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Lying on the north tip of the North China Plain, Beijing is the capital of the People’s Republic of China. 43.5 meters above sea level, Beijing covers an area of 16,808 square kilometers and has a population of 12 million. Under the city’s jurisdiction there are 10 districts and 8 counties, among which Dongcheng District, Xicheng District, Chongwen District and Xuanwu District within the Second Ring Road are the inner city in the traditional sense.

Beijing’s history as a city can be dated back to 3,000 years ago. In the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC) and the Warring States Period (770-221BC), the Kingdom of Yan set up its capital here, and named it Ji. Beijing was an important city in the Qin Dynasty (221-206BC), the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD) and the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280). The other name of Beijing is Yanjing, because Wang Mang set up Dayan Kingdom at the end of the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-8AD). Beijing was the alternate capital of the Liao Kingdom in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), and the official capital of the Jin Kingdom (1115-1234). From then on, the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) with 34 emperors all designated Beijing as their capital.

Beijing is a world famous historical and cultural city as well as an old oriental capital. Its time-honored history left Beijing plenty of historical relics and colorful customs. The Great Wall and the Forbidden City show the wisdom and talent of the Chinese people in ancient times. The beautiful scenes and the wonderful architectures of the Summer Palace, the Beihai Park, the Fragrant Hill and the Heaven Temple make visitors on the scoop.

Beijing is a well-known tourist city in the world. Its colorful customs — the Old Cultural Street of the Imperial College and the Baiyun Taoist Temple Fair are important places for activities in traditional styles. The caterings of Beijing — the Roast Duck of Quanjude, the mutton hot pot of Donglaishun are also unique. In Beijing, people can enjoy various cuisines from all over the country, such as Sichuan cuisine, Guangdong cuisine, Shandong cuisine, and Shanghai cuisine, etc.

As the center of the country, Beijing boasts remarkable advantages. Here gathers the offices of the Party, the Government and the Military, as well as headquarters of national companies, industrial associations and financial institutions. As a place for handling the country’s international, domestic and social affairs of the county, Beijing produces lots of information everyday. Beijing is in the central place of the nation’s financial decisions and macro-control. It is also China’s most prosperous city in terms of science, education and culture, in that it covers all subjects of sciences and has strong research capabilities. Beijing is the communication pivot between China and the international community and, the most important center for international exchanges. Beijing exerts great impact on both china and the world as a whole.

(Source: chinaculture.org)