PREFACE

Ideally located in the costal area of eastern China and encompassing the two metropolises of Beijing and Tianjin, Hebei Province is endowed with beautiful scenery and is the only province possessing shore regions, plains, lakes, hilly regions, mountains area and highland simultaneously in China.

Hebei is the location of ancient state of Yan and Zhao, with profound and splendid culture and a multitude of famous historical scenic spots. At present, Hebei possesses five State-level famous historically cultural cities, 88 historical relics under State protection and 670 historical relics under provincial protection. Hebei takes the first place in China in terms of provincial-level historical relics and ranks the third place in terms of state-level historical relics. The Imperial Summer Resort and temples around Chengde, the Eastern and Western Royal Tombs of Qing Dynasty and the Great Wall are among the world cultural heritages.

Hebei enjoys a fairly large economic scale and a favorable trend in economic development, being one of the largest economies in China. GDP in 2006 reaches 1,161.37 billion yuan, and increase of 13.2 percent over  the same period of last year. With a solid foundation in agriculture, the output of its agricultural products such as grain, cotton, edible oil, meat, dry fresh fruits and vegetables all rank in the front rows of the country. Hebei also has a complete range of industrial system. Hebei Province has formed pillar industries such as metallurgy, building materials, chemical and pharmaceutical industry, food industry and machinery, along with traditional advanced industries such as light industry and textile industry. New advantages are being formed in hi-tech industries such as biotechnology, information technology and new materials. Rapid progress is being made in service industries such as transportation, communication, commerce and trade, tourism, information and consultation. By fully utilizing and depending on the advantages of geographical location, rich natural resources, existing markets and the favorable foundation of economic development, and seizing the opportunity of national Bohai-Rim strategy, Hebei will make a great efforts to promote its economic development and accelerate the construction of coastal powerful economic province.