City Prefecture of Shijiazhuang - 15.848 sq Kilometers (6.118.9 square miles)
Urban - 455 km2 (175.7 sq miles)
Population: The Total Population of Shijiazhuang City Prefecture was counted to 9.6 million in the year 2008 census. The City itself counted 2.1 million citizens by 2007 AD.
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There are few historic landmarks in the City of Shijiazhuang itself, especially after it recent boom.
The main site of interest within the City is first and foremost the Hebei Provincial Museum. Another, unavoidable landmark is the Revolutionary Martyrs Mausoleum (Lieshi Lingyuan). The latter is also a museum, however in this case Cemetery dedicated to the communist martyrs that gave their life in the establishment of the Peoples Republic of China.
The Xingning Temple at the end of Yuejin Road in the North-East corner of the city and the Longquan Temple are the only known Buddhist Temples within the City Center. Parks of the City are Century Park , Zhaotuo Park and Binhe Park in the south-west corner of Town. Shijiazhuang also has a Zoo and a Botanical Garden.
An interesting propaganda shrine, the Museum and cemetary is situated in its own green and leafy park of Zhongshan Xilu, and features nothing less than the Tomb of Dr. Norman Bethune (1890 AD - 1939 AD), and idealist Canadian Doctor who was among the first westerners to join the ranks of the Chinese Communist after their arrival from the Long March Bao′An and later at Yanan (in arid North Shaanxi Province). The Doctor did a lot for communist medicine, and eventually died from an infection caught during a small surgery accident. With no anti-biotics available the Doctors fate was sealed and he died from infection. Doctor Norman Bethune lives on in the tales of early communist heroism, and serves as a model example of benevolency and sleflessness. As Mao Zedong himself put it and is enshrined in Communist Propaganda as official ′Mao Zedong Thought′ : ′We must all learn from the spirit of absolute selflessness of Dr. Norman Bethune′. Mao always knew how to put it, however personally living up to such ambitions was not really his style.
The Tomb is a must visit for fans of the Revolution.
Outside of town, in the immediate vicinity however there are several interesting locations to travel to, among which several historic sites. The most popular tourist excursions outside of Shijiazhuang go to the historic walled town of Zhengding, located just North of Shijiazhuang and to the slightly less popular town of Yujiacun.
There is however quite a bit more to see in the wider region of Shijiazhuang. Starting nearby the Martyrs Cemetary in the West of the City stands the Vairocana Monastery. Some ways further away, south-west of city center stands the Fuqing Monastery, with -as is rumored- some very interesting ancient stone bridges nearby.
Just North of the City and east of the highway to Baoding stands the Long Xing Monastery.
Due south-east of town, just north of the town of Zhao Xian stands what is known as the ′Anji Bridge′, also the Zhaozhou Bridge.
Public Transport in Shijiazhuang
SHIJIAZHUANG ZHAN - MAIN RAILROAD STATION OF SHIJIAZHUANG:
Traditionally Shijiazhuang is a main railway transportation hub within Hebei Province. Today the City functions as the intersection point of the Main Beijing-Guangzhou north to south Railway Line, the Taiyuan-Dezhou line, and Shuozhou-Huanghua railroads.
The Main Railway Station of Shijiazhuang City, located within the City Center in the Qiaodong District at the crossing of Zhanqian Street and Zhongshan Road.
As the arrival point for many, the Main Station is home to a number of essential Services and is surrounded by Hotels.
Shiijiazhuang has a Railroad Station which connects Shijiazhuang to virtually every city and town within Hebei Province. Furthermore, Shijiazhuang has an extensive and fully modern International Airport. Shijiazhuang also serves as a node for the connection of several highways, including the Beijing-Shenzhen and Taiyuan-Cangzhou Expressways, connecting to Beijing, Tianjin and destinations within Hebei, but also connecting to surrounding Provinces of Shanxi and Henan. Buses leaving from Shijiazhuang cover nearly the entire Province.
Named Zhengding International Airport the airport is also known by its old name Daguocun Airport., Together with Beijing Capital International Airport, the airport of Shijiazhuang is Hebei Province’s main center of air transportation.
The airport of Shijiazhuang City is located North-West of Town at about 30 kilometers northeast of the city and can accommodate all types of medium and large-sized aircraft. It is fully modern facility.
Presently there are 32 domestic routes arriving at and departing from Shijiazhuang, including to destinations such as Shanghai (Pudong Airport and Hongqiao Airport), Shenzhen, Dalian, Hong Kong, and other medium and large cities around the Nation. In addition, the airport services 12 international destinations including four routes to Russia and one to Seoul in South-Korea. An interesting regional destinations is Qinhuangdao at the east end of the Great Wall of China.
For a Full Listing read ′Transport in Shijiazhuang and Region′.
Shuttle buses connect from the City to the Airport at least three times a day. Take Bus Line 5 which will drop you of at CAAC Hotel, at No. 473 Zhongshan East Road, in Shijiazhuang City. Cost are about 20 RMB and travel time to the airport is 30 to 50 minutes depending on traffic and time of day.
Another location from which to catch the airport shuttle Bus is the Meidong International Building (Address: No.16, Guang'an Dajie, Shijiazhuang City)
Taking a Taxi is more expensive, some 130 RMB, and takes around an hour.
For most of the last 2000 years of history Shijiazhuang was only a small, unknown village in north China.
Since the early 20th Century and the development of railways in China, Shijiazhuang has served as an important railway hub within North-Eastern China. In the years 1902 AD and 1903 AD, the town first saw the completion of the of what was known as the Lu-Han Railway (which is the Beijing-Hankou Railway today) and nearly simultaneously the construction of the Zheng-Tai Railway, connecting Beijing through Shijiazhuang with Taiyuan, the Capital of Shanxi Province. Eversince, the railways have brought jobs and work to the small Town which began to grow, slowly at first.
The small town at the time was described in some detail in the book ′First Act in China′ by James Bertram.
Shijiazhuang is a fully modern city in North-East China. Its landscape has been transformed in the last decennium.
Almost since the mid-age of 20th century, Shijiazhuang has been the logistical and distributing nerve center of both Shanxi and Hebei Provinces.
Shijiazhuang is City in North-Eastern China′s Hebei Province. It is located some 280 kilometers due South of the National Capital, Beijing and its City Province, which are not part of Hebei Province but are administered seperately.
Thus, Beijing is the National Capital and the City of Shijiazhuang just to the South is the Capital City of Hebei Province.
Shijiazhuang is situated on the very northern edge of the North China Plain, near the foothills of the Taihang Mountains, which lie to the west forming the border with neighboring Shanxi Province.
The city stands south of the Hutuo River.
From what was earlier but a marginal town, located along the railroad between Beijing and Taiyuan in Shanxi Province, after 1949 AD Shijiazhuang was elevated into a the status of Provincial Capital. Much has changed since, although mainly after the death of Mao Zedong, and a shift in policy that would finally invest in the people and their lives, rather than in military technology and world power status.
In recent years Shijiazhuang had been transformed. An influx of citizens and industry has increased the population and city size four fold, while the city is still growing and modernizing today.
Beijing Regional Map : Datong-Beijing-ShiJiaZhuang-TaiYuan quadrangle, an overview of Beijing Municipality (in Hebei Province) and the Area to the West and South-West of Beijing. Includes Datong, Shanxi Province and nearby Pass to Inner Mongolia (Great Wall of China), BaoDing ShiJiaZhuang and TaiYuan Crossroads-cities. Wutai-Shan and Yuntong-Shan Mountain Ranges.
Generally speaking, the climate in Shijiazhuang is the same as that of Beijing. That means summers are usually searing hot and quite humid with temperatures up to 35 degrees celcius, and winters are harsh and windy, with temperatures well below minus 10 and lots of snow.
Dust storms arising from the western deserts may occur, with the highest frequency in the spring.
The average temperature in January is minus 3 degrees celcius. Average temperature year round in Shijiazhuang is 13.9 °C (57.0 °F) with the highest temperatures coccuring in July. The mean temperature in July is 27.1 °Celcius (80.8 °F). By far the most rainfall occurs in July and August, with steady downpours, after which usually a stint of dry and fair weather sets in.
Best times to visit are in spring and fall when temperatures are more moderate and comfortable for sightseeing.
Schematic Map depicting the multiple layers of the Great Wall of circling Beijing and North and North-East China.
Even further away from the City are the Niangzi Pass and remnants of the Great Wall of China nearby Shijiazhuang. The Niangzi Pass saw its last great batlle during the advance of Japanese Forces into China in 1936/37, when the Niangzi Pass was a heavily fortified and defended pass which held the normally superior Japanse Forces back for a considerable time. Today, the pass has a highway running through it connecting Shijiazhuang with the Capital of Shanxi Province at Taiyuan in the West. Travel along the highway and byroads to find the remnants of an inner layer of the Great Wall of China at Niangzi Pass, and travel on to Xinzhou Pass and other Gates of the Great Wall of China in these regions. Another option is to explore Longquan Guan or the Longquan Pass of the (inner layer o/t) Great Wall just to the North-West.
A Full listing of Shijiazhuang City Landmarks, Monuments, Hotspots
and other sites of importance in alphabetical order. Search through the list to find your Full Report and Photo-Virtual Tour of each monument or landmark within the City, or Region of Shijiazhuang and Region in Hebei Province of China (PRC).
There are no maps available of Shijiazhuang City. There are howeveral several Maps of the Region available at this Time. Please click through to the Maps Index to browse around.
Source Book
"First Act in China"
( available from our
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Apart from Shijiazhuang as major railway transportation Hub and a station on the new high speed railway line, Shijiazhuang is connected by major highways to satisfy the requirement of trade. So far, 4 expressways, 4 national highways, 2 provincial highways, and 42 county highways forms a huge network in a total length of 6375 kilometers (3963.7 miles), which makes places in and around Shijiazhuang easily reachable.
Shijiazhuang Hotels
There is no information available on Hotels in Shijiazhuang
ZHAOZHOU OR ANJI BRIDGE:
Although not a huge tourist magnet as The Great Wall of China, the Zhaozhou Bridge can fully hold its own as one of Chinas stunning historic architectural works. Renowned throughout the world, it is the largest and oldest stone-arched bridge in the world. Built in the years 605 AD to 616 AD during the Sui Dynasty, it is an ethestical masterpiece with its main arch extending to the maximum forming a shallow arch rather than the half circle known in the west. The survival of this ancient bridge alone gives proof of the impressive state of technology that was used in its creation. The largest stone arch in the middle of the bridge measures 37.37 meters, which made it for certain the world's largest spanning arch at the time.
