Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, is the
nation's political and cultural center. This part of China has
a rich history. Some 690,000 years ago, Peking Man lived at Zhoukoudian,
48 kilometers southwest of Beijing. A small town appeared on the
present site of southwestern Beijing in 1045 B. C. At the beginning
of the 10th century A.D., it was the second capital of the Liao
Dynasty. From then on, Beijing was the capital city of the Jin,
Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties until 1911.
In the early 1920s, Beijing became the cradle of China's new
democratic revolution. The May Fourth Movement against imperialism
and feudalism began here in 1919. On October 1, 1949, Chairman
Mao proclaimed to the whole world the founding of the People's
Republic of China.
Beijing is situated at 40 degrees north latitude and 116 degrees
east longitude. It is 43 meters above sea level and 183 kilometers
from the sea. Beijing covers an area of 16,800 square kilometers,
38% of which is flat land and 62% is mountains.
Beijing has a continental climate. Annual rainfall averages nearly
700 millimeters most of which is in July and August. Winter is
dry and cold and has little snow.
Beijing has a population of almost 11 million; about 5 million
live in the city proper and the rest on the outskirts.
A long history has left numerous historical sites, which possess
great aesthetic and cultural value. The Great Wall, a huge project
begun more than 2,000 years ago, meanders through mountains and
valleys for hundreds of kilometers and passes close to Beijing.
On the Shijing Mountain, there are 15,000 stone tablets carved
with Buddhist scriptures. The Yongle Bell, cast at one go with
over 230,000 characters inscribed on it , weighs 46.5 tons and
shows the exquisite casting technology of ancient China. The Forbidden
City, the largest ancient architectural complex in existence,
is a splendid crystallization of ancient Chinese architectural
art. Walking in the city, one may find many places worth a second
visit. These include mansions, gardens, gate towers, temples,
former residences of celebrities and places where many historical
events took place. Every day, hundreds of thousands of people,
domestic and foreign, come to Beijing to visit its grand palaces
and graceful gardens and to enjoy its marvelous art.
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With China's reform and opening up, Beijing is improving its
urban construction on an unprecedented scale. Its speed of development
is astonishing, and it brings about changes day after day. Around
this graceful ancient capital, a large number of key national
projects, massive infrastructure buildings and modern residential
houses have sprung up. Wide and smooth highways, magnificent overpasses
and expressways link Beijing with its neighboring provinces and
cities, and eye-catching green trees and gardens have made Beijing
resemble a huge scroll of painting pleasing to both the eye and
the mind.
To preserve the space and historic buildings around the Forbidden
City, nearby buildings must remain single-storey structures, and
buildings within the Second Ring Road must be no more than 30
meters in height.
As China's cultural center, Beijing, with a galaxy of talent
and a rich culture, has over 70 institutions of higher learning
such as the famous Beijing University, Tsinghua University, over
500 scientific research institutions, 300 publishing houses, as
well as hundreds of newspapers and periodicals.
Tian'anmen Square, located in the city center, is a symbol of
both Beijing and China. The solemn flag-raising ceremony has become
a sacred daily celebration. Standing in the world's largest city
square and looking far east and west up and down the Chang'an
Avenue, one can see a centuries-old architectural complex standing
side by side with newly-built modern-style buildings, pigeons
fluttering in the blue sky, large kites flying lazily above, torrents
of bicycles flooding by and tows of cars whisking along. Tian'anmen
Square embodies Beijing's history and reality, arousing the awareness
as the essence of old Beijing remains splendid, the miracles created
by new Beijing add to the city's brilliance.
