrounds Beijing and Tianjin, all the important railway lines from these cities pass through Hebei. The Beijing–Guangzhou railway is one of the most important. It passes through many major cities, including Baoding, Shijiazhuang, Xingtai and Handan on its way south to Henan. Other important railways include the Beijing–Kowloon railway, Beijing–Shanghai railway, Beijing–Harbin railway, Beijing–Chengde railway, Beijing–Tongliao railway, Beijing–Baotou railway and Fengtai–Shacheng railway. High-speed rail lines crossing the province include the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway, Beijing–Guangzhou high-speed railway, and Shijiazhuang–Taiyuan high-speed railway.

During the Eleventh Five-Year Plan, Beijing and Hebei collaborated on a new passenger railway. The RMB 82.6 billion network will add Template:Convert to the system. Current railway systems for Hebei are also being upgraded and will soon be able to travel at speeds of between Template:Convert per hour.

Highways and primary routes

The recent expressway boom in China included Hebei. There are expressways to every prefecture-level city in Hebei, totaling approximately Template:Convert. The total length of highways within Hebei is around Template:Convert.

Air transit

Shijiazhuang's Zhengding Airport is the province's center for air transportation, with domestic and international flights. Parts of Hebei are served by the Beijing Daxing International Airport in Beijing.

Ocean transit

There are several ports along the Bohai Sea, including Huanghua, Jingtang, and Qinhuangdao. Qinhuangdao is the second busiest port in China and has a capacity of over 100 million tons.

Media

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.

Notable people

• Zu Chongzhi (429–500) – astronomer, mathematician, politician, inventor, and writer known for calculating pi to an accuracy that was not surpassed for 800 years
• Feng Dao (881–954) – inventor, printer, and politician
• Zhang Fei (?–221) – military general during the Eastern Han dynasty and Three Kingdoms period who became sworn brothers with Liu Bei and Guan Yu
• Xia Gengqi (born 1933) – curator in the Beijing Palace Museum
• Qin Shi Huang (259 BC–210 BC) – founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of a unified China（Born in Hebei）
• Guo Jingjing (born 1981) – Olympic gold medalist diver and world champion
• Jing Ke (?–227 BC) – retainer of Crown Prince Dan, assassin who attempted to murder Qin Shi Huang
• Jizi (1942–2015) – ink painter
• Zhao Lirong (1928–2000) – Singer, film actress, and Ping opera performer
• Deng Lun (born 1992) – actor who gained popularity from the xianxia drama, Ashes of Love
• Liu Shichao or Hebei Pangzai – Internet personality known for his food and drink stunts
• Yan Yuan (1635–1704) – Confucian philosopher
• Zheng Yuanjie (born 1955) – Children's books author, and founder and writer of King of Fairy Tales
• Zanilia Zhao (born 1987) – television actress
• Zhao Yun or Zhao Zilong (?–229) – military general who lived during the same period as Zhang Fei
• Liu Zhesheng (柳哲生, 1914–1991) – ace-fighter pilot of Nationalist Air Force of China, a veteran of the War of Resistance-WWII

Sister subdivisions

Hebei is a sister district with the following country states, districts, and other subdivisions:

• Template:Flagdeco Athens (September 26, 2002)
• Template:Flagdeco Buenos Aires Province (May 19, 1992)
• Template:Flagdeco East Flanders (October 4, 1991)
• Template:Flagdeco Goiás (March 24, 1999)
• Template:Flagdeco Hauts-de-Seine (February 11, 1997)
• Template:Flagdeco Iowa (July 22, 1983)
• Template:Flagdeco Leningrad Oblast (July 20, 1992)
• Template:Flagdeco Missouri (January 25, 1994)
• Template:Flagdeco Nagano Prefecture (November 11, 1983)
• Template:Flagdeco Pest County (May 27, 2015)
• Template:Flagdeco South Chungcheong Province (October 19, 1994)
• Template:Flagdeco Tottori Prefecture (June 9, 1986)
• Template:Flagdeco Veneto (May 17, 1988)

See also

• Dahe Solar Park
• Dongyi Protectorate
• Hebei People
• List of prisons in Hebei
• Major national historical and cultural sites in Hebei

References

Sources

• Economic profile for Hebei at HKTDC
• Ponds, Paddies and Frontier Defence: Environmental and Economic Changes in Northern Hebei in Northern Song China (960–1127)