[edit]
The Deer monument in urban Baotou
Ancient times[edit]
The area now known as Baotou was inhabited by nomads, some of whose descendants would later be categorized as Mongols. Near the end of the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD), Lü Bu, a particularly noteworthy warrior, was born in today's Jiuyuan District of Baotou.
Foundation of the town[edit]
Compared to the capital of Inner Mongolia, Hohhot, Baotou's construction as a city came relatively late, being incorporated as a town in 1809. The city's site was chosen because it was in an arable region of the Yellow River's Great Bend.
Early 20th century[edit]
The Gelaohui secret society and the Hui Muslim General Ma Fuxiang came to an agreement in 1922, in which Ma Fuxiang agreed to allow the Gelaohui to extort protection money from wool merchants in Baotou.
A railway from Beijing was constructed in 1923, and the city began spurring some industrial sites. A German-Chinese joint-venture in 1934 constructed the Baotou Airport and opened a weekly route connecting Baotou with Ningxia and Lanzhou.
When young Owen Lattimore visited Baotou in 1925, it was still "a little husk of a town in a great hollow shell of mud ramparts, where two busy streets made a traders' quarter", but already an important railhead. Qinghai and Gansu wool and hides were brought down the Yellow River by raft and boat from Lanzhou to Baotou, and shipped from Baotou by rail to the east (in particular, to Tianjin for export). The river traffic was one-way only, however, as the fast current made sailing up the Yellow River impractical. To travel from Baotou back to Lanzhou or Yinchuan, one would use a cart and camel road. There were also caravan roads from Baotou to Ordos and the Alxa League.
Mid-20th century[edit]
Second Sino-Japanese War[edit]
Baotou was under Japanese control from 1937 until 1945.[citation needed]
Chinese civil war[edit]
On September 19, 1949, after the September 19 Rebellion, Baotou fell under Communist control.[citation needed] The People's Government was formed in February 1950.[citation needed]
Socialist Industrial City (1950s–1960s)[edit]
The early decades of the People's Republic of China marked Baotou's transformation into a flagship socialist industrial center. In 1954, it was designated one of the nation's eight key cities for heavy industry development, alongside Chengdu, Datong, Lanzhou, Luoyang, Taiyuan, Wuhan and Xi'an. This status, awarded based on the presence of major industrial enterprises, guaranteed Baotou prioritized state funding and support for construction. The Iron and Steel Base in Baotou is one of the "156 projects", which were constructed with the help of the Soviet Union to develop China's national economy in the 1950s and 1960s, and it continues this reputation until this day.[citation needed] The city's urban layout itself reflected this new era, as Soviet architects contributed their experience in designing "socialist cities" – planned communities centered around major industrial plants. This period saw Baotou rapidly expand and develop according to this integrated model of industry and urban living. Until the middle of the 1960s, the steel complex at Baotou was one of the rare examples of industrialization in the periphery of China.: 316 
Late 20th century[edit]
Modernization and diversification[edit]
Following the economic reforms, Baotou entered a new phase of growth and transformation. While the Baotou Iron and Steel Company remained the cornerstone of the local economy, the city began to diversify its industrial base. It evolved from a purely steel-producing center into a comprehensive hub for rare earth metallurgy, machinery manufacturing, and energy production, leveraging its rich mineral resources.
1996 earthquake[edit]
Main article: 1996 Baotou earthquake
On 3 May 1996, at 03:32AM UTC (11:32AM local time), an earthquake of MS 6.4 occurred. Since the epicenter of the earthquake was located close to the city, Baotou was very damaged by the earthquake: 26 people were killed, 453 injured and 196,633 lost their homes. The electrical infrastructure of the city was also damaged, and soil liquefaction occurred around the swamps of the Yellow River.
The earthquake, which destroyed many old houses, led to the reconstruction of Baotou. In 2002, the Baotou Municipal Government was awarded by UN-HABITAT for the improvements in shelter and the urban environments.
21st century[edit]
In the early 21st century, Baotou's economy grew rapidly, growing about tenfold from 2000 to 2010. The city's gross domestic product peaked at about 386.763 billion renminbi (RMB) in 2016, and has shrunk significantly since then.
