Baoding, a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Hebei Province, is one of the central cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region as approved by the State Council. Baoding is located in the central west of Hebei Province, the east foot of the Taihang Mountains, the western part of the Jizhong Plain, the terrain slopes from northwest to southeast. The landform is divided into two categories: mountains and plains; geographic coordinates between 38°14′29″~39°57′3″ N latitude and 113°45′32″~116°19′41″ E longitude; it is connected to Xiong'an New Area in the east, neighboring Cangzhou City in the southeast, Hengshui City in the south, connecting to Shijiazhuang City in the southwest, leaning against Shanxi Province in the west, bordering with Shanxi Province and Zhangjiakou City in the northwest, neighboring Beijing City in the north, and adjoining with Langfang City in the northeast. Baoding is located in the Golden Triangle of Beijing, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang, 140 km from Beijing, 145 km from Tianjin and 125 km from Shijiazhuang, with a total area of 19,300 square kilometers (excluding Xiongan New Area and Dingzhou). As of the end of 2022, Baoding has 5 districts and 15 counties under its jurisdiction (3 counties are hosted by Xiongan New Area), and 4 county-level cities under its administration (1 city is a pilot for direct provincial administration), with a resident population of 9.144 million (excluding Xiongan New Area and Dingzhou).
Yuan Yuan 12 years (1275), changed the Shuntian Road for Baoding Road, Baoding's name since the beginning, to take the meaning of eternal security. Since ancient times, Baoding has been a thoroughfare for "controlling three passes in the north, reaching nine provinces in the south, connecting four parts of the country and crowning Zhongzhou with majesty", and it has always been an important part of the capital city and the "south gate of the capital". In the first year of Hongwu of Ming Dynasty (1368), Baoding Road was changed to Baoding Prefecture, which was the beginning of the establishment of Baoding Prefecture. During the Qing Dynasty, Baoding was the residence of the Governor of Zhili. As of December 2019, Baoding has one World Heritage Site (Qing Xiling) and 69 national key cultural relics protection units, of which the urban area has cultural relics such as the Office of the Governor-General of Zhili and the Ancient Lotus Pond, as well as national AAAAA scenic spots such as Yosanpo, Baishi Mountain, and Qing Xiling.
In 2023, Baoding's Gross Regional Product (GRP) was 401.22 billion yuan, an increase of 5.0% over the previous year at constant prices. (Excluding Xiongan New Area and Dingzhou City)