| Xingtai | |
| Settlement Type: | Prefecture-level city |
| Other Name: | Hsingtai, Shunteh |
| Native Name: | 邢台市 |
| Native Name Lang: | zh-Hans |
| Nickname: | Sitting Bull City (Chinese: 卧牛城) |
| Image Map1: | Location_of_Xingtai_Prefecture_within_Hebei_(China).png |
| Map Caption1: | Location of Xingtai City jurisdiction in Hebei |
| Pushpin Map: | China Hebei#China Northern Plain#China |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the city center in Hebei |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | People's Republic of China |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Hebei |
| Seat Type: | Municipal seat |
| Seat: | Xindu District |
| Established Title: | Settled |
| Established Date: | 3500 BC |
| Established Title2: | Established |
| Established Date2: | November 15, 1983 |
| Area Total Km2: | 12432 |
| Area Blank1 Title: | Districts |
| Area Blank1 Km2: | 132.3 |
| Area Urban Km2: | 114.80 |
| Area Urban Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 7,111,106 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 census |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Districts |
| Population Blank1: | 971000 |
| Population Urban: | 971300 |
| Population Density Metro Km2: | auto |
| Population Density Urban Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type2: | GDP[3] |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Prefecture-level city |
| Demographics2 Info1: | CN¥ 223.6 billion US$ 32.4 billion |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Per capita |
| Demographics2 Info2: | CN¥ 24,256 US$3,894 |
| Timezone: | China Standard |
| Utc Offset: | +8 |
| Coor Pinpoint: | Xingtai municipal government |
| Coordinates: | 37.0717°N 114.5048°W |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 054000 |
| Area Code: | 0319 |
| Iso Code: | CN-HE-05 |
| Blank Name: | Vehicle registration |
| Blank Info: | Chinese: 冀E |
| Psp: | Hsingtai |
| S: | 邢台 |
| T: | 邢臺 |
| P: | Xíngtái |
| W: | Hsing2-tʻai2 |
| Order: | st |
| L: | "temple of Xing" |
Xingtai (Chinese: s={{linktext|邢|台), formerly known as Xingzhou or Shunde, is a prefecture-level city in southern Hebei province, People's Republic of China. It has a total area of 12486km2 and administers 4 districts, 2 county-level cities and 12 counties. At the 2020 census, its population was 7,111,106 inhabitants.[2] By the end of 2024, the total resident population of the city will be 6.877,800. Among them, the resident population of urban areas is 3,921,700.[4] It borders Shijiazhuang and Hengshui in the north, Handan in the south, and the provinces of Shandong and Shanxi in the east and west respectively.[5]
Xingtai is the oldest city in North China.[6] The history of Xingtai can be traced back 3500 years ago. During the Shang dynasty, Xingtai functioned as a capital city. During the Zhou dynasty, the State of Xingfrom which the present name deriveswas founded in the city. During the Warring States period, the state of Zhao made Xingtai its provisional capital. The city was known as Xindu for most of the Qin dynasty,[7] but after the 207 BC Battle of Julu (within present-day Pingxiang County, not today's Julu County), it became known as Xiangguo. During the Sixteen Kingdoms Period, when the Later Zhao was founded by Shi Le of the Jie, the capital was again at Xiangguo. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the city was known as Xingzhou.[8]
Sui, Tang and Song times saw the zenith of ceramics production in what was the most prolific ceramics center of northern China (rivaling the Yue ware from the South). The white ware and new technologies developed in the Xing kiln mark the transition from proto-porcelain to proper porcelain.[9] More than thirty kiln site have been excavated in different subdivisions of today's Xingtai City and a large high-tech museum have been established in Neiqiu County in 2017.[10] [11] [12]
During the Yuan dynasty, Ming, and Qing dynasties, Xingtai was called Shunde (Shundefu) and functioned as a prefecture in China.
Xingtai has a continental, monsoon-influenced semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk).[13] It has hot, humid summers due to the East Asian monsoon, and generally cold, windy, very dry winters that reflect the influence of the vast Siberian anticyclone; fall is similar to spring both in temperature and lack of rainfall. In the spring, there are large sandstorms blowing in from the Mongolian steppe, accompanied by rapidly warming, but generally dry, conditions. The annual rainfall, more than half of which falls in July and August alone, is highly variable and not reliable. In the city itself, this amount has averaged to a mere 496.5mm per annum.During the year, temperatures typically vary between -6°C and 32°C, rarely falling below -10°C or above 37°C.[14]
According to a survey conducted by Global Voices China in February 2013, among China's 10 most polluted cities, seven of those cities were located in the province of Hebei (Xingtai, Shijiazhuang, Baoding, Handan, Langfang, Hengshui and Tangshan). Among the 10 cities, Xingtai ranked first in the list with the worst air quality.[15] In 2020, the improvement rates of Xingtai's air quality index and average PM2.5 concentration ranked first in Hebei.[16]
A major earthquake, known as the Xingtai earthquake, with magnitude 6.8 on the Richter scale and epicenter in Longyao County occurred in the early morning of March 8, 1966.[17] It was followed by 5 earthquakes above magnitude 6 on the Richter scale that lasted until March 29, 1966. The strongest of these quakes had a magnitude of 7.2 and took place in the southeastern part of Ningjin County on March 22. The earthquake resulted in 8,064 deaths, 38,000 injuries and more than 5 million destroyed houses.[18]
| Map | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Chinese | Pinyin | Population (2020) | Area (km2) | |
| Xiangdu District | Chinese: 襄都区 | Xiāngdū Qū | 362,857 | 116 | |
| Xindu District | Chinese: 信都区 | Xìndū Qū | 798,770 | 1941 | |
| Renze District | Chinese: 任泽区 | Rènzé Qū | 342,869 | 431 | |
| Nanhe District | Chinese: 南和区 | Nánhé Qū | 350,384 | 405 | |
| Lincheng County | Chinese: 临城县 | Línchéng Xiàn | 199,793 | 797 | |
| Neiqiu County | Chinese: 内丘县 | Nèiqiū Xiàn | 260,000 | 788 | |
| Baixiang County | Chinese: 柏乡县 | Bǎixiāng Xiàn | 168,761 | 268 | |
| Longyao County | Chinese: 隆尧县 | Lóngyáo Xiàn | 480,447 | 749 | |
| Ningjin County | Chinese: 宁晋县 | Níngjìn Xiàn | 745,389 | 1,032 | |
| Julu County | Chinese: 巨鹿县 | Jùlù Xiàn | 346,007 | 631 | |
| Xinhe County | Chinese: 新河县 | Xīnhé Xiàn | 134,095 | 366 | |
| Guangzong County | Chinese: 广宗县 | Guǎngzōng Xiàn | 280,603 | 504 | |
| Pingxiang County | Chinese: 平乡县 | Píngxiāng Xiàn | 323,675 | 406 | |
| Wei County | Chinese: 威县 | Wēi Xiàn | 496,230 | 994 | |
| Qinghe County | Chinese: 清河县 | Qīnghé Xiàn | 421,582 | 500 | |
| Linxi County | Chinese: 临西县 | Línxī Xiàn | 326,968 | 542 | |
| Nangong City | Chinese: 南宫市 | Nángōng Shì | 396,718 | 861 | |
| Shahe City | Chinese: 沙河市 | Shāhé Shì | 431,746 | 859 | |
| Xingtai Economic Development Area | 邢台经济开发区 | Xíng Tái Jīng Jì Kāi Fā Qū | 182,585 | - | |
| Xingdong New Area | 邢东新区 | Xíng Dōng Xīn Qū | 63,367 | - | |
Xingtai is the most important base for natural resources in North China, producing 20 million metric tonnes of coal annually. It also features the largest power plant in the southern part of this region of China, with an output of 2.06 gigawatts.[19]
Xingtai is connected by 4 railways, namely the Beijing−Guangzhou, Beijing−Kowloon, Xingtai-Huanghua and Xingtai-Heshun railways. It is also connected by 5 expressways: the Beijing−Shenzhen (G1), Daqing–Guangzhou (G45), Qingdao−Yinchuan (G20), Dongying–Lüliang (G2516) and Xingtai–Hengshui (S30) expressways.[20] Xingtai is also served by Xingtai Dalian Airport which opened on 18 July 2024.[21]
