Hebei rarely makes it on the average China traveler's itinerary, outshone as it is by both historic Beijing and trendy Tianjin, which lie within the province geographically, but outside of it administratively. However, playing the bit part of countryside-seen-through-train-windows-on-the-way-to-other-places is a role too low for this province to play, as it hosts several notable gems that shouldn't be missed. If you do happen to have some extra time in Beijing, Tianjin, or even the busy rail-junction city of Shijiazhuang, you should definitely explore.
Southern Hebei is China at its least glamorous. A landscape of flatlands, heavy industry and mining towns, it is home to the majority of the province's seventy million inhabitants. It's the sparsely populated tablelands rising from the Bohai Gulf to the north that are most promising. The oldest parts of the Great Wall of China can be seen here, its easternmost lengths dipping into the sea at Shanhaiguan, a sleepy, little fortress town a day out of Beijing. Not too far off are the beaches of Beidaihe, once exclusive retreat of Communist party bigwigs, and a nice spot to tan in the summertime.
Further north is the province's most notable attraction, the city of Chengde, a massive imperial retreat conceived by eighteenth-century emperor Kangxi. Larger than both the Forbidden City and Summer Palace combined, Chengde includes massive replicas of the Potala palace and other tributes to major cultures populating the empire, all quite stunning to behold.
You can find a nice hotel in Tianjin, an industrial giant and former concession town. You'll find lots of shoppers plying Tianjin's trendy markets. Take in the unique medley of unkempt nineteenth-century European architecture as you browse the newest fashions and ancient antiques.
Shijiazhuang the provincial capital, isn't the most lively or interesting city, but does serve as launching point for several attractions such as Cangyan Shan Si, the mystical temples perched on cliff faces you see at the end of Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Also, Shijiazhuang plays host to the amazing Wuqiao International Acrobatics Art Festival, a biennial festival held on October 30th of every odd-numbered year.
The plains of Hebei were home to a group of Homo erectus living in the area between 200,000 and 700,000 years ago named Peking man. The prehistoric Beifudi site, 7,000 years old or so, is home to the remains of a Neolithic culture descending from Peking man that once inhabited the area.
Hebei's shape, area and masters changed often in the lead up to the establishment of the People's Republic. In the Spring and Autumn Period (722 - 476 BC) nomadic Di people invaded and established Zhongshan, a small state and site of the first segments of the Great Wall of China, much later, in the fourth century AD.
During the choas of the Sixteen Kingdoms period, Hebei changed hands frequently, falling under the control of the Later Zhao, Former Yan, Former Qin and Later Yan until the Sui Dynasty finally re-unified China in 589.
”Hebei” (literally “north of the [Yellow] river”) finally became an official name during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), but much of the area would be ceded to the Khitan Liao Dynasty to the north and become a serious defense liability, as it meant Khitan control over territory within the Great Wall.
Later the entire North of China, including Hebei, would be abandoned to the Jurchen Jin Dynasty until the Mongolian conquest of China. Later, the Manchu Qing dynasty would govern Hebei as “Zhili” or “Directly Ruled.”
After the Qing Dynasty's collapse in 1912, and the founding of the Republic, China descended into a civil war characterized by campaigns between warlords until the Kuomintang crushed them all during the Northern Expedition. Zhili's proximity to Beijing ensured that it played the role of battlefield during several conflagrations in this period, including the Zhiwan War, as well as the first and second Zhifeng wars.
The city of Tangshang was struck by the 20th century's most powerful earthquake in 1976, resulting in the loss of 240,000 lives. Hebei's frequent tectonic movements are thought to be responsible for the burial of a large settlement nearly 700 years ago, the recently unearthed site of which is considered to be the Chinese equivalent of Italy's Pompeii.