History
Historically, Hebei was a chief barrier to northern invasion, it contains part of the Great Wall of China. Since 1644, it was ruled by the Qing dynasty. When the Qing Dynasty collapsed in 1912, it was ruled by the Republic of China. It was occupied by the Japanese from 1937 to 1945. The Chinese Communist Party took Hebei in control in 1949.Under the People’s Republic of China , the provincial capital of Hebei was at Baoding until 1958, when it was transferred to Tianjin, and in 1966 it returned to Baoding. In 1968 the provincial capital was moved to Shijiazhuang.
Economy
Hebei’s main agricultural products are cereal crops including wheat, maize, millet, and sorghum. Cash crops like cotton, peanut, soya bean and sesame are also produced.
Kailuan, with a history of over 100 years, is one of China’s first modern coal mines, and remains a major mine with an annual production of over 20 million metric tonnes. Much of the North China Oilfield is found in Hebei, and there are also major iron mines at Handan and Qian’an.
Hebei’s industries include textiles, coal, steel, iron, engineering, chemical production, petroleum, power, ceramics and food.
Ethnic group
The population of Hebei Province is mostly Han Chinese with minorities of Mongol, Manchu, and Hui Chinese.