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As the capital of the Zhao State in ancient China, Handan has been nourished by the special culture. The rich sites of human culture inherits and continues the historical connotation of thousands of years here and the charm of Handan just lies in its ever-flowing cultural river.

Located in the south of Hebei Province, Handan City neighbors Taihang Mountains in the west, faces the Fuyang River in the east and has the Zhanghe River cutting through its south. It is low-lying and belongs to the South China Plain. About 450 km from Beijing, Handan has developed into an important industrial city in south Hebei.

As one of the famous historical and cultural cities in China, Handan has a civilization of more than 7,000 years old. Archeologists found grain cellars, house ruins, sacrificial articles and other relics of 7,000 years ago, proving that millet and domestic chicken first came into being here. Handan has a history of more than 2,500 years as a city. It was once the capital of the Zhao State during the Warring States Period (475-221BC), and witnessed eight monarchs and 158 years of tripartite confrontation. In the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD), it was equally famous with Luoyang, Linzi (today’s Zibo in Shandong Province), Wan (today’s Nanyang in Henan Province), Chengdu and other cities, and became one of the five big cities nationwide. At the end of the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao built the camp for the King of the Wei State, and renamed it as Yecheng. Six dynasties in the history built their capitals here in Handan in succession, and the city became the political, economic and cultural center in the Yellow River valley. Many literary quotations and famous tales have something to do with the history of Handan.

Handan has the continental monsoonal climate. The mean annual temperature is 13℃ — the hottest month, July, with the highest temperature of 38oC and the coldest month, January, with the lowest temperature of 20oC. The mean annual precipitation is 627 mm, mainly in July and August. The frost-free period is 235 days. In spring, it is usually dry in Handan. The city enjoys convenient transportation, with the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway, No.107 National Highway and the Beijing-Shenzhen Speedway running through it. The establishment and renovation of a group of star-rated and foreign-oriented hotels has greatly improved the conditions of reception services, and provide a favorable environment for sightseeing in Handan.

(Source: chinaculture.org)