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.
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