Province View-china.org.cn

Acting Governor: Guo Gengmao

Capital: Shijiazhuang

Government office address: 10 Weimingjie, Shijiazhuang City

Tel: 0311-709 2680

Website: www.hebei.gov.cn

Geographic location

The province is located in the northern part of the North China Plain extending into the Inner Mongolian Plateau. Beijing, the capital of China, and Tianjin, the important trading port in north China, are situated at the center of the province, although are not part of it. It adjoins Liaoning and Inner Mongolia in the north, Shanxi in the west and Henan and Shandong in the south. The Bohai Sea lies to the east of Hebei. Its coastline extends 487 km, and the total area of the province is 190,000 sq km.

Hebei 2005 - The Year in Review

2004 in Review

General Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP)	GDP for 2005 was 1.01 trillion yuan, up 13.4% from the previous year. The per capita GDP stood at 14,814 yuan, up 12.7%.
GDP ratio (primary, secondary and tertiary industries)	The primary industry yielded a value added of 145.39 billion yuan, 5.6% more than that of the previous year; the secondary industry, 532.42 billion yuan, a growth of 15.6%; and the tertiary industry, 333.85 billion yuan, a growth of 13.4%.
Revenue and expenditure	Provincial revenue was 103.52 billion yuan, an increase of 33.0% over the previous year. Provincial expenditure was 96.22 billion yuan, an increase of 22.5%.
Consumer price index (CPI)	CPI was up 1.8% from the previous year.
Investment in fixed assets	Fixed asset investment was valued at 419.35 billion yuan, up by 30.4% from the previous year.
Major Industries
Agriculture	In 2005, the province's total grain output was 25.986 million tons, an increase of 4.8% from the previous year.
Industry	The industrial added value totaled 475.9 billion yuan, an increase of 15.9%.
High-tech	The total added value from high-tech industries was 26.73 billion yuan, up by 25.2%.
Construction	Its added value was 56.52 billion yuan, up by 13.4%.
Transportation	Freight carried by various means of transport for the year was 29.3% up from the previous year to be 475.06 billion ton-kilometers; while passenger transportation was 4.7% up to number 98.98 billion person-kilometers.
Postal services	The annual turnover of postal operations totaled 2.51 billion yuan, 12.3% up from the previous year.
Telecommunications services	The annual turnover of telecommunications services totaled 50.47 billion yuan, up by 22.1%. At the end of 2005, the number of fixed line subscribers reached 16.272 million, an increase of 492,000 from the previous year-end; and the number of mobile phone subscribers reached 19.655 million, an increase of 4.526 million from the 2004 figure.
Retail	The annual turnover from retail sales reached 295.29 billion yuan, an increase of 14.6% from the previous year.
Tourism	Revenue from tourism totaled 42.41 billion yuan, up by 21.2% from the 2004 figure.
Continued Effects of Market Reform
Imports & exports	The annual value of imports and exports totaled US$16.07 billion, 18.8% up from the year before.
Economic and technological cooperation	Overseas project and labor contracts signed during the year numbered 152, valued at US$1.11 billion, up 110% from the previous year. Business turnover for the year totaled US$570 million, an increase of 120% from the previous year.
Foreign investment	The foreign direct investment which was materialized during the year stood at US$1.91 billion, up by 17.8%.
Urban Construction and Management
Road transport	By the end of 2005, a total of 75,894 km of highways, including 2,135 km of express highways, had opened to traffic. The rural highways connecting various villages amounted to 65,686 km.
Social Undertakings
Science and technology	The investment in scientific research and technological innovations totaled 9.78 billion yuan, up by 13.7% from the previous year. A total of 3,338 technological contracts were signed, they were valued at 1.04 billion yuan, up 42.8% from the year before.
Education	There were 86 institutions of higher learning in the province at the end of 2005. The number of students enrolled in postgraduate schools and institutions of higher learning during the year stood at 6,600 and 250,000 respectively. About 93.8% of the school age population had access to the nine-year compulsory education, up by 3.1 percentage points from the year before.
Culture	By the end of 2005, the province had a total of 126 arts performance organizations, 174 cultural and arts centers, 153 public libraries, 46 museums and 204 archives. About 98.6% of the provincial population had access to various TV and radio programs. The subscribers of cable TV programs numbered 4.703 million.
Public health	At the end of 2005, there were 3,284 health and medical institutions staffed with 191,000 people and equipped with 162,000 beds. A total of 142 centers for disease control and prevention were under construction.
Sports	In various international and national games, the athletes from the province won 56 golds, 39 silvers and 41 bronzes.
Welfare and aid	Various welfare units across the province were equipped with 67,000 beds and put up 42,000 homeless and vagrant people during the year. There were 6,602 urban community service facilities at the end of the year. The funds raised through selling welfare lottery totaled 620 million yuan in 2005. Public donations totaled 30 million yuan.
Population, Employment, Social Security and Living Standards
Population	The year 2005 saw births of 877,000, or a birth rate of 12.84‰, and deaths of 461,000, or a mortality rate of 6.75‰. The natural growth rate of the population stood at 6.1‰. At the end of the year, the total population stood at 68.508 million.
Employment	The employed population stood at 35.677 million at the end of 2005, an increase of 510,000 from the previous year end.
Registered unemployment rate	The registered urban unemployment rate was 3.93%, a reduction of 0.07 percentage points from the previous year end.
Social security	In 2005, insurance plans for medical treatment, unemployment and endowments covered a population of 5.621 million, 4.612 million and 7.079 million respectively. About 1.164 million residents including 348,000 from countryside received minimum living allowance from the government.
Residents' income	The disposable income of urban residents was 9,107 yuan per capita, up by 14.5% from 2004. Rural residents' per capita net income was 3,482 yuan, a growth of 9.8%.
Residents' consumption	Urban residents' per capital consumption rose by 15.1% from the previous year to reach 6,700 yuan while that of rural residents was up by 18.0% to reach 2,166 yuan.
Geography and Natural Conditions
Elevation extremes	The topography of Hebei Province is composed of three major geomorphic features, of which the average height of the Bashang highland is 1,200-1,500 meters above sea level, making up 8.5% of the total area; meanwhile, Mt. Yanshan and Mt. Taihangshan, including hilly land and basins, mostly lie within an elevation below 2,000 meters, accounting for 48.1% of the total area. The Hebei Plain is part of the North China Plain, with an elevation mostly below 50 meters, accounting for 43.4% of the total provincial area.
Climate	The province lies in the temperate zone, with a continental monsoon climate. In most areas, the change of season is distinct, with yearly sunshine averaging 2,500–3,100 hours. The annual frost-free period lasts about 120 to 200 days; annual rainfall averages 300 to 800 mm. The monthly mean temperatures is 3℃ or below. The mean temperatures in July are 18 to 27℃, with a clear-cut change of seasons.
Natural resources	Water resources The province has a coastline extending 487.3 km, covering a total area of 1 million hectares. With this natural condition, the province can develop such industries as offshore petroleum oil drilling, marine chemical, marine transportation, and marine tourism. Qinhuangdao is a well-known ice-free port in north China. The Yellow River, Haihe River, and Luanhe River run across the province, where an offshore aquatic breeding industry can readily be developed. Mineral resources So far, a total of 116 varieties of mineral ores have been discovered, which the deposits of 74 have been surveyed. There are 45 mines whose reserves are among the national top 10. The province boasts two large coalmines at Kailuan and Fengfeng in addition to the North China oil field. Biological resources In the province, there are more than 3,000 species of plants, of which more than 140 are fiber plants, more than 1,000 are medicinal herbs and plants, and more than 100 are timbers. There are 300 or more kinds of forage grass, 140 kinds of oily plants, and more than 450 varieties of cultivated plants. Of them, the output of cotton makes up one-seventh of the nation's total and that of maize and fruits makes one-tenth of the nation's total respectively. There are 215 varieties of farming products in 12 major categories that can be listed as brand name and best products, or native or rare products. There are more than 20 varieties of medicinal herbs and materials for export.
Tourism resources	The province is the only one in the country that boasts highlands, mountainous and hilly areas, plains, lakes and a coastline. Across the province, there are 304 ancient ruins and groups of ancient buildings including 58 key relics under state protection. The number of historical and cultural relics in the province ranks first in the country along with Shaanxi Province. The total number of natural and human cultural scenic sites ranks second nationally. They include the Chengde Summer Resort, Shanhaiguan Pass at the head of the Great Wall, Beidaihe holiday resort, the Eastern and Western Tombs of the emperors of the Qing Dynasty.