2008 China Eclipse Trip - Page 9

Downtown Baoding

Baoding is a city 137km south of Beijing, it is one of the ten cities under the direct administration of Hebei Province. It covers an area of 40,000 sq. kilometers, with a population of 11 million. One third of its territory lies in the Taihang Mountains in the west, one third lies in the eastern plain area, the other third in the hilly land in between.

Baoding enjoys a good transportation network. The Beijing- Guangzhou Railway Line runs through Baoding from north to south, it takes about one hour for a train from Beijing to Baoding. Beijing is a short train ride of 85 miles north, and therefore Baoding has been considered a strategic southern gateway and protectorate for Beijing through the centuries.