Hebei

史History & character

Hebei wraps around Beijing and Tianjin like a horseshoe. Its name means "north of the river" — the river being the Yellow. Historically it was the capital region's hinterland: the Ming Great Wall ran across its northern hills, the Qing emperors retreated to summer mountain resorts at Chengde, and grain barges from the south unloaded along its eastern coast.

The province contains some of the most dramatic surviving stretches of the Great Wall — Jinshanling, Simatai, Gubeikou — that draw far fewer crowds than the Beijing-administered Mutianyu and Badaling sections. Chengde Mountain Resort, a UNESCO site, was the Qing emperors' summer capital and houses one of the densest concentrations of imperial-era temples and gardens outside the Forbidden City.

Heavy industry concentrates in the south around Shijiazhuang, Tangshan, and Handan. The northern half is mountainous and forested, with the climate transitioning quickly into the steppe environment of Inner Mongolia.