Baoding

125 kilometers away from Shijiazhuang City in the south, 141 kilometers away from Beijing in the north and 155 kilometers from Tianjin in the east, Baoding City lies in the central part of Hebei Province. It has under its jurisdiction 3 districts, 4 county-level cities, and 18 counties.

Baoding has a convenient transportation with both Beijing-Guangzhou railway and road running through it and a network of regional roads. It only takes 2 hours from Beijing to Baoding by the newly built Beijing-Shijiazhuang Expressway.

Baoding is a cultural city with more than 2,000 years of history. Two relics of the Yangshao Culture have been found here. In the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, Baoding City was called Baoding Lu; in the period of the Republic of China and the early stage of the PRC, Baoding was the capital city of Hebei Province. The Lianchi Academy set up in the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) was well known all over the country. The Old Lotus Pond was one of the Top Ten Ponds at that time.

Baoding is a national historical and cultural city with unique scenery and plenty of places of interest. Places for tourists are the Old Lotus Pond, the provincial government office of Zhili Province in ancient times, the Baiyang Shallow Lake reputed as the Bright Pearl in North China, the West Tomb of the Qing Dynasty in Yixian County, the Tomb of the Han Dynasty with Jade Clothes Sewn with Gold Threads and the Changxin Palace Lantern, the north Yuefei Temple in Quyang City, the Kaiyua Pagoda in Dingzhou. It also has more than 300 scenic spots such as the Yesanpo in Laishui at the state level, the Zhuozhou Movie City for CCTV.