Hebei (河北; Héběi) is a province in China of approximately 75 million people surrounding Beijing. The province's land area forms the core of the pancake flat China Northern Plain. This is industrial China at its most raw: smog, relentless and incredible construction, and traffic stretching along expressways. While its attractions are obscured by its industrial output, the province has plenty of sightseeing, outdoors, and skiing in a region where few international tourists venture.
Hebei means 'North of the River' due to it being located entirely North of the Yellow river. It is at the cradle of Chinese civilization with a rich archaeological record revealing thousands of years of history and still standing historical sites built over a 1,000 years ago.
The two mega-cities of Beijing and Tianjin are carved out from Hebei. The province surrounds both cities and in addition small exclave of Sanhe is wedged in between the two cities. However, with the launch of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (Jing-Jin-Ji) regional initiative, much of Hebei will be integrated with the two cities as part of a giant megalopolis bided together by high speed rail connecting major points to within an hour of each other. As part of the integration plan, the Xiongan New Area is under construction, aggregating three rural counties in Hebei to form a special zone for the relocation from Beijing of government bureaucracy, state owned enterprise employees, and research and development workforce.
The majority of people speak standard Mandarin (Putonghua). Hebei Mandarin is considered to have the most classical of dialects and accents, and is the model for the rest of China. However, each city has its own dialect which is more common amongst the working classes. English fluency is rare, but younger people are more likely to speak it.
Hebei is served by several long distance high-speed rail lines including the Beijing–Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong high-speed railway which runs from Beijing West Station to the major Hebei cities of Shijiazhuang, Xingtai and Handan. The Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway starts from Beijing South Station and makes stops in Langfang and Cangzhou.
There are also short distance inter-city high speed rail lines including the Tianjin–Baoding intercity railway and Tianjin–Qinhuangdao high-speed railway. An intercity high speed rail line is under construction from Beijing to Zhangjiakou and will open in 2019.
Long distance buses from Liuliqiao Passenger Transportation Junction (六里桥长途汽车站) in Beijing depart every 30 minutes to Chengde (about 5 hours) and less frequently to towns in the rural counties in the grasslands of Hebei and Inner Mongolia.
Qinhuangdao Beidaihe Airport (IATA: BPE), Zhangjiakou Ningyuan Airport (IATA: ZQZ).
There are train stations in virtually every part of the province except for the sparsely populated far north grasslands. However, it is common to reach county-level cities by bus due to infrequent train service outside of prefecture-level railway stops. Travel to even remoter parts of a county requires an additional trip by bus or minibus from the county seat.
North of Beijing, Hebei has a belt of tourism centered activities and sights. On the coast is Beidaihe, the nearest beach getaway; in the far north is the grassland beyond Chengde, once the hunting grounds of the Qing emperors; and in the northwest are ski slopes and vineyards.
South of Beijing, the province is emblematic of the hand-in-hand relationship of dense industry and environmental problems in China. However the rich history, archaeology, and outdoors are not to be missed on clear sky days. There is especially a plethora of historical religious sites from the towering pagodas of Zhengding and Dingzhou to the Xiangtangshan Buddhist cave temples in Handan.
The Great Wall runs across the northern part of Hebei including beginning from the eastern end of the Great Wall at Shanhaiguan on the coast of Hebei. There is also a north-south direction inner spur of the Great Wall running down along the border of Hebei and Shanxi. Many sections are not restored like in Beijing, so are in a partially or completely ruined state (wild wall).
Hebei cuisine is fairly meat heavy, with more noodles than rice, and fairly similar to Beijing cuisine. As a large province, there are regional specialties. Tangshan cuisine is known for its variety of seafood. In the grasslands restaurants offer feasts featuring a whole rack of lamb cooked in plain view.
The province is a major cultivator of Chinese dates (jujubes). Vendors in town markets or grocery stores sell the many varieties of this antioxidant and nutrient rich snack.
The Huailai Valley in the northwest is a winegrowing region where Great Wall, the big nationally distributed brand, has roots. Hebei also likes its baijiu, the strong liquor found throughout China, with each city possessing a favorite, often packaged into a unique shape. Shops in rest areas along expressways offer a varied selection from the province.
Almond beverages are popular. You can find it in the form of a package of almond powder or drink in a tin can.
Smog can be dangerously high especially from November to March. In fact, 7 out of the 20 most polluted cities in China in 2018 are in Hebei (Xingtai, Shijiazhuang, Handan, Baoding, Hengshui, Cangzhou, and Tangshan in descending order). Wear a mask with a PM2.5 filter on polluted days.