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A prefecture-level city in central Hebei Province, China. It governs five city districts and 15 counties, including Mancheng and Qingyuan, and acts as the governing authority for four county-level cities, including Dingzhou (as of 2016). Population: 11,966,000 (2014). It is located at the eastern foot of the Taihang Mountains, a strategic point on the transportation route running north and south across the Hebei Plain. Fanyu County was established in the Han Dynasty, and after repeated abolition and establishment, it became Qingyuan County in the Sui Dynasty. Taizhou was established in the Five Dynasties, and Baozhou in the Song Dynasty, and developed into the central city of Hebei. During the Republic of China era, it was the capital of Hebei Province. In 1948, the urban area of ​​Qingyuan County was separated to establish Baoding City.

Whenever there was unrest in Hebei, it became a battleground, and was also a key location against the invasion of foreign tribes from the north. After the national capital was established in Beijing, it was in a position to equally control the three major gateways of Juyong, Zijing, and Taoma, which cross the Taihang Mountains and reach Shanxi, and was an important point in the defense of the capital. In addition, the Beijing-Guang Line and the Beijing-Guang High-Speed ​​Railway run through it, and it is connected to Tianjin by the Tianjin Line (opened in 2015), and it is a material hub in central Hebei Province. Industries such as chemical fibers, spinning, and machinery are also developed, with a focus on light industry.

The ancient lotus pond in the center of the city was built in the Yuan dynasty to imitate the gardens of the south, and it gives off a Jiangnan-style landscape in a northern city. During the Qing dynasty in particular, successive emperors often came from Beijing to visit the pond.

[Motohide Akiyama, Editorial Department, March 21, 2017]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、河北(かほく)省中部の地級市。満城(まんじょう)、清苑(せいえん)など5市轄区と15県を管轄し、定州(ていしゅう)市など4県級市の管轄代行を行う（2016年時点）。人口1196万6000（2014）。太行(たいこう)山脈の東麓、河北平野を南北に走る交通路の要衝である。漢代に樊輿(はんよ)県が置かれ、以後廃置を繰り返して隋(ずい)代に清苑県となった。五代に泰州(たいしゅう)、宋(そう)代には保州が置かれ河北の中心都市として発達した。中華民国時代には河北省の省都であった。1948年、清苑県の市街地を分離して保定市が置かれた。

　河北に動乱があるときは必争の地となり、また北方異民族の侵入に対する要地でもあった。北京(ぺキン)に国都が置かれてからは、太行山脈を越えて山西に至る居庸(きょよう)、紫荊(しけい)、倒馬(とうば)の三大関門を等しく統括する位置にあり、京畿(けいき)防御の重要地点であった。また京広線、京広高速鉄道が縦貫し、天津(てんしん)と津保線（2015年開通）で結ばれ、河北省中部の物資集積地である。軽工業を中心に、化学繊維、紡績、機械などの工業も発達している。

　市の中心にある古蓮花(これんげ)池は元代に南方の園林を模してつくられたもので、北方の都市のなかにあって江南的風景を呈している。とくに清(しん)代には歴代の皇帝がしばしば北京から遊覧に訪れた。

［秋山元秀・編集部　2017年3月21日］

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