Cangzhou (沧州 Cāngzhōu) is a city of 7.4 million people (2015) in the south-eastern part of Hebei province in China. It is the southern gateway between Beijing and Tianjin.

Cangzhou is the city with the longest length of the Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal, accounting for one eighth of the total length of the canal.

Understand

Cangzhou city view

Cangzhou is the hometown of martial arts and acrobatics in China, and was awarded the title of the hometown of Chinese calligraphy in 2009.

In 2021, the original Shijiazhuang Yongchang Football Club moved to Cangzhou and changed its name to Cangzhou Lions, becoming the first Chinese top league club in Cangzhou.

Cangzhou is the largest residential area of the Hui ethnic group in North China. As of 2023, the city has 47 ethnic minority groups with a population of 287,500.

Climate

Cangzhou has four distinct seasons, moderate temperature and plenty of light. The weather is dry and windy in spring. It is hot and rainy in summer. Autumn is cool. Winter is dry and cold. The average annual temperature is 12.5℃, and the average annual precipitation is 581 mm.

History

Cangzhou was named after the Bohai Sea since the Warring States Period. The Western Zhou Dynasty was Qingzhou, and the Spring and Autumn Period was Yan, Qi, Jin, Zhao and other states.

Cangzhou
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D       3.2     2 −8       4.2     6 −4       8.5     13 2       20     21 10       37     27 16       85     31 20       220     32 23       140     30 21       49     27 16       22     20 9       13     11 0       4.5     4 −6 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation+Snow totals in mm from National Meteorological Center
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D       0.1     36 18       0.2     43 25       0.3     55 36       0.8     70 50       1.4     81 61       3.4     88 68       8.6     90 73       5.5     86 70       1.9     81 61       0.9     68 48       0.5     52 32       0.2     39 21 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation+Snow totals in inches

Cangzhou was once the northern starting point of the Maritime Silk Road in history. There are 52 types of martial arts and boxing equipment that originated or spread in Cangzhou, accounting for 40% of the 129 types of martial arts and boxing equipment in the country. Cangzhou is one of the birthplaces of Chinese martial arts, the first prefecture level city to be named the "hometown of martial arts" by the state, and also widely recognized as the first hometown of martial arts in the Chinese martial arts community.

Get in

Cangzhou is in the Heilonggang Basin in southeast Hebei and east of Hebei Plain. The city is 120 km north of Tianjin, 240 km from Beijing, and 220 km southwest of the provincial capital Shijiazhuang.

• 1 Cangzhou Station (沧州站). One of the stations of the Beijing-Shanghai Railway. The Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway passes through Cangzhou and stops at Cangzhou West Railway Station. It only takes 50 minutes to reach Beijing directly.  

The stations of the Beijing-Kowloon Railway in Cangzhou City include Xinzhongyi Station, Suning Station, Wangzuo Station, Hejian West Station, Beiluzhuang Station and Renqiu Station, and the South.

Expressway: National Highway 105 and National Highway 307 run through the city.

Get around

Firstly, the public transportation system in Cangzhou includes trains and long-distance buses. Cangzhou Railway Station is located on Xinhua East Road in Cangzhou City and can be reached by multiple buses. It provides train services to multiple cities including Beijing, Jinan, Dezhou, Tianjin, Xuzhou, Hefei, and Qingdao. In addition, there is a long-distance bus station in Cangzhou that provides some long-distance bus services both inside and outside the province.

Secondly, taxis are also a convenient way of transportation. The starting price of a taxi is 6 yuan, which is a good choice for short distance travel or in a hurry.

See

Iron Lion of Cangzhou

Qingfeng Building

• 1 Iron Lion of Cangzhou statue (沧州铁狮子). The majestic Cangzhou Iron Lion was built during the Five Dynasties.  
  • In 2011, the new Cangzhou Iron Lion (新滄州鐵獅子) was built in the Lion City Park. This new iron lion is bigger than the original one (1.32 times the original size) and weighs about 120 tons.
• Cangzhou zhan. (updated May 2018)
• 2 Qingfeng Building (清风楼 (沧州)), Jiefang West Road, Yunhe District. It is a modern reconstruction of a building constructed in the Yongkang Dynasty. It was built in 1992, with 5 floors and a height of 30 m on the bank of the Grand Canal. It is an important symbol of Cangzhou City. The first floor displays historical and cultural materials of Cangzhou City. The top floor is an observation deck and the exhibition hall of modern Cangzhou achievements. The remaining three floors are teahouses that display ancient Qingfeng Tower Poems and history. (updated Feb 2023)

Do

The China Wuqiao International Acrobatic Art Festival is held every two years, with the participation of acrobatic troupes from more than a dozen countries and regions. Wuqiao Acrobatics World brings together all traditional Chinese acrobatics performances.

Eat

Cangzhou's "Jinsixiaozao" and "Botou Yali" (known as Tianjin Yali, the name of the export port) are famous specialty fruits, and now the newly cultivated Huanghuadongzao has become famous all over the country.