Hengshui

Hengshui is a prefecture-level city in southern Hebei province, People's Republic of China, bordering Shandong to the southeast. Situated in the southeast of Hebei Province, Hengshui City neighbors Xingtai, Handan, Cangzhou and Baoding within the province and is bordered by Shandong Province in the southeast. The capital city of Hebei, Shijiazhuang is about 119 kilometers west of the downtown Hengshui, and Beijing is about 250 kilometers north of the city. In remote ages, there were several principalities in present Hengshui. During the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476), it mostly belonged to the Jin Kingdom, while in the Warring States Period (476-221), it was a part of the territory of Yan and Zhao kingdoms. It was put into the Julu Shire after the First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221BC. Most domain of present Hengshui took shape in the Han Dynasty (206-220).

Hengshui Lake, the second largest freshwater lake in North China Plain, covers a total area of 75 square kilometers in the outskirt 10 kilometers south of city downtown area. In the vast reed marsh inhabit many birds, including red-crowned cranes, swans, pelicans, wild gooses and gulls. Zhulin Temple is a noted temple in the ancient city of Jizhou. It is surrounded by water in three sides, and there is the Zhenhai Tower built in the northeast of the temple.