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.
The joy of traveling in SJZ, as in any large city in China, is that buses are frequent and cheap: just one yuan 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 5 yuan 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.
'''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 20 RMB). 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 ??_a) 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.
Entrance fees: 30 RMB (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 (_____q?__) 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 (?_W) 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.
'''Stone Village''' (Shitou cun __?__, or, more precisely '''Yu Family Village''') (______) - a perfect example of Chinese stone architecture, with an excellent local temple (Qingliang pavillion ___y?) 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''' (___q?, 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 80-100 RMB 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 _____l__).
Rehe huiguan (?____?) restaurant, just opposite the railway station (slightly to the south) features excellent Hebei and Manchu cuisine.
There is a small but lovely, and relatively cheap, Korean restaurant on Zhongshan Xi lu (___R___H), a few minutes walk from the railway station.
The main bar for expats and foreign teachers is located inside Changan Guangchang on Zhongshan Lu, it is next to McDonald's (just tell the taxi driver 'Maidanglau zhongshan lu' and you should get there). It is called the "Youth Year Beer Bar" however it is more popularay known as McDonald's Bar. It is in the far right hand corner of the bottom floor of Changan Guangchang with Sonia and Kevin at the bar. Sonia never smiles.
Seven Club('qi jiu ba' in Chinese) is the main night club that all the expats and foreign teachers go to, located to west of the train station. The beer is not great but it has the best atmosphere compared to any other club.