About Shijiazhuang
Shijiazhuang (Chinese: 石家庄; pinyin: Shíjiāzhuāng), also written Shikiachwang or Shihkiachwang, is the capital and largest city of North China's Hebei province.[1] Administratively a prefecture-level city, it is about 263 kilometres (163 mi) southwest of Beijing, and it administers 6 districts, 5 county-level cities, and 12 counties.
At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 10,163,788, with 2,766,614 in the urban area and 4,770,400 in the built-up (or metro) area comprising the 5 urban districts, the counties of Zhengding and Luancheng, Luquan City and now Gaocheng City largely conurbated with the Shijiazhuang metropolitan area as urbanization continues to proliferate. Shijiazhuang's total population ranked twelfth in mainland China.
Shijiazhuang is a modernizing and ever growing city. It experienced dramatic growth after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. The population of the metropolitan area has more than quadrupled in only 30 years as a result of fast industrialization and major infrastructural developments. Shijiazhuang is a major transportation hub in the region which has contributed to the city's fast growth and development. From 2008 to 2011, Shijiazhuang implemented a three-year plan which concluded with the reorganization of the city resulting in an increase of green areas and improved urbanization (new buildings, new roads and road plans). The three-year plan was a success and even after it ended, the city continues to benefit from the major projects that were implemented with the opening of a new train station, a new airport and a subway system. Even with the green areas, however, Shijiazhuang continues to suffer from pollution. The top ten cities that suffered the most days of severe pollution includes Shijiazhuang.