Beijing Is The Capital Of China.

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BEIJING.

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Beijing, city and capital of China, also known as Peking, formerly, Peiping.

The city is surrounded by Hebei Province although its an independently administered municipal district of 16,808 sq km (about 6,490 sq mi). Situated at the northern edge of the North China Plain and encircled on the north and west by mountains.

Beijing was a strategic northern outpost of the Chinese Empire throughout much of its history. Initially settled more than 2,000 years ago, it has been the capital of China for most of the last 700 years and is today one of the world's great cities. It is the cultural, political, and intellectual centre of China, as well as a major industrial and commercial metropolis. Beijing is the second-largest city in China after Shanghai. Like most other Chinese city's large and small, it has serious problems of air and water pollution. Rapid population growth and construction along with largely unregulated industrial and residential waste water disposal and burning of coal and other polluting materials are the principalcauses.

King Wu was the first to declare Beijing the capital city in 1057 BC. Subsequently, the city has gone by the names of Ji, Zhongdu, Dadu, and finally Beijing when the Ming Dynasty Emperor ChengZu chose the name in 1421. Beijing was also known as Peking by the Western world before 1949.

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Beijing City is an independently administered municipal district, and is situated in the northeastern part of China at an elevation of 43.5m above sea level.
The climate in Beijing is of the continental type, with cold and dry winters and hot summers.
January is the coldest month (-4 Celsius), while July the warmest (26 Celsius).

Mandarin Chinese is the language spoken in and around Beijing. Asthe nation's capital and political centre, the particular economic role of Beijing has been a topic of considerable debateand controversy.

Beijing has many edifices of historical and architectural interest. The Palace Museum, located within the Forbidden City, was the former residence of the imperial family and court.

Built more than 500 years ago, this complex comprises a series of great halls and palaces, which served for official and ceremonial occasions of state, banquets and for residential purposes. To the west of this complex is Zhongnan Hai, a large park and cluster of lakes that is walled and serves today as the residential compound for China's top leadership.

Immediately south of the Forbidden City and the Palace Museum is Tiananmen Square, which is the central core of the city. Tiananmen Square is a huge plaza that can hold up to a million people and was developed after the successful communist revolution in 1949.

It is the site of great annual celebrations and rallies such as the National Day celebrations on October 1. On the west side of the Square is located the Great Hall of the People where China's National Assembly meets. On the east side is the Museum of China's History and Revolution. In the centre is the monument to the Heroes of the People and the mausoleum of the late Chairman Mao Zedong.
Of the many temples in the old city, perhaps the best known and most beautiful is the complex known as the Temple of Heaven (Tian Tan) located in the southern part of the outer city. Other noteworthy temples include the Confucian and Lama Temples and the Temple of the White Dagoba built to commemorate the visit of the Dalai Lama of Tibet in 1651. Major sporting events are held at the Beijing Stadium, the Workers' Stadium and the Sports Ground. Other parks include the Summer Palace in the north-west suburbs and the surrounding temples and parks known as the, 'Fragrant Hills'.
These date back many centuries and were established as hunting grounds or religious retreat areas. In the north-western suburbs are tombs of most of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). These tombs are approached by the long Avenue of the Animals, lined with marble lions, elephants, camels, and horses. Located north-west of the Ming Tombs, within the municipal boundaries, is a portion of the Great Wall at Badaling. It is accessible as a day trip from central Beijing.

Beijing has more colleges and universities than any other Chinese city. The most prominent are Beijing University, founded in 1898, and Qinghua University.

They are the most prestigious scientific and technical institutions in the country. These two and the People's University, along with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Yuan was overturned by the Ming Dynasty, established in 1368. The first emperor of the Ming established his capital on the Yangzi River at Nanjing (Southern Capital) and changed Beijing's name to Beiping, which means Northern Peace. Upon his death a struggle ensued. Beiping was renamed Beijing (Northern Capital), and in 1421 it was officially designated as the capital of the Ming. Thereafter the city developed and grew as a magnificent capital, which shaped its design and layout as it is today and which continued with additional construction of temples and palaces through the succeeding Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Following the overthrow of the Qing and the establishment of the Republic of China, Beijing remained the political centre of China until 1928, when the Nationalist Party headed by Chiang Kai-shek re-established the capital in Nanjing and gave Beijing once again its early Ming Dynasty name, Beiping. The city was occupied by the Japanese from 1937 to 1945, but was not damaged much during World War II. In 1949 following the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the new Communist government designated the city its capital and restored its former name of Beijing.

Rush hour in Beijing.

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