About Shijiazhuang
What to see and do in Shijiazhuang
Weather in Shijiazhuang
Airport in Shijiazhuang
Visa
Shijiazhuang (pinyin: Sh'jiazhuang; literally "The Stones' Village") is a prefecture-level city and the capital of Hebei province, China. It is about 320 km south of Beijing.
Shijiazhuang is a newly industrialized city. It experienced dramatic growth only after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 and was relatively unknown until then.
Shijiazhuang is a young city. It was an unimportant town until the building of the ZhengTai and JingHan railways saw it become an important regional transport hub. Captured by the PLA under the leadership of the CPC in 1947, it was the cradle of the new China, and for three years housed the headquarters of the CPC.
Nowadays it's the capital and main economic center of Hebei province and a relatively important city in China. Shijiazhuang is the largest pharmarceutical base in China and is as well an important center in the textile, IT, manufacturing and chemical industries. In 2007, it was listed as one of the top 15 economic powers in China.
According to the latest census figures, Shijiazhuang has a population of 2.19 million in the city proper, with a further 7.4 million people living in its 20 affiliated counties.
What to see and do in Shijiazhuang
The joy of traveling in Shijiazhuang, as in any large city in China, is that buses are frequent and cheap: just RMB 1 for a journey, whatever the distance.
Taxis are plentiful and, again, will seem to Western travelers almost laughably inexpensive, with the flag-drop often just RMB 5 or so.
Most tourist attractions are located outside the city proper. Notice that buses to neighboring cities and towns depart from different bus stations: but each of these stations (and many close destinations) can be conveniently reached by buses and minibuses from the Central Railway Station. Long-distance buses (e.g. to Beijing) depart/arrive to the main bus station, just a few minutes walk to the south of the Railway Station.
There are a number of sightseeing places in the area, both natural and historic. Most are not located within the city proper, where, however, there is a one must location - the Hebei Provincial Museum, which contains expositions from two major discoveries of the recent decades: the tomb of King of Zhongshan from the late 4th century BCE, and the royal tombs of prince and princess of the Han principality of Zhongshan (Mancheng Han tombs) from the late 2nd century BCE.
Pilu Monastery
Pilu Monastery (Vairocana monastery) is located at Shanjing village in the
northwestern suburbs of SJZ city (bus 115 or 204 from the railway station,
entrance fee RMB 20). The monastery was built in the Tang dynasty and
underwent major restorations under the Yuan and Ming dynasties. The main hall
(Vairocana hall, Pilu dian) contains a stone pedestal with excellent Tang carvings;
and murals from the Yuan-Ming period, some of which are truly magnificent
(if you have the luck to visit when the sunlight is good enough to observe the details).
Major sites around Zhongshan can be divided according to their location to the south, west and north of the city.
Southern direction (Zhao county): Zhaozhou bridge and Bolin Monastery
Zhaozhou bridge is a great masterpiece of Chinese civil engineering. Created around 600 CE under the Sui dynasty, it survived numerous floods and earthquakes, and is considered nowadays as the oldest stone single arch bridge in the world.
Entrance fees: RMB 30 (including the adjacent small museum with a collection of stone carvings, steles and statues from the vicinity of the Zhou county.
How to get there: A bus from SJZ leaves from the southern Nanjiao keyun zhang station, which can be riched by bus 35 from the Central Railway Station. Take a bus directly to Zhao county or, better, to the Ningjin county, get off the bus at the junction from which you can walk to the bridge (1 km).
Bolin monastery is located in the Zhao county proper, 3 km from the Zhaozhou bridge and can be reached by the same buses. It is a large monastery, dating back to the Tang dynasty.
Western Direction: Cangyan Mountain and the Stone Village
The really beautiful Cangyan Mountain (90 minutes drive from SJZ) picture
postcard temples built on the steep hillsides. There is a pavilion built on a bridge
over a gorge that was filed in the final scenes of the Oscar winning film
"Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon". Buses to Cangyan Mt. leave from the
Western Xi Wang keyunzhan (reached by bus 9 from the Central Bus Station).
Stone Village (Shitou cun, or, more precisely Yu Family Village) - a perfect example of Chinese stone architecture, with an excellent local temple (Qingliang pavillion) built in the late Ming-Early Qing period (16th-18th centuries): it may serve as an introduction to popular beliefs of the Chinese peasants. The village is located 20 km from the Jingxing county and can be visited en route to the Cangyan Mt.
Those who really love old towns can continue from the "Stone Village" to the Niangzi guan (literally female fortress on an internal section of the Great Wall), another 20 km to the east, in the Shanxi province. You can take a taxi for RMB 80 - RMB 100 from the "Stone Village" or from the nearby Jingxing county to Nianzi guan, or go directly there from SJZ by train (6414, leaves at 6:38, back at 17:59 from Nianzi guan). The dusty coalminers' town has two major attractions: a small but impressive section of the internal Great Wall, separating Shanxi from Hebei, a site of major battles from the sixth century on; and a beautiful village built on a stream, with private watermills run by many villagers (ask for Shui shang ren jia).
Northern Direction: Zhengding county
The old town of Zhengding (once Zhending) is located only 15 km to the north
of SJZ, bus 201 or 31 from the SJZ railway station). It features numerous beautiful sites,
most specifically the Longxing Temple, built in the Tang dynasty, which features
a huge 22m high bronze Buddha statue donated by the Song emperor in the 11th century.
It is also home to four unique ancient pagodas.
As a young industrial city, Shijiazhuang city proper is generally considered to have relatively few sights of historical or cultural interest. Exceptions are:
Martyrs' Memorial (Lieshi Lingyuan) dedicated to Norman Bethune, Eric Liddell, and Dwarkanath Kotnis
Hebei Museum (Hebei Sheng Bowuguan): including the exhibition of the royal cemetary of the Zhonghsan kingdom (4th century BCE) and exhibits from Mancheng tomb from the early Han period (2nd century BCE).
Well-equipped leisure centers, especially the luxury bathing centers.
The region has hot summers and cold winters; in June the average monthly temperature can reach around 26.5 C (79.7 F) (so it is recommended that you bring sufficient supplies of sunscreen and water, and also eat plenty of fresh fruits), while in January it can reach a low of around -2.9 C (26.78 F). It is therefore recommended that tourists planning on visiting Shijiazhuang do so in the autumn, when the temperature lies at a happy medium between the two extremes.
The city's nearby mountains, however, remain a rewarding sight for visitors throughout the year: flowers reach full-bloom in spring; the forests are at their most verdant during the summer; the trees' golden leaves cover the mountain side during autumn; while in winter the snow-capped mountains will have many a visitor looking on in awe.
January -6 C to 4 C
February -3 C to 7 C
March 3 C to 13 C
April 10 C to 21 C
May 15 C to 27 C
June 20 C to 32 C
July 23 C to 32 C
August 22 C to 30 C
September 16 C to 27 C
October 10 C to 21 C
November 2 C to 12 C
December -4 C to 5 C
Shijiazhuang Daguocun International Airport (or Shijiazhuang Zhengding
International Airport) is an airport in Shijiazhuang, Hebei, People's Republic of
China (IATA: SJW, ICAO: ZBSJ).
Location: Zhengding County, about 30km (19 miles) northeast to Shijiazhuang City.
Brief Intro: Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport was put into service in 1995 as the largest civil airport in Hebei Province. Zhengding International now serves 44 air routes to more than 30 domestic and international cities, including four routes to Russia. The airport is currently being expanded to ensure it will be capable of being an alternate airport to Beijing Capital International Airport for the Olympics in 2008.
Transportation:
From the airport to the urban area, Shijiazhuang:
In the airport, shuttle bus is available when each flight arrives. The bus will
bring you to the CAAC Hotel in Shijiazhuang City. The fare is RMB 20 per
person and it would take between 30-50 minutes.
CAAC Hotel
Address: No.473, Zhongshan Road (East), Shijiazhuang City
Bus Routes: No.5
From the urban area, Shijiazhuang to the airport
In the CAAC Hotel, shuttle buses start 2 hours before the flights. The fare is
RMB20 per person and it would take between 30-50 minutes driving.
Taxi is also an efficient choice, but the fare is very expensive. It would cost about
RMB 100 for you to get to the airport by taxi from the urban area.
Shijiazhuang Airport has the 'City Terminal' in the Meidong International Building (Address: No.16, Guang'an Dajie, Shijiazhuang City). Passengers can buy their tickets and check-in here, and then take the shuttle bus from there directly to the airport. Shuttle buses here also leave 2 hours before the flight departure.
Shuttles between the airport and Baoding City, Hebei Province: In the airport, buses to and from Baoding City are available. Buses leave Baoding at 07:30 from the Baoding Ticket Office (Address: Huanxi Beiyan, Baoding City) and the returning bus leaves the airport at 20:30 from the terminal building.
Ticket Office of the airport
Address: 2nd Floor of the Terminal Building
Ticket Booking: 96360 (for 24 hours)
Ticket Office in Shijiazhuang City
Address: No.471, Zhongshan Road (East), Shijiazhuang City
Airlines and other destinations of Shijiazhuang
Air China (Beijing-Capital)
China Eastern Airlines (Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Haikou, Hailar, Hangzhou, Hohhot, Hong Kong, Kunming, Lanzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai-Hongqiao, Wuxi)
China Southern Airlines (Dalian, Guangzhou, Harbin, Sanya, Shenzhen, Urumqi, Xi'an)
Hainan Airlines (Xi'an)
Shanghai Airlines (Shanghai-Hongqiao)
Shenzhen Airlines (Qinhuangdao, Shenzhen)
Kunpeng Airlines (Shenyang, Xi'an)
Sichuan Airlines (Chengdu)
United Eagle Airlines (Changsha, Chengdu, Dalian, Hohhot)
Xiamen Airlines (Hangzhou, Nanjing, Xiamen)
To be able to travel to Shijiazhuang you need to have a valid China Visa, issue from your local government at the China Embassy, Chinese visa fall into four types: diplomatic visa, courtesy visa, service visa and ordinary visa. Ordinary visa is further divided into the following 8 categories each marked with a letter: (1) Tourist and family visit visa (L-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who comes to China for tourist purpose, family visit or other personal affairs.
(2) Business Visa (F-visa ) is issued to a foreign citizen who is invited to China for visit, research, lecture, business, exchanges in the fields of science, technology, education, culture and sports, or attending various kinds of trade fairs or exhibitions, or short-term study, intern practice for a period of no more than 6 months.
(3) Student Visa (X-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who comes to China for the purpose of study or advanced study for a period of six or more months.
(4) Work Visa (Z-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who comes to China to work and his or her accompanying family members, or to give commercial performances in China.
(5) Transit Visa (G-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who is to transit through China on his or her way to a third country (or region).
(6) Crew Visa(C-visa)is issued to crew member performing his/her duties on board an international train, or on an international airliner, to a sailor on board an international ocean-liner or freighter, and also to their accompanying family members..
(7) Journalist Visa (J-visa)is issued to foreign journalists. J-visa has two categories: J-1 visa and J-2 visa. J-1 visa is issued to resident foreign journalists in China and their accompanying spouses and under-age children, J-2 visa to foreign journalists who visit China for temporary news coverage.
(8) Permanent Residence Visa(D-visa)is issued to a foreign citizen who has been approved by China's public security authority to reside in China permanently.
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free download of basic survival Chinese conversation in China.