Baotou is the second-largest city by urban population in Inner Mongolia, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, its built-up (or metro) area within its five urban districts is home to 2,261,089 people while the total population is 2,709,378 as of the 2020 census. Alternatively, Baotou is known as the "City of Steel in the Grasslands" (), since steel was a major industry in the city which is built on the Mongolian grassland and contains a large grassland park. Today, Baotou mines and refines over half of the rare-earth minerals produced in the world. This has led to environmental contamination near the industrial sites.

History

thumb|200px|The Deer monument in urban Baotou

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.

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.

Mid-20th century

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.

Socialist Industrial City (1950s–1960s)

The early decades of the People's Republic of China marked Baotou's transformation into a flagship socialist industrial center. In 1954, it was designated one of the nation's eight key cities for heavy industry development, alongside Chengdu, Datong, Lanzhou, Luoyang, Taiyuan, Wuhan and Xi'an. This status, awarded based on the presence of major industrial enterprises, guaranteed Baotou prioritized state funding and support for construction. The Iron and Steel Base in Baotou is one of the "156 projects", which were constructed with the help of the Soviet Union to develop China's national economy in the 1950s and 1960s, and it continues this reputation until this day. The city's urban layout itself reflected this new era, as Soviet architects contributed their experience in designing "socialist cities" – planned communities centered around major industrial plants.

Late 20th century

Modernization and diversification

Following the economic reforms, Baotou entered a new phase of growth and transformation. While the Baotou Iron and Steel Company remained the cornerstone of the local economy, the city began to diversify its industrial base. It evolved from a purely steel-producing center into a comprehensive hub for rare earth metallurgy, machinery manufacturing, and energy production, leveraging its rich mineral resources.

1996 earthquake

On 3 May 1996, at 03:32AM UTC (11:32AM local time), an earthquake of M<sub>S</sub> 6.4 occurred. Since the epicenter of the earthquake was located close to the city, 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.

21st century

In the early 21st century, Baotou's economy grew rapidly, growing about tenfold from 2000 to 2010. The city's gross domestic product peaked at about 386.763 billion renminbi (RMB) in 2016, and has shrunk significantly since then. and accounted for approximately 21.3% of Inner Mongolia's total gross domestic product (GDP) as of 2012. As of 2018, the city's GDP is 295.180 billion renminbi (RMB), a 7.22% increase from the previous year, but much lower than the city's peak of 386.763 billion RMB in 2016. However, like the city's total economy, it has shrunk since then. Rare-earth minerals from the Bayan Obo Mining District, about 120 kilometres from Baotou, are processed in the city. They are used in many electrical and electronic devices, such as smartphones, TVs, wind turbines, and electric vehicle motors. The toxic byproducts from the refineries are contained by the Baotou Tailings Dam. The average household in Baotou comprises 2.27 people, down from 2.65 as of 2010.() is the main sports venue in the city and is used mostly for football matches.

thumb|200px|Saihantalah Grasslands Park, central Baotou

  • Saihantalah Grasslands Park () or Ecological Reserve is a large urban park in Qingshan district. The 5.5&nbsp;km square park is home to thirty wild animal and bird 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.
  • 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 toxic waste from rare-earth mineral refineries. Since as early as 2012, there have been reports of serious contamination of the surrounding environment. is south of the urban area itself. The Tumochuan Plateau (), 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.

Climate

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 in winter and rise above in summer. The annual precipitation is approximately , 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. to on 22 June 2005.

Administrative divisions

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

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;" align=center

!colspan="8"| Map

|-

|colspan="8" align="center" | <div style="position: relative" class="center">

</div>

|----------

! #

! Name

! Mongolian

! Hanzi

! Hanyu Pinyin

! Population<br/>(2010 Census)

! Area (km<sup>2</sup>)

! Density<br/>(/km<sup>2</sup>)

|----------

|1

|Hondlon District

|<br/>

|

|Kūndūlún Qū

|726,838

|301

|2,415

|----------

|2

|Donghe District

|<br/>

|

|Dōnghé Qū

|512,045

|470

|1,089

|----------

|3

|Qingshan District

|<br/>

|

|Qīngshān Qū

|600,284

|396

|1,516

|----------

|4

|Shiguai District

|<br/>

|

|Shíguǎi Qū

|35,803

|761

|47

|----------

|5

|Bayan'obo Mining District

|<br/>

|

|Báiyún Èbó Kuàngqū

|26,050

|303

|86

|----------

|6

|Jiuyuan District

|<br/>

|

|Jiǔyuán Qū

|195,831

|734

|267

|----------

|8

|Guyang County

|<br/>

|

|Gùyáng Xiàn

|175,574

|5,025

|35

|----------

|9

|Tumed Right Banner<br/>(Tumed Barun Banner)

|<br/>

|

|Tǔmòtè Yòu Qí

|276,453

|2,368

|116.7

|----------

|10

|Darhan Muminggan United Banner<br/>(Darhan Muminggan Holbot Banner)

|<br/>

|<br/>

|Dá'ěrhǎn Màomíng'ān<br/>Liánhé Qí

|101,486

|17,410

|5.8

|}

<gallery heights="180px">

File:北方兵器公园 - panoramio.jpg|Northern Weapons Park

File:Child on way home from school, Baotou.jpg|Trip home for lunch, area rebuilt after the earthquake

File:Aobao shrine worship in Baotou, Inner Mongolia.jpg|Aobao Shrine

File:G210 Highway Baotou Yellow River Bridge 1.jpg|Bridge over the Yellow River

File:Baotou.chariot.ger tereg.jpg|Baotou chariot and Yurt

File:Main airport road, Baotou.jpg|Main airport road, Baotou

File:Baotou students playing soccer in snow.jpg|Students at Baotou Foreign Languages School playing soccer in the snow

</gallery>

See also

  • , named for the city

Notes

References

  • Baotou official website