Zhangjiakou

Historic city and trading centre in Hebei province, China, on the Great Wall, 160 km/100 mi northwest of Beijing; population (1990) 670,000. Zhangjiakou used to be an important border post between China and Mongolia on the road and railway to Ulaanbaatar; its Mongolian name means ‘gate’. It developed under the Qing dynasty, and was the centre of the tea trade from China to Russia. The origin of the city lies in the forts built here in the 15th and 17th centuries as defences against Mongol incursions.

Zhangiakou has cotton and woollen mills, and also manufactures drilling equipment, machinery, chemicals, detergents, leather, paper, and food. Iron ore is mined, and iron and steel produced at Xuanhua, southeast of the town. In 1998 an earthquake centred on Zhangbei, 40 km/25 mi north of the city, caused widespread destruction in the city and its surrounding region.