Hebei or Hopei
[key], province, 78,900 sq mi (204,404 sq km), NE China, on the Bohai, an
arm of the Yellow Sea. The capital is Shijiazhuang. The province contains two
autonomous municipalities administered directly by the central government:
Beijing, the
capital of China, and Tianjin, a major
port. Another large port on the relatively unindented coast line is
Qinhuangdao.
Other important cities are Tangshan and Baoding. Hebei is mountainous in the
north and the west, where rich iron and coal deposits are extensively mined.
The province also has extensive deposits of oil and natural gas. S Hebei is
part of the North China Plain. The land is fertile and rainfall is adequate,
but until water conservation programs were instituted, the province was
subject to severe drought and flooding. These recent improvements, along
with the enlargement of farms and the expansion of mechanization, have
greatly increased agricultural output. Hebei is a major cotton-producing
province and an important producer of wheat. Other crops include rice,
millet, sorghum, potatoes, sweet potatoes, barley, corn, soybeans, and
fruit. Stock raising is important, and fishing and salt production are
significant along the coast. Heavy industry (mainly metallurgical, iron and
steel, machinery, and textile) is concentrated in and around Beijing,
Tianjin, and Tangshan. Many light manufactures, such as ceramics, paper, and
processed foods, are also produced in the province. With many good roads and
railroad systems centering on Beijing, Tianjin, and Shijiazhuang, and with
the Grand Canal and other excellent waterways, Hebei has one of the best
communications systems in China. One of the earliest regions of Chinese
settlement, Hebei has many prehistoric sites. Parts of the former provinces
of Jehol and Chahar were incorporated into Hebei in 1956. The province was
formerly called Chi and Chihli. Hebei Univ. is in Tianjin.
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