About Hebei Province
Hebei Province is home to X Higher Education institutions (HEIs) including X universities, covering a range of general and specific studies.
The province features many historic and cultural sites, including four UNESCO World Heritage Sites:
The Great Wall – Northern section including the “Old Dragon’s Head” where the wall meets the sea
Chengde – The mountain resort of the Qing Dynasty emperors
The Grand Canal – Constructed over a 1200 year period to connect China’s five major river basins
Bohai Sea Wetlands – A crucial stopover, wintering and breeding ground for birds migrating from the Arctic to South East Asia and Australia
There are also nominations in front of UNESCO to recognise Hebei as a historic centre for Chinese lacquer manufacture, and to recognise the Taihang Mountains for their importance to fossil records.
Intangible Cultural Heritage
Hebei Province has a number of examples of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The main ones are:
Wuqi Paper Cutting - Complex paper patterns created for holiday celebrations, birthdays, weddings & funerals, especially the production of paper lanterns, dating from 200 AD.
Baoding Balls - Small metal balls small enough to hold in one hand & used for physical exercise & therapy. Most are hollow spheres containing a chime that rings when the ball is moved. Their use started during the Ming Dynasty (1400s–1600s).
Donkey Burger - A local speciality sandwich. Shredded donkey meat is served in a warm, flaky bread pocket. A well-known saying is “In Heaven there is dragon meat, on Earth there is donkey meat”.
Hebei GEO University
Hebei GEO University was established in 1953 in Zhangjiakou as the Xuanhua Geological School. Incorporating other HEIs, it moved to the provincial capital, Shijiazhuang, in 1985.
The university now offers specialist majors in a wide range of Earth, Geological & Environmental Sciences, as well as Economics, Management, Languages, Design & Information Technology.
The university has approximately 18,000 students, 1700 staff and has a main campus site of 1.8 million square metres (440 acres).
Shijiazhuang
Shijiazhuang has been the administrative capital of Hebei Province since 1968. The urban city has a population of six million (Hebei’s total population is 75 million), and is the 12th largest city in China.
Shijiazhuang was little more than a village until the coming of the railway in 1905. The city now sits as a key railway hub on the N–S & E–W high speed system.
The city has seen explosive growth since the foundation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, with the population quadrupling in the last 30 years.
Shijiazhuang is one of the industrial hubs of Hebei Province and is a major centre for pharmaceuticals and textiles. Its position on the edge of the North China Plain gives easy access to the mountains, with attractions such as the historic Anji Bridge (featured in some of our logos) and Mount Cangyan.
