During the Warring States Period (403 BC - 221 BC), Hebei was under the rule of the states of Yan (燕 yān) in the north and Zhao (赵 zhào) in the south. The Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) ruled the area under two prefectures, Youzhou (幽州 Yōuzhōu) in the north and Jizhou (冀州 Jìzhōu) in the south. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907) the area was formally designated "Hebei" (Yellow River's north). During the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), northern Hebei was an area of hot contention between Song China and the Liao Dynasty.
During the Qing dynasty, the province was called Zhili (直隸, pinyin: Zhílì, Wade-Giles: Chih-li), meaning "Directly Ruled (by the Imperial Court)". In 1928, the name was changed to its current name to reflect that fact that it had a standard provincial administration.
On July 28, 1976, Tangshan was struck by a powerful earthquake, the deadliest of the 20th century with over 240,000 killed. A series of smaller earthquakes struck the city in the following decade.
Large quantities of coal and iron can be found in Hebei.
Hebei's industries mainly include textiles, coal, steel, iron, engineering industry, chemical production, petroleum, electricity, ceramics and food.
In 2003: GDP: 709.54 billion Renminbi
GDP per capita: 10508 Renminbi GDP growth rate: 11.6%
Employment by industry (primary/secondary/tertiary) (2001): 49.6% / 25.4% / 25.0%
In 2001: Birth rate: 11.16 births/1000 population
Death rate: 6.18 births/1000 population
Sex ratio: 103.63 males/100 females
Average family size: 3.59 Illiteracy rate (total/male/female): 8.59% / 6.47% / 10.76%
Dialects of Mandarin are spoken over most of the province, except along the western border, where dialects of Jin-yu, another subdivision of Chinese, are spoken instead.
(Jin-yu is sometimes classified as a subdivision of Mandarin. For more information, see Chinese spoken language.)
Traditional forms of musical performing arts in Hebei include Pingju, Hebei Bangzi, and Cangzhou Kuaiban Dagu. Traditional arts and crafts include Dingzhou porcelain.
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 Qing Dynasty emperors.
Also, there are Qing Dynasty imperial tombs at Zunhua (East Qing Tombs) and Yixian (West Qing Tombs). Tnese are also part of a World Heritage Site.
Having the most number of national highways, Hebei's total highway length is more than 40 thousand kilometers. Hebei also has the highest coverage of railways in the country. There are railways to Guangzhou, Harbin, Baotou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Jiujiang, Jinan and others. Shijiazhuang and Shanhaiguan are two main railway transportation centers. Qinhuangdao is one of the busiest port in northern China. Shijiazhuang is also the center of air transportation.
