Hengshui (Chinese: 衡水) is a prefecture-level city in southern Hebei province, People's Republic of China, bordering Shandong to the southeast. As of the 2020 census its population was 4,212,933 inhabitants whom 805,000 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of Taocheng urban district.^[3] It is on the Beijing–Kowloon railway.

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Hengshui 衡水市
Prefecture-level city
From top, left to right: Downtown Taocheng District; Hengshui Lake; View from Hengshui Middle School; Hengshui Railway Station
Nickname(s):  Peach City (桃城), Lake City (水市湖城)
Location of Hengshui City jurisdiction in Hebei
Hengshui Location of the city centre in Hebei Show map of Hebei Hengshui Hengshui (Northern China) Show map of Northern China Hengshui Hengshui (China) Show map of China
Coordinates (Hengshui municipal government): 37°44′20″N 115°40′08″E
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Hebei
Settled	1265
Established	May 31, 1996
Municipal seat	Taocheng District
Area
• Prefecture-level city	8,836.95 km2 (3,411.97 sq mi)
• Urban [1]	608.8 km2 (235.1 sq mi)
• Metro	608.8 km2 (235.1 sq mi)
Population  (2020 census)
• Prefecture-level city	4,212,933
• Density	480/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
• Urban [1]	805,000
• Urban density	1,300/km2 (3,400/sq mi)
• Metro	805,000
• Metro density	1,300/km2 (3,400/sq mi)
GDP[2]
• Prefecture-level city	CN¥ 155 billion US$ 22.5 billion
• Per capita	CN¥ 27,543 US$ 4,422
Time zone	UTC+8 (China Standard)
ISO 3166 code	CN-HE-11
License Plate Prefix	2022

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Hengshui High School and Hengshui University^[4] are located in Hengshui.

This section is written like a travel guide. (March 2022)

The Harrison International Peace Hospital is located in Hengshui. This comprehensive teaching and research hospital was named after Dr. Tillson Harrison, a martyr to the Chinese revolution. Dr. Harrison, a Canadian, died in 1947 while transporting medical equipment and supplies. Some of this equipment is on display in an exhibition room in the hospital. The hospital uses both traditional Chinese medicine and modern western diagnostic and therapeutic technology.^{[citation needed]}

The city is renowned as the centre for inside painting, mainly of small snuff bottles. Zhang Rucai was born in Hebei Province and since 1972, he started to learn the art of inside painting. In April 1996, he was conferred the title Master of Chinese Folk Arts & Crafts by UNESCO. The city has a fascinating museum and exhibition of the art of the inside painter - many complex paintings done on the inside of small snuff bottles as well as special larger pieces of glassware.^[5]

There is a Buddhist Temple on the outskirts of the city which is well worth a visit, as is the bridge in the old part of the city - one of the few remnants of the old town.

• Hengshui Old Town Bridge
• Hengshui Buddhist Temple

Hengshui has a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) using both the 18°C mean annual temperature isotherm and the 0°C mean lowest temperature isotherm of the coldest month (January) according to the Köppen climate classification, with hot, humid summers due to the East Asian Monsoon and brief, though very cold and dry winters, owing to the prevailing dry north-westerly winds that reflect the influence of the vast Siberian anticyclone.

Precipitation totals 496.9 mm annually with more than three quarters falling during the summer half. Extreme temperatures range from -20.6°C to 42.8°C for the 1981-2010 period. Relative humidity is highest in the summer and lowest in the spring, preceding the monsoonal period. Due to the very dry winter conditions, snowfall is not common, though occurs almost every year, usually in small amounts.

Hengshui is the seat of the Catholic Diocese of Hengshui.