Baoding History & Culture

Baoding is a central city in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, a national new energy and advanced manufacturing base, a national historical and cultural city, and a tourist and leisure destination in the capital region. Since ancient times, it has been a thoroughfare that "controls the three passes in the north, reaches nine provinces in the south, connects four regions, and dominates the Central Plains." It has always been a key location in the capital region and the "southern gateway to the capital," situated in the Beijing-Tianjin-Shijiazhuang-Jinan Triangle. In the first year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty (1368), "Baoding Road" was renamed "Baoding Prefecture," marking the beginning of the establishment of Baoding Prefecture. In the twelfth year of the Zhiyuan reign of the Yuan Dynasty (1275), Shuntian Road was renamed Baoding Road, and the name Baoding, meaning eternal peace and stability, was adopted from then on. During the Qing Dynasty, it served as the seat of the Governor-General of Zhili. As of December 2019, Baoding boasts one World Cultural Heritage site (the Western Qing Tombs) and 69 nationally protected cultural relics sites, including the Zhili Governor-General's Office and the Ancient Lotus Pond in the urban area. It also boasts the national AAAAA-level scenic spots of Yesanpo, Baishishan, and the Western Qing Tombs.