Baotou

Baotou 包头市 • ᠪᠤᠭᠤᠲᠤᠬᠣᠲᠠ Paotow
Prefecture-level city
Downtown Baotou
Location of Baotou City jurisdiction in Inner Mongolia
Baotou Location of the city centre in Inner Mongolia Baotou Baotou (China) Show map of Inner MongoliaShow map of ChinaShow all
Coordinates (Baotou municipal government): 40°37′17″N 109°57′12″E / 40.6213°N 109.9532°E / 40.6213; 109.9532Coordinates: 40°37′17″N 109°57′12″E / 40.6213°N 109.9532°E / 40.6213; 109.9532
Country	People's Republic of China
Autonomous region	Inner Mongolia
County-level divisions	10 Banners
Municipal seat	Jiuyuan District
Area
• Prefecture-level city	27,768 km2 (10,721 sq mi)
• Urban  (2017)[1]	2,662 km2 (1,028 sq mi)
• Metro	2,662 km2 (1,028 sq mi)
Elevation	1,065 m (3,494 ft)
Population  (2010 census)
• Prefecture-level city	2,650,364
• Density	95/km2 (250/sq mi)
• Urban  (2017)[1]	2,283,900
• Urban density	860/km2 (2,200/sq mi)
• Metro	2,283,900
• Metro density	860/km2 (2,200/sq mi)
• Major ethnic groups	Han - 95% Mongols - 2.3% Manchus - 1% Hui - 1%
Time zone	UTC+08:00 (China Standard)
Postal code	014000
Area code(s)	472
ISO 3166 code	CN-NM-02
License plate prefixes	蒙B
Local Dialect	Jin (Baotou dialect); Northeastern Mandarin; Southern Mongolian
Website	www.baotou.gov.cn

Baotou (Chinese: 包头市; pinyin: Bāotóu; Mongolian: Buɣutu qota) is the largest city by urban population in Inner Mongolia, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, its built-up (or metro) area made up of 5 urban districts is home to 2,070,801 people with a total population of over 2,650,364 million accounting for counties under its jurisdiction.^[2] The city's namesake, literally translated to "place with deer", is of Mongolic origin or "Lucheng" (Chinese: 鹿城; pinyin: Lùchéng), meaning "City of Deer". Alternatively Baotou is known as the "City of Steel in Gobi" (草原钢城; Cǎoyuán Gāngchéng).

Previously the town's principle industry was steel. However, in recent decades Baotou has become internationally known for processing rare earth minerals mined in Bayan Obo, making the city the largest Chinese source of the minerals.^[3] Though central to the city's economy, it also produces toxic tailings contained by the Baotou Tailings Dam .^[3]

History[]

The Deer monument in central Baotou City, Inner Mongolia

Ancient times[]

The area now known as Baotou was inhabited by nomads, some of whose descendants would later be categorized as Mongols. Near the end of the Han Dynasty—206 BC–220 AD—Lü Bu, a particularly noteworthy warrior, was born in today's Jiuyuan District of Baotou.

Foundation of the town[]

Compared to the capital of Inner Mongolia, Hohhot, Baotou's construction as a city came relatively late, being incorporated as a town in 1809. The city's site was chosen because it was in an arable region of the Yellow River's Great Bend.

Early 20th century[]

The Gelaohui secret society and the Hui Muslim General Ma Fuxiang came to an agreement in 1922, in which Ma Fuxiang agreed to allow the Gelaohui to extort protection money from wool merchants in Baotou.^[4]

A railway from Beijing was constructed in 1923, and the city began spurring some industrial sites. A German-Chinese joint-venture in 1934 constructed the Baotou Airport and opened a weekly route connecting Baotou with Ningxia and Lanzhou.

When young Owen Lattimore visited Baotou in 1925, it was still "a little husk of a town in a great hollow shell of mud ramparts, where two busy streets made a traders' quarter", but already an important railhead. Qinghai and Gansu wool and hides were brought down the Yellow River by raft and boat from Lanzhou to Baotou, and shipped from Baotou by rail to the east (in particular, to Tianjin for export). The river traffic was one-way only, however, as the fast current made sailing up the Yellow River impractical. To travel from Baotou back to Lanzhou or Yinchuan, one would use a cart and camel road. There were also caravan roads from Baotou to Ordos and the Alxa League.^[5]

Second Sino-Japanese War[]

Baotou was under Japanese control from 1937 until 1945.

Chinese civil war[]

On September 19, 1949, after the September 19 Rebellion, Baotou fell under Communist control. The People's Government was formed in February 1950.

Late 20th century[]

In the early Communist years Baotou served as an industrial centre, with a significant portion of its economy coming from its steel production. The Iron and Steel Base in Baotou is one of the "156 projects", which were constructed with the help of Soviet Union to develop China's national economy in the 1950s and 1960s, and it continues this reputation until this day.

1996 earthquake[]

On the 3rd of May, 1996, at 03:32AM UTC (11:32AM local time), an earthquake of M_S 6.4 occurred. Since the epicenter of the earthquake was located close to the city,^[6] Baotou was very damaged by the earthquake: 26 people were killed, 453 injured and 196,633 lost their homes. The electrical infrastructure of the city was also damaged, and soil liquefaction occurred around the swamps of the Yellow River.

The earthquake, which destroyed many old houses, led to the reconstruction of Baotou. In 2002, the Baotou Municipal Government was awarded by UN-HABITAT for the improvements in shelter and the urban environments.^[7][8]

Economy[]

Baotou is the largest economy of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,^[9] with a GDP value of 340.95 billion RMB in 2012, representing a 12.6% rise over the previous year, accounting for approximately 21.3% of the province's total.^[10]

Baotou Xingsheng Economic & Technological Development Zone is an industrial zone in Baotou.

The city processses ore from the mines in Bayan Obo, the greatest source of rare-earth metals globally. In 2005, they accounted for 45% of the total production on earth.^[11] The tailings ponds from the complex hydro-metallurgical and acid processing results in significant local water and land pollution.^[3] Both humans and animals have had disease because of this contamination.^[3]

As noted, in the early Communist years Baotou served as an industrial centre, with a significant portion of its economy coming from its industry around metals, mostly steel. The Iron and Steel Base of Bautou was constructed with the help of the Soviet Union to help China in developing its economy; It is one of those 156 projects that the Soviets helped building for that purpose in the 1950s and 1960s.

Demographics[]

Badekar Monastery

Ethnic groups in Baotou, 2000 census.

Prominent locations[]

• The 39,000 capacity Baotou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium^[12](包头奥林匹克体育中心) is the main sports venue in the city and is used mostly for football matches.

Saihantalah Grasslands Park, central Baotou

• Saihantalah Grasslands Park (赛汗塔拉城中草原) or Ecological Reserve is a large urban park in central Baotou, in the Qingshan district. The 5.5 km square park is home to thirty wild animals and birds species and is reputedly one of the largest urban parks in China. It is a popular recreational location and attracts 2 million visitors a year.
• The largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Inner Mongolia, Badekar Monastery is located in Shiguai District.^[13]
• The Baotou Tailings Dam or Weikuang Dam is a tailings dam about 20 kilometres outside the main city of Baotou. It is owned by Baotou Steel and contains the waste from rare earth mineral refineries. In 2015, BBC journalist Tim Maughan wrote that the dam was a "toxic lake" and the area like "hell on earth." He said he was unable to tell where the refineries ended and the city began. He compared the city to images in the movie Tron, where "the side streets are filled with drunk, vomiting refinery workers that spill from bars and barbecue joints."^[14] In 2016, serious contamination of farming land in the dam's immediate vicinity was formally identified by Chinese researchers.^[15] The rare earth minerals are mined in Bayan Obo Mining District, about 120 kilometres from Baotou and are used in the manufacture of many modern electronics, including smartphones, TVs and wind turbines.

Transportation[]

• Baotou is a terminus for both the Baolan Railway and the Jingbao Railway, heading for Lanzhou in the west and Beijing in the east, respectively. The city is served by two main railway stations, Baotou East Railway Station, and Baotou Railway Station.
• Baotou Donghe Airport serves the city with regular service to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
• The city is connected by the to Inner Mongolia's capital, Hohhot.
• China National Highway 210
• Baotou Metro

Geography and climate[]

Baotou is located in the west of Inner Mongolia, located at the junction of two economic zones: the Bohai Economic Rim and the (黄河上游资源富集区). Its administrative area borders Mongolia's Dornogovi Province to the north, while the Yellow River, which flows for 214 kilometres (133 mi) in the prefecture,^[16] is south of the urban area itself. The (土默川平原), Hetao Plateau, and Yin Mountains cross the urban area and central part of the prefecture. Baotou City ranges in latitude from 41° 20' to 42° 40' N and in longitude from 109° 50' to 111° 25' E.

Baotou features a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk), marked by long, cold and very dry winters, hot, somewhat humid summers, and strong winds, especially in spring. Temperatures often fall below −15 °C (5 °F) in winter and rise above 30 °C (86 °F) in summer. The annual precipitation is approximately 300 millimetres (11.8 in), with more than half of it falling in July and August alone. Due to the aridity and elevation, temperature differences between day and night can be large, especially in spring. In 2002, there were 12 instances of dust storms.^[16]

Administrative divisions[]

Baotou is divided into 10 county-level divisions, including 7 districts, 1 county and 2 banners.

Map
Donghe Hondlon Qingshan Xiguit Bayan'obo Jiuyuan Tumed Right Banner Guyang County Darhan'muminggan United Banner
#	Name	Mongolian	Hanzi	Hanyu Pinyin	Population (2010 Census[17])	Area (km2)	Density (/km2)
1	Hondlon District	ᠬᠥᠨᠳᠡᠯᠡᠨ ᠲᠣᠭᠣᠷᠢᠭ (Köndelen toɣoriɣ)	昆都仑区	Kūndūlún Qū	726,838	301	2,415
2	Donghe District	ᠳᠦᠩᠾᠧ ᠲᠣᠭᠣᠷᠢᠭ (Düŋhė toɣoriɣ)	东河区	Dōnghé Qū	512,045	470	1,089
3	Qingshan District	ᠴᠢᠩᠱᠠᠨ ᠲᠣᠭᠣᠷᠢᠭ (Čiŋšan toɣoriɣ)	青山区	Qīngshān Qū	600,284	396	1,516
4	Xiguit District	ᠰᠢᠭᠤᠶᠢᠲᠤ ᠲᠣᠭᠣᠷᠢᠭ (Siɣuyitu toɣoriɣ)	石拐区	Shíguǎi Qū	35,803	761	47
5	Bayan'obo Mining District	ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠨ ᠣᠪᠣᠭ᠋᠎ᠠ ᠠᠭᠤᠷᠬᠠᠢ ᠶᠢᠨ ᠲᠣᠭᠣᠷᠢᠭ (Bayan Oboɣ-a Aɣurqai-yin toɣoriɣ)	白云鄂博矿区	Báiyún Èbó Kuàngqū	26,050	303	86
6	Jiuyuan District	ᠵᠢᠦᠶᠤᠸᠠᠨ ᠲᠣᠭᠣᠷᠢᠭ (Jiü yuvan toɣoriɣ)	九原区	Jiǔyuán Qū	195,831	734	267
8	Guyang County	ᠭᠦᠶᠠᠩ ᠰᠢᠶᠠᠨ (Güyaŋ siyan)	固阳县	Gùyáng Xiàn	175,574	5,025	35
9	Tumed Right Banner (Tumed Barun Banner)	ᠲᠦᠮᠡᠳ ᠪᠠᠷᠠᠭᠤᠨ ᠬᠣᠰᠢᠭᠤ (Tümed Baraɣun qosiɣu)	土默特右旗	Tǔmòtè Yòu Qí	276,453	2,368	116.7
10	Darhan Muminggan United Banner (Darhan Muminggan Holbot Banner)	ᠳᠠᠷᠬᠠᠨ ᠮᠤᠤᠮᠢᠩᠭ᠋ᠠᠨ ᠬᠣᠯᠪᠣᠭᠠᠲᠤ ᠬᠣᠰᠢᠭᠤ (Darqan Muumiŋɣan Qolboɣatu qosiɣu)	达尔罕茂明安 联合旗	Dá'ěrhǎn Màomíng'ān Liánhé Qí	101,486	17,410	5.8

Gallery[]

• 

  Northern Weapons Park

• 

  Trip home for lunch, area rebuilt after the earthquake

• 

  Aobao Shrine

• 

  Bridge over the Yellow River

• 

  Baotou chariot and Yurt

• 

  Main airport road, Baotou

• 

  Students at Baotou Foreign Languages School playing soccer in the snow

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Baotou.

• Baotou travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Baotou official website