Xingtai

Xingtai (Template:Lang-zh), formerly known as Xingzhou and Shunde, is a prefecture-level city in southern Hebei province, People's Republic of China. It has a total area of and administers 4 districts, 2 county-level cities and 12 counties. At the 2020 census, its population was 7,111,106 inhabitants. It borders Shijiazhuang and Hengshui in the north, Handan in the south, and the provinces of Shandong and Shanxi in the east and west respectively.

History

Xingtai is the oldest city in North China. The history of Xingtai can be traced back 3500 years ago. During the Shang dynasty, Xingtai functioned as a capital city. During the Zhou dynasty, the State of XingTemplate:Spaced ndashfrom which the present name derivesTemplate:Spaced ndashwas founded in the city. During the Warring States period, the state of Zhao made Xingtai its provisional capital. The city was known as Xindu for most of the Qin dynasty, but after the 207 BC Battle of Julu (within present-day Pingxiang County, not today's Julu County), it became known as Xiangguo. During the Sixteen Kingdoms Period, when the Later Zhao was founded by Shi Le of the Jie, the capital was again at Xiangguo. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the city was known as Xingzhou.

Sui, Tang and Song times saw the zenith of ceramics production in what was the most prolific ceramics center of northern China (rivaling the Yue ware from the South). The white ware and new technologies developed in the Xing kiln mark the transition from proto-porcelain to proper porcelain. More than thirty kiln site have been excavated in different subdivisions of today's Xingtai City and a large high-tech museum have been established in Neiqiu County in 2017.

During the Yuan dynasty, Ming, and Qing dynasties, Xingtai was called Shunde (Shundefu) and functioned as a prefecture in China.

Geography and climate

Xingtai has a continental, monsoon-influenced semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). It has hot, humid summers due to the East Asian monsoon, and generally cold, windy, very dry winters that reflect the influence of the vast Siberian anticyclone; fall is similar to spring both in temperature and lack of rainfall. In the spring, there are large sandstorms blowing in from the Mongolian steppe, accompanied by rapidly warming, but generally dry, conditions. The annual rainfall, more than half of which falls in July and August alone, is highly variable and not reliable. In the city itself, this amount has averaged to a mere per annum.During the year, temperatures typically vary between -6°C and 32°C, rarely falling below -10°C or above 37°C.

Air quality

According to a survey made by "Global voices China" in February 2013, 7 cities in Hebei including Xingtai, Shijiazhuang, Baoding, Handan, Langfang, Hengshui and Tangshan, were among China's 10 most polluted cities; Xingtai ranked 1st in the list and had the worst air quality. In 2020, the improvement rates of Xingtai's comprehensive air quality index and PM2.5 average concentration ranked first in Hebei Province. The average annual concentration of PM2.5 has successfully withdrawn from the "top ten" in China.

Xingtai earthquake

A major earthquake, known as the Xingtai earthquake, with magnitude 6.8 on the Richter scale and epicenter in Longyao County occurred in the early morning of March 8, 1966. It was followed by 5 earthquakes above magnitude 6 on the Richter scale that lasted until March 29, 1966. The strongest of these quakes had a magnitude of 7.2 and took place in the southeastern part of Ningjin County on March 22. The earthquake damage included 8,064 dead, 38,000 injured and more than 5 million destroyed houses.

Administrative divisions

File:Txu-oclc-10552568-nj50-9.jpg

Map including Xingtai (labeled as HSING-T'AI (SHUNTEH) ) (AMS, 1954)

Map
File:Administrative Division Xingtai.png Xindu Xiangdu Renze Nanhe Lincheng County Neiqiu County Baixiang County Longyao County Ningjin County Julu County Xinhe County Guangzong County Pingxiang County Wei County Qinghe County Linxi County Nangong (city) Shahe (city)
Name	Chinese	Pinyin	Population (2020)	Area (km2)
Xiangdu District		Xiāngdū Qū	362,857	116
Xindu District		Xìndū Qū	798,770	1941
Renze District		Rènzé Qū	342,869	431
Nanhe District		Nánhé Qū	350,384	405
Lincheng County		Línchéng Xiàn	199,793	797
Neiqiu County		Nèiqiū Xiàn	260,000	788
Baixiang County		Bǎixiāng Xiàn	168,761	268
Longyao County		Lóngyáo Xiàn	480,447	749
Ningjin County		Níngjìn Xiàn	745,389	1,032
Julu County		Jùlù Xiàn	346,007	631
Xinhe County		Xīnhé Xiàn	134,095	366
Guangzong County		Guǎngzōng Xiàn	280,603	504
Pingxiang County		Píngxiāng Xiàn	323,675	406
Wei County		Wēi Xiàn	496,230	994
Qinghe County		Qīnghé Xiàn	421,582	500
Linxi County		Línxī Xiàn	326,968	542
Nangong City		Nángōng Shì	396,718	861
Shahe City		Shāhé Shì	431,746	859
Xingtai Economic Development Area	邢台经济开发区	Xíng Tái Jīng Jì Kāi Fā Qū	182,585	-
Xingdong New Area	邢东新区	Xíng Dōng Xīn Qū	63,367	-

Xingtai Economic Development Area and Xingdong New Area belong to Xiangdu District.

• Xingtai County - defunct

Economy

Xingtai is the most important base for natural resources in North China, producing 20 million metric tonnes of coal annually. It also features the largest power plant in the southern part of this region of China, with an output of 2.06 GW.

Transport

Located on the Beijing−Guangzhou, the Beijing−Kowloon, the Xingtai-Huanghua and Xingtai-Heshun Railways, as well as the Beijing−Shenzhen, Daqing-Guangzhou, Taihangshan, Xingtai-Hengshui, Qingdao−Yinchuan, and Dongying-Lvliang Expressways and Xingtai Dalian Airport. Xingtai is a transport hub connecting the Eastern, Northern, and Central China. Xingtai is also served by Xingtai Dalian Airport which opened on 18 July 2024.

Notable persons

• Ren Xuefeng
• Hebei Pangzai
• Wei Lijie
• Guo Shoujing
• Liu Bingzhong
• Song Jing
• Chai Rong
• Seng Yixing

See also

• Beiguozhuang

External links

• Xingtai gov.cn Online