Shijiazhuang
was initially established in 1925. On October 7,1939, it was formally
established as a city then called Shimen City. On December 26, 1947, it
was renamed as Shijiazhuang City.
After
decades of development, Shijiazhuang has become a major central city in
North China. In 1992, Shijiazhuang ranked 25th place among the 50
Chinese cities in terms of comprehensive economic strength. In 1995, it
generated a domestic gross product of 54.5 billion yuan (Renminbi),
with the per capita GDP reaching 6,440 yuan (Renminbi). Of the GDP, the
primary industry generated 10.6 billion yuan (Renminbi), or 19.4%, the
secondary industry 26.1 billion yuan (Renminbi), or 47.9%, and the
tertiary industry 17.8 billion yuan (Renminbi), or 32.7%. It has
established a comprehensive industrial structure with a relatively
rational distribution, comprising the main sectors such as textiles,
pharmaceuticals, machinery, chemicals, building materials, the light
industry and electronics. The city has more than 3,200 industrial
enterprises above the township level.
The farming
sector of Shijiazhuang is one of the largest producers of farm products
in Hebei Province, including grain, vegetables, meat and eggs, with the
per capita output ranking among the highest in provincial capitals in
China. In the mountainous areas in western Shijiazhuang, there are
large reserves of minerals of high quality, including the proven
deposit of limestone of 1-1.5 billion tons, and the known deposit of
iron ore of 27 million tons in addition to large deposits of marble,
granite and dolomite.
Shijiazhuang has become a major distribution center for commodities in
China, with 130,000 networks of commercial, catering and service
outlets, more than 100 large and medium-sized department stores and
trading centers for industrial and farm goods and other material
supplies, and 630 markets of various types.
Shijiazhuang has a powerful force of science and technology, with more
than 460 scientific R&D institutions at and above the city
level, as well as more than 140,000 scientific and technological
personnel. There are 431 scientific and technological personnel for
every 10,000 local residents. The rate of contribution by science and
technology to economic growth is 35%. With an area of 18 sq km, the
Shijiazhuang High
and New Technology Industrial Development
Zone is a member of the first group of 27 national-level high and new
technology development zones approved by the State Council. Nearly
1,000 enterprises have undertaken projects in this development zone.
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Shijiazhuang has more than 20
colleges and universities as well as more than 50 secondary technical
schools. For every 10,000 local residents, there are 1,321 university
and secondary technical school students and graduates. Sixteen of the
23 counties (or cities) and districts of Shijiazhuang have
made the nine-year compulsory education universal.
With relatively developed
communications utilities, convenient telecommunications conditions and
complete infrastructure, Shijiazhuang enjoys a favorable investment
environment. As a major railway hub in China, Shijiazhuang is the
meeting place of three major railway lines, namely, the
Beijing-Guangzhou Railway Line, the Shijiazhuang-Taiyuan Railway Line
and the Shijiazhuang-Dezhou Railway Line. The Shijiazhuang Railway
Station is a major transfer station in North China for both passenger
and cargo trains and is also one the three largest marshalling yards in
China. Shijiazhuang has a complete traffic system extending to all
directions. As the two-way Beijing-Shijiazhuang Expressway has been
fully opened, one needs to drive for more than two hours only
from Shijiazhuang to Beijing. At present, the Hebei Section
of the Shijiazhuang-Taiyuan Expressway has opened to traffic, while the
Shi-An Section of the Beijing-Shenzhen Expressway is under
construction. The Shijiazhuang Airport has opened air routes to large
and medium-sized cities in China and will successively open
international air routes soon. As one of the four largest ail
processing hubs in China, the Shijiazhuang Post Office has opened
express mail services to 174 other Chinese cities as well as to 168
other countries and regions. The Shijiazhung Telecommunications
Building is a major pivot of the telecommunications networks for areas
south of Beijing. It is capable of offering direct telecommunications
contacts to more than 700 cities and counties in China as well as to
more than 190 countries and regions. All the telephone services in
urban areas of Shijiazhuang are program-controlled, with the capacity
of the city's telephone switchboards reaching 600,000 lines. Every 100
local residents have 24.13 telephone sets on average. Urban areas of
Shijiazhuang are rationally distributed, with the functions of each
area relatively complete. Highways of the city are distributed as
well-established networks, with a total of 15 overpasses integrating
the city as a whole. The establishment of the city's second ring road
has greatly improved the traffic conditions of the whole city.
The
city's capacity of tap water supply
has reached 1.6 million tons daily. Its daily supply of gas for both
industrial production and the life of residents has reached 3.585
million cu m. Approximately 95% of the local residents use
gas as fuel in their daily life. The supply of heat has reached 10,000
tons of steam daily. Roughly 29.2% of the urban areas have been covered
by trees and grass. Shijiazhuang has been rated among the "top
ten" Chinese cities in terms of environmental sanitation and protection.
As
Shijiazhuang has many scenic spots
and historical sites, the city's tourist industry is thriving. Xibaipo
-- a sacred place of the Chinese revolution -- was once the site of the
Headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee at
wartime. The Great Zhaozhou Stone Bridge, called the "No.
1 bridge under the heaven," has been honored as an
outstanding model of stone arch bridges in the world history of bridge
construction. At the Cangyanshan and Zhangshiyan scenic spots, wooded
mountain peaks are connected to one another, producing attractive
scenes of landscape. The great bronze Buddha and the color statue of
the Goddess of Mercy at the Longxing Temple in the ancient city of
Zhengding are rated as treasures of ancient Chinese arts of casting and
sculpture.
Link
http://202.84.17.11/english/china_abc/abc_index.htm
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