City's history tied to medical sector

In 1953, the Ministry of Chemical Industry and the Ministry of Light Industry decided to construct a large-scale pharmaceutical base in Shijiazhuang, one of 156 prioritized projects of China's first-ever Five-Year Plan.

In the early 21st century, the National Development and Reform Commission approved Shijiazhuang as the first national biological medicine production base. In 2004, Hebei's provincial government said it would build a biological medicine industry belt beginning in Shijiazhuang and covering neighboring cities.