Capital of Hebei, China
About Shijiazhuang
Shijiazhuang is the capital and most populous city of China's Hebei Province, located 266 kilometres (165 mi) southwest of Beijing. It administers eight districts, three county-level cities and eleven counties, and is east of the Taihang Mountains, which extend over 400 km (250 mi) from north to south with an average elevation of 1,500 to 2,000 m.
Name
The city's present name, Shijiazhuang (Chinese: 石家庄), first appeared during the Ming dynasty. Its literal meaning is "Shi family's village". The word Shijiazhuang was generally used after construction of the Shijiazhuang station of the Zhengtai Railway in 1907. The origin of the name is heavily disputed. One story claimed that the Wanli Emperor sent 24 officers and their families to the area, after which the group split into two settlements consisting of 10 and 14 families. The imperial court then named the settlements "village of 10 families" (十家庄) and "village of 14 families" (十四家庄), respectively. Since the Chinese characters for ten (十; shí) and stone (石; shí) are homophones, it is speculated that the city name gradually evolved into its current spelling. Another explanation is that the settlement was named after the highest-ranking official amongst the groups, who was surnamed Shi. …
History
This area was occupied by Xianyu people at beginning of Zhou dynasty; it later belonged to the Zhongshan (中山國) and Zhao states during the pre-Qin period. In pre-Han times (i.e., before 206 BC), the site of the city of Shiyi in the state of Zhao was located in this area. After taking over Zhao, Qin Shi Huang established the Hengshan Commandery in the region. It became part of the Zhao Principality under Western Han. The land was briefly granted to Liu Buyi (劉不疑), son of the Emperor Hui, during Empress Dowager Lü's reign. The territory was then passed to Liu Hong, Emperor Houshao of Han, after Buyi's death. It was then granted to Liu Chao (劉朝), another son of Emperor Hui. During the defeat of the Lü clan, Liu Chao was killed and the territory became a commandery of Zhao once again. …
Geography
Shijiazhuang is located in south-central Hebei, and is part of the Bohai Economic Rim. Its administrative area ranges in latitude from 37° 27' to 38° 47' N, and the longitude 113° 30' to 115° 20' E. The prefecture-level city reaches a 148 kilometres (92 mi) north–south extent and a 175 kilometres (109 mi) wide from east to west. The prefecture has borders stretching 760 kilometres (472 mi) long and covers an area of 15,722 square kilometres (6,070 sq mi). Bordering prefecture-level cities in Hebei are Hengshui (E), Xingtai (S), and Baoding (N/NE). To the west lies the province of Shanxi. The city stands at the edge of the North China Plain, which rises to the Taihang Mountains to the west of the city, and lies south of the Hutuo River. From west to east, the topography can be summarised as moderately high mountains, then low-lying mountains, hills, basin, and finally plains. …
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