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BeiJing

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{| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=300 style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |+'''北京市
Běijīng Shì''' |- | align="center" colspan=2 style="border-bottom:3px solid gray;" | Abbreviation: 京 (pinyin: Jīng) |- | align="center" colspan=2 | Image:China-Beijing.png Beijing is highlighted on this map |- | width=50%|'''Origin of name''' | 北 běi - north
京 jīng - capital
"northern capital" |- | '''Administration type''' | Municipality of China Municipality |- | '''Communist Party of China CPC Beijing Committee Secretary''' | Liu Qi 刘淇 |- | '''Mayor''' | Wang Qishan 王�山 |- | '''Area''' | 16,808 square kilometre km² (List of China administrative regions by area 29th) |- | '''Population''' (2004)
 - Metropolitan area
 - Density | 14,930,000 (List of China administrative regions by population 26th)
''approx. 7.5 million''
888/km² (List of China administrative regions by population density 2nd) |- | '''Gross domestic product GDP''' (2004)
 - per capita | Renminbi CNY 428.3 billion (List of China administrative regions by gross domestic product 15th)
Renminbi CNY 28,700 (List of China administrative regions by GDP per capita 2nd) |- | '''Major Nationalities of China nationalities''' (2000) | Han Chinese Han - 96%
Manchu - 2%
Hui people Hui - 2%
Mongol - 0.3% |- | '''City trees''' | Chinese arborvitae
(''Platycladus orientalis'')
Styphnolobium Pagoda tree
(''Sophora japonica'') |- | '''City flowers''' | Chrysanthemum
(''Chrysanthemum morifolium'')
Chinese rose
(''Rosa chinensis'') |- | '''Political divisions of China#County level County-level divisions''' | 18 |- | '''Political divisions of China#Township level Township-level divisions'''
{December 31, 2004) | 273 |- | '''Postal code of China Postal code''' | '''1000'''00 - '''1026'''00 |- | '''China telephone numbering plan Area code''' | 10 |- | rowspan="5" | '''Mainland Chinese licence plates Licence plate prefixes''' | 京A, C, E, F, H, J |- | 京B (taxis) |- | 京G (outside urban area) |- | 京O (police and authorities) |- | 京V (military headquarters & central government) |- | '''ISO 3166-2''' | CN-11 |- | colspan=2 align=center | '''Official website''':
[http://www.beijing.gov.cn www.beijing.gov.cn] (Simplified Chinese)
[http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn www.ebeijing.gov.cn] (English language English) |} '''{{Audio|Zh-Beijing.ogg|Beijing}}''' (IPA pei˩ tɕɪŋ˦), a city in northern China, is the Capital of China capital of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Beijing is one of the four municipality of China municipalities of the PRC, equivalent to a province of China province in China's Political divisions of China administrative structure. Beijing Municipality borders Hebei Hebei Province to the north, west, south, and for a small section in the east, and Tianjin Tianjin Municipality to the southeast. Beijing is China's second largest city in terms of population, after Shanghai. It is a major transportation hub, with dozens of railways, roads and expressways entering and leaving it in all directions. It is also the focal point of many international flights to China. Beijing is recognized as the political, educational, and cultural center of the PRC, while Shanghai and Hong Kong predominate in economic fields. Beijing is one of the Capital of China Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. It will also host the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Names
Beijing (北京) literally means "northern capital", in line with the common East Asian tradition whereby capital cities are explicitly named as such. Other cities similarly named include Nanjing (å?—京), China, meaning "southern capital"; Tokyo (æ?±äº¬), Japan, and Tonkin (æ?±äº¬; now Hanoi), Vietnam, both meaning "eastern capital"; as well as Kyoto (京都), Japan, and Gyeongseong (京城; now Seoul), Korea, both meaning simply "capital". '''Peking''' is the name of the city romanized in Postal System Pinyin, and the traditional customary name for Beijing in English. The term originated with French missionaries four hundred years ago, and corresponds to an older pronunciation predating a subsequent sound change in Mandarin (linguistics) Mandarin from {{IPA|[kʲ]}} to {{IPA|[tɕ]}}. ({{IPA|[tɕ]}} is represented in pinyin as '''j''', as in Bei'''j'''ing.) In China, the city has Geographical renaming had many names. Between 1928 [http://www.bartleby.com/67/2470.html] and 1949, it was known as '''Beiping''' (北平, Pinyin: Beiping, Wade-Giles: Pei-p'ing), literally "Northern Peace". The name was changed — with the removal of the element meaning "capital" (''jing'' or ''king'', 京) — to reflect the fact that, with the Kuomintang government having established its capital in Nanking (pinyin: Nanjing), Peking was no longer the capital of China, and that the warlord government based in Peking was not legitimate. The Communist Party of China reverted the name to Beijing (Peking) in 1949 again in part to emphasize that Beijing had returned to its role as China's capital. The government of the Republic of China on Taiwan has never formally recognized the name change, and during the 1950s and 1960s it was common in Taiwan for Beijing to be called Peiping to imply the illegitimacy of the PRC. Today, almost all of Taiwan, including the ROC government, uses ''Beijing'', although some maps of China from Taiwan still use the old name along with pre-1949 political boundaries. '''Yanjing''' (燕京, Pinyin: YÄ?njÄ«ng, Wade-Giles: Yen-ching) is and has been another popular informal name for Beijing, a reference to the ancient State of Yan that existed here during the Zhou Dynasty. This name is reflected in the locally-brewed Yanjing Beer as well as Peking University Yenching University, an institution of higher learning that was merged into Peking University. Beijing is also the '''Cambuluc''' ('''Khanbaliq''') described in Marco Polo's accounts. (''The history section below outlines other historical names of Beijing.'')

History
There were cities in the vicinities of Beijing by the 1st millennium BC, and the capital of the State of Yan (燕), one of the powers of the Warring States Period, was established at Ji (T: 薊 / S: 蓟), near modern Beijing. Ji has often been claimed to be the beginning of Beijing; but in reality Ji had been abandoned no later than the 6th century. The exact location of Ji remains unknown despite much effort in recent decades to identify the site. image:BeijingCityWalls1.jpg thumb|300px|Remnants of city walls around Beijing (August 2004 image) During the Sui Dynasty Sui and Tang Dynasty Tang dynasties, only small towns existed in this area. Numerous ancient poets came here to mourn the lost city, as testified by their compositions. In 936, the Later Jin Dynasty (Five Dynasties) Later Jin Dynasty (936-947) of northern China ceded a large part of its northern frontier, including modern Beijing, to the Khitan Liao Dynasty in the 10th century. In 938 the Liao Dynasty set up a secondary capital in what is now Beijing, and called it Nanjing (the "Southern Capital"). In 1125, the Jurchen Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) Jin Dynasty annexed Liao, and in 1153 moved its capital to Liao's Nanjing, calling it Zhongdu (中都), or "the Central Capital". Zhongdu was situated in what is now the area centred around Tianningsi, slightly to the southwest of central Beijing. Mongol forces burned Zhongdu to the ground in 1215 and rebuilt its own "Grand Capital", Dadu (大都, Wade-Giles: ''Ta-tu''), to the north of the Jin capital in 1267, which was the true beginning of contemporary Beijing. This site is known as "Cambuluc" in Marco Polo's accounts. Apparently, Kublai Khan, who wanted to become a Chinese emperor, established his capital in Beijing instead of more traditional sites in central China because Beijing was closer to his power base in Mongolia. The decision of the Khan greatly enhanced the status of a city that had been situated on the northern fringe of China proper. Dadu was situated north of modern central Beijing. It centred on what is now the northern stretch of the 2nd Ring Road, and stretched northwards to between the 3rd Ring Road 3rd and 4th Ring Roads. There are remnants of Mongol-era wall still standing. In 1403, the 3rd Ming emperor Zhu Di (朱棣) moved the Ming capital from Nanjing to Beijing (北京), or "Northern Capital", situated in the north. He also gave it its modern name. Beijing during the Ming Dynasty took its current shape, and the Ming-era city wall served as the walls to the city until modern times, when it was pulled down and the 2nd Ring Road was built in its place. It is believed that Beijing was the largest city in the world from 1425 to 1650 and from 1710 to 1825. [http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa011201a.htm] The Forbidden City was constructed soon after that (1406-1420), followed by the Temple of Heaven (1420), and numerous other construction projects. Tian'anmen, which has become a state symbol of the People's Republic of China and is featured on its emblem, was burned down twice during the Ming Dynasty and the final reconstruction was carried out in 1651. Image:Forbidden City1.JPG Forbidden City.html" title="Meaning of 300px 300px|thumb|The [[Forbidden City, home to the emperors of the Ming Dynasty Ming and Qing Dynasty Qing dynasties.html" title="Meaning of thumb|The [[Forbidden City">300px|thumb|The [[Forbidden City, home to the emperors of the Ming Dynasty Ming and Qing Dynasty Qing dynasties">thumb|The [[Forbidden City">300px|thumb|The [[Forbidden City, home to the emperors of the Ming Dynasty Ming and Qing Dynasty Qing dynasties Image:BeijingFromTian'anmenChenglouJul2004.jpg Tian'anmen Square.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|300px|Beijing's [[Tian'anmen Square, as seen from the Tian'anmen Chenglou Building (taken in July of 2004).html" title="Meaning of 300px|Beijing's [[Tian'anmen Square">thumb|300px|Beijing's [[Tian'anmen Square, as seen from the Tian'anmen Chenglou Building (taken in July of 2004)">300px|Beijing's [[Tian'anmen Square">thumb|300px|Beijing's [[Tian'anmen Square, as seen from the Tian'anmen Chenglou Building (taken in July of 2004) After the Manchus overthrew the Ming Dynasty and established the Qing Dynasty in its place, Beijing remained China's capital throughout the Qing period. The Xinhai Revolution of 1911, aimed at replacing Qing rule with a republic, originally intended to establish its capital at Nanjing. After high-ranking Qing official Yuan Shikai forced the abdication of the Qing emperor in Beijing and ensured the success of the revolution, the revolutionaries in Nanjing accepted that Yuan should be the president of the ROC, and that the capital should remain at Beijing. Yuan gradually consolidated power, culminating in his declaration of a Chinese Empire in late 1915 with himself as Emperor. The move was highly unpopular, and Yuan himself died less than a year later, ending his brief reign. China then fell under the control of regional warlords, and the most powerful factions fought frequent wars (The Zhili-Anhui War, the First Zhili-Fengtian War and the Second Zhili-Fengtian War) to take control of the capital at Beijing. Following the success of the Kuomintang's Northern Expedition which pacified the warlords of the north, Nanjing was officially made the capital of the Republic of China in 1928, and Beijing was renamed Beiping ("Northern Peace" or "North Pacified") to emphasize that the warlord government in Beijing was not legitimate. During the second Sino-Japanese War, Beiping fell to Japan on July 29, 1937. During the occupation, the city was reverted to its former name, Beijing, and made the seat of the North China Executive Committee (T: �北政務委員會 / S: �北政务委员会), a puppet state that ruled Japanese-occupied North China. With Japan's surrender in World War II, on August 15, 1945, however, Beijing's name was changed back to Beiping. On January 31, 1949, during the Chinese Civil War, Communist forces entered Beiping without a fight. On October 1 of the same year, the Communist Party of China, under the leadership of Mao Zedong, announced in Tian'anmen the creation of the People's Republic of China in Beijing. Just a few days earlier, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference had decided that Beiping would be the capital of the PRC, and that its name be changed back to Beijing. At the time of the founding of the People's Republic, Beijing Municipality consisted of just its urban area and immediate suburbs. The urban area was divided into many small districts inside what is now the 2nd Ring Road (Beijing) 2nd Ring Road. Since then several surrounding county of China counties have been incorporated into the Municipality, enlarging the limits of Beijing Municipality by many times and giving it its present shape. The Beijing city wall was torn down between 1965 and 1969 to make way for the construction of the 2nd Ring Road (Beijing) 2nd Ring Road. Following the Chinese economic reform economic reforms of Deng Xiaoping, the urban area of Beijing has expanded greatly. Formerly within the confines of the 2nd Ring Road and the 3rd Ring Road, the urban area of Beijing is now pushing at the limits of the recently-constructed 5th Ring Road and 6th Ring Road (currently under construction), with many areas that were formerly farmland now developed residential or commercial neighborhoods. A new commercial area has developed in the Guomao area, Wangfujing and Xidan have developed into flourishing shopping districts, while Zhongguancun has become a major center of electronics in China. As the national capital, Beijing has also been the site of political turmoil in recent years. Tiananmen Square, widely regarded as the spiritual center of China, was the site of first the Tiananmen Square protests of 1976 and then the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, which ended in a military crackdown. Tiananmen Square has also been the site of protests by Falun Gong. In recent years, the expansion of Beijing has also brought to the forefront some problems of urbanization, such as heavy traffic, poor air quality, the loss of historic neighborhoods, and significant influx of migrants from poorer regions of the country, especially rural areas. Early 2005 saw the approval by government of a plan to finally stop the sprawling development of Beijing in all directions. Development of the Chinese capital would now proceed in two semicircular bands just outside of the city centre (both west and east) instead of being in concentric rings. Beijing has been chosen to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, an event that has sparked nationalistic pride across China.

Geography and climate
:''Main article: Geography of Beijing'' image:Large Beijing Landsat.jpg NASA.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|300px|A simulated-color image of Beijing, taken by [[NASA's Landsat 7..html" title="Meaning of 300px|A simulated-color image of Beijing, taken by [[NASA">thumb|300px|A simulated-color image of Beijing, taken by [[NASA's Landsat 7.">300px|A simulated-color image of Beijing, taken by [[NASA">thumb|300px|A simulated-color image of Beijing, taken by [[NASA's Landsat 7. Beijing is situated at the northern tip of the roughly triangular North China Plain which opens to the south and east of the city. Mountains to the north, northwest and west shield the city and northern China's agricultural heartland from the encroaching desert steppes. The northwestern part of the municipality, especially Yanqing County and Huairou District, are dominated by the Jundu Mountains, while the western part of the municipality is framed by the Xishan Mountains. The Great Wall of China, which stretches across the northern part of Beijing Municipality, made use of this rugged topography to defend against nomadic incursions from the steppes. Mount Dongling in the Xishan ranges and on the border with Hebei is the municipality's highest point, with an altitude of 2303 metre m. Major rivers flowing through the municipality include the Yongding River and the Chaobai River, which are part of the Hai River system, and flow in a southerly direction. Beijing is also the northern terminus of the Grand Canal of China which was built across the North China Plain to Hangzhou. Miyun Reservoir, built on the upper reaches of the Chaobai River, is Beijing's largest reservoir, and crucial to its water supply. The urban area of Beijing, located at {{coor dms|39|54|20|N|116|23|29|E|}} (39.9056, 116.3914), is situated in the south-central part of the municipality and occupies a small but expanding part of the municipality's area. It spreads out in bands of concentric Ring Roads of Beijing ring roads, of which the fifth and outermost (the Sixth Ring Road; the numbering starts at 2) passes through several satellite towns. Tian'anmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) and Tian'anmen Square are at the centre of Beijing, and are directly to the south of the Forbidden City, former residence of the emperors of China. To the west of Tian'anmen is Zhongnanhai, current residence of the paramount leaders of the People's Republic of China. Running through central Beijing from east to west is Chang'an Avenue, one of Beijing's main thoroughfares. The city's climate is harsh, characterized by hot, humid summers due to the East Asian monsoon, and cold, windy, dry winters that reflect the influence of the vast Siberian anticyclone. Average temperatures in January are at around -7 to -4 °Celsius C, while average temperatures in July are at 25 to 26 °Celsius C. Annual precipitation (meteorology) precipitation is over 600 millimeter mm, with 75% of that in summer. [http://www.beijing.gov.cn/bjgm/default.htm] Beijing also suffers from heavy pollution and poor air quality from industry and traffic. Dust from erosion of deserts in northern and northwestern China result in seasonal dust storms that plague the city. Efforts have been made of late to clean up Beijing in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

City layout


Neighbourhoods
Image:Wangfujing Nankou.jpg Wangfujing.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|300px|Southern end of [[Wangfujing Road (July 2004 image).html" title="Meaning of 300px|Southern end of [[Wangfujing">thumb|300px|Southern end of [[Wangfujing Road (July 2004 image)">300px|Southern end of [[Wangfujing">thumb|300px|Southern end of [[Wangfujing Road (July 2004 image)Image:Beijing By Night 2003.jpg thumb|300px|Beijing by night. Image:Xidan Xinhuashudian.jpg Xidan.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|300px|Beijing Bookstore at [[Xidan..html" title="Meaning of 300px|Beijing Bookstore at [[Xidan">thumb|300px|Beijing Bookstore at [[Xidan.">300px|Beijing Bookstore at [[Xidan">thumb|300px|Beijing Bookstore at [[Xidan. Major neighbourhoods in urban Beijing include the following. Neighborhoods may overlap across multiple districts (see below): *Andingmen 安定门 *Beiyuan 北苑 *Chaoyangmen �阳门 *Dongzhimen 东直门 *Fangzhuang 方庄 *Fuchengmen 阜�门 *Fuxingmen �兴门 *Guomao 国贸 *Hepingli 和平里 *Wangjing 望京 *Wangfujing 王府井 *Wudaokou 五�� *Xidan 西� *Yayuncun 亚�� *Zhongguancun 中关� Several place names in Beijing end with ''men'' (门), meaning "gate", as they were the locations of gates in the former Beijing city wall. Other place names end in ''cun'' (�), meaning "village", as they were originally villages outside the city wall.

Towns
Towns within Beijing Municipality but outside the urban area include: *Changping 昌平 *Huairou 怀柔 *Miyun 密云 *Liangxiang 良乡 *Liulimiao �璃庙 *Tongzhou 通州 *Yizhuang 亦庄wim

Administrative divisions
Beijing Municipality currently comprises 18 administrative sub-divisions, Political divisions of China#County level county-level units governed directly by the municipality (second-level divisions). Of these, 16 are district of China districts and 2 are county of China counties. The urban and suburban areas of the city are divided into eight districts: *Dongcheng District (东城区: DÅ?ngchéng QÅ«) *Xicheng District (西城区: XÄ«chéng QÅ«) *Chongwen District (崇文区: Chóngwén QÅ«) *Xuanwu District, Beijing Xuanwu District (宣武区: XuÄ?nwÇ” QÅ«) *Chaoyang District, Beijing Chaoyang District (æœ?阳区: Cháoyáng QÅ«) *Haidian District (海淀区: HÇŽidiàn QÅ«) *Fengtai District (丰å?°åŒº: FÄ“ngtái QÅ«) *Shijingshan District (石景山区: ShíjÇ?ngshÄ?n QÅ«) The other eight districts and the two counties are located further out, and govern more distant suburbs, satellite towns, and some rural areas: *Mentougou District (门头沟区: MéntóugÅ?u QÅ«) *Fangshan District (房山区: FángshÄ?n QÅ«) — Fangshan County until 1986 *Tongzhou District (通州区: TÅ?ngzhÅ?u QÅ«) — Tong County until 1997 *Shunyi District (顺义区: Shùnyì QÅ«) — Shunyi County until 1998 *Changping District (昌平区: ChÄ?ngpíng QÅ«) — Changping County until 1999 *Daxing District (大兴区: DàxÄ«ng QÅ«) — Daxing County until 2001 *Pinggu District (平谷区: PínggÇ” QÅ«) — Pinggu County until 2001 *Huairou District (怀柔区: Huáiróu QÅ«) — Huairou County until 2001 *Miyun County (密云县: Mìyún Xiàn) *Yanqing County (延庆县: Yánqìng Xiàn) Beijing's 18 districts and counties are further subdivided into 273 lower (third)-level administrative units at the Political divisions of China#Township level township level: 119 town of China towns, 24 township of China townships, 5 ethnic townships and 125 subdistricts.image:Modern Beijing Skyline Oct2004.jpg Beijing CBD.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|300px|The [[Beijing CBD area around Dawangqiao and Dabeiyao, as seen from the Jingtong Expressway..html" title="Meaning of 300px|The [[Beijing CBD">thumb|300px|The [[Beijing CBD area around Dawangqiao and Dabeiyao, as seen from the Jingtong Expressway.">300px|The [[Beijing CBD">thumb|300px|The [[Beijing CBD area around Dawangqiao and Dabeiyao, as seen from the Jingtong Expressway. image:Bejingcbd.jpg thumb|300px|A corner of the emerging Beijing CBD.

Economy
In 2005, Beijing's nominal GDP was 681.45 billion Renminbi RMB (about 84 billion USD), a year-on-year growth of 11.1% from the previous year. Its per capita GDP was 44,969 RMB, an increase of 8.1% from the previous year and nearly twice as much as in 2000. Beijing's primary, secondary, and tertiary industries were worth 9.77 billion RMB, 210.05 billion RMB, and 461.63 billion RMB. Urban disposable income per capita was 17,653 yuan, a real price real increase of 12.9% from the previous year. Per capita pure income of rural residents was 7,860 RMB, a real increase of 9.6%. Per capita disposable income of the 20% low-income residents increased 16.7%, 11.4 percentage points higher than the growth rate of the 20% high-income residents. The Engel's coefficient of Beijing's urban residents reached 31.8% in 2005 and that of the rural residents was 32.8%, declining 4.5 percentage points and 3.9 percentage points, respectively, compared with 2000. [respectively [http://www.bjstats.gov.cn/tjyl/tjgb/200601240023.htm] Beijing's real estate and automobile sectors continue to bloom in recent years. In 2005, a total of 28.032 million square metres of housing real estate was sold, for a total of 175.88 billion Renminbi RMB. The total number of automobiles registered in Beijing in 2004 was 2,146,000, of which 1,540,000 were privately-owned (a year-on-year increase of 18.7%). [http://www.bjstats.gov.cn/tjyl/tjgb/200601240023.htm] The Beijing CBD, centered at the Guomao area, has been identified as the city's new central business district, and is home to a variety of corporate regional headquarters, shopping malls, and high-end housing. The Beijing Financial Street, in the Fuxingmen and Fuchengmen area, is a traditional financial center. The Wangfujing and Xidan areas are major shopping districts. Zhongguancun, dubbed "China's Silicon Valley", continues to be a major center in electronics- and computer-related industries, as well as pharmaceuticals-related research. Meanwhile, Yizhuang, located to the southeast of the urban area, is becoming a new center in pharmaceuticals, IT, and materials engineering. [http://www.beijing.gov.cn/bjgm/jjjs/t20030925_2414.htm] Urban Beijing is also known for being a center of pirated goods and anything from the latest designer clothing to the latest DVDs can be found in markets all over the city, often marketed to expatriates and international visitors. Major industrial areas include Shijingshan, located on the western outskirts of the city. Agriculture is carried out outside the urban area of Beijing, with wheat and maize (corn) being the main crops. Vegetables are also grown in the regions closer to the urban area in order to supply the city. The development of Beijing continues to proceed at a rapid pace, and the vast expansion of Bejing has created a multitude of problems for the city. Beijing is known for its smog as well as the frequent "power-saving" programs instituted by the government. Citizens of Beijing as well as tourists frequently complain about the quality of the water supply and the cost of the basic services such as electricity and natural gas. The major industrial areas outside of Beijing were ordered to clean their operations or leave the Beijing area in an effort to alleviate the smog that covers the city. Most factories, unable to update, have moved and relocated to other cities such as Xi'an, China.

Architecture
Three styles of architecture predominate in urban Beijing. First, the traditional architecture of imperial China, perhaps best exemplified by the massive Tian'anmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace), which remains the PRC's trademark edifice, the Forbidden City, and the Temple of Heaven. Next there is what is sometimes referred to as the "Sino-Sov" style, built between the 1950s and the 1970s, which tend to be boxy, bland, and poorly made. Finally, there are much more modern architectural forms — most noticeably in the area of the Beijing CBD. Pictured below are some images of Beijing architecture — blending the old and the new. Image:Ancient Beijing Skyline.jpg|The ancient Beijing skyline. Image:70s_Architecture_Beijing.jpg|The boxy look of buildings made in the 1970s. Image:Architecture_Beijing_Modern.jpg|The very modern contrast. Image:Old_Roof_Architecture_Beijing.jpg|Details of traditional architecture. Image:BeijingArchitectureCombo70s90s.jpg|A mix of 70s and 90s styles. Image:Blend Architecture Beijing.jpg|Mix and match of the old and the new. Image:TianGuard.jpg|Tian'anmen Square Image:Wangfujing.jpg|Wangfujing, a major commercial street. A bizarre and striking mix of both old and new styles of architecture can be seen at the Dashanzi Dashanzi Art District Art District, which mixes 1950s-design with a blend of the new. The influence of American urban form and social values in manifest in the creation of Orange County, China, a suburban development about one hour north of the city.

Demographics
Image:Beijing wangjing 1.jpg Wangjing.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|250px|The [[Wangjing neighbourhood, in Chaoyang District, Beijing, is known for its high concentration of South Korean expatriates..html" title="Meaning of 250px|The [[Wangjing">thumb|250px|The [[Wangjing neighbourhood, in Chaoyang District, Beijing, is known for its high concentration of South Korean expatriates.">250px|The [[Wangjing">thumb|250px|The [[Wangjing neighbourhood, in Chaoyang District, Beijing, is known for its high concentration of South Korean expatriates. Image:WangfujingCathedral.jpg thumb|250px|Wangfujing Cathedral The population of Beijing Municipality, defined as the total number of people who reside in Beijing for 6 months or more per year, was 15.38 million in 2005. 11.870 million people in Beijing Municipality had Beijing ''hukou'' (permanent residence) and the remainder were on temporary residence permits. [http://www.bjstats.gov.cn/tjyl/tjgb/200601240023.htm] In addition, there is a large but unknown number of migrant workers (''min gong'') who live illegally in Beijing without any official residence permit (also termed ''hei ren'' which means "black people" or unregistered people). The population of Beijing's urban core (city proper) is around 7.5 million. Over 95% of Beijing's residents belong to the Han Chinese majority. Smaller populations consisting of members of the Manchu, Hui people Hui, and Mongol Ethnic groups of China ethnic groups also call the city home. In recent years there has been an influx of South Korean expatriates, who live in Beijing predominantly for business and study, and are concentrated in the Wangjing and Wudaokou areas. A Tibetan high school exists for youth of Tibetan ancestry, nearly all of whom have come to Beijing from Tibet expressly for their studies. A sizable international or expatriate community exists in Beijing, mostly attracted by the highly growing foreign business and trade sector, and many members live in the Beijing urban area's densely populated northern, northeastern and eastern sections. The southwest and southern parts of the Beijing urban area are less densely populated. {| class="wikitable" ! align=center colspan=3 | Ethnic groups in Beijing, 2000 census |- ! Nationalities of China Nationality !! Population !! Percentage |- | Han Chinese || 12,983,696 || 95.69% |- | Manchu || 250,286 || 1.84% |- | Hui people Hui || 235,837 || 1.74% |- | Mongol || 37,464 || 0.28% |- | Korean people Korean || 20,369 || 0.15% |- | Tujia || 8372 || 0.062% |- | Zhuang || 7322 || 0.054% |- | Hmong people Miao || 5291 || 0.039% |- | Uyghur || 3129 || 0.023% |- | Tibetan people Tibetan || 2920 || 0.022% |} Excludes members of the People's Liberation Army in active service.
Source: Department of Population, Social, Science and Technology Statistics of the National Bureau of Statistics of China (国家统计局人�和社会科技统计�) and Department of Economic Development of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission of China (国家民�事务委员会�济�展�), eds. ''Tabulation on Nationalities of 2000 Population Census of China'' (《2000年人�普查中国民�人�资料》). 2 vols. Beijing: Nationalities Publishing House (民�出版社), 2003. (ISBN 7105054255)

Culture
People native to urban Beijing speak the Beijing dialect, which belongs to the Mandarin subdivision of Chinese spoken language spoken Chinese. Beijing dialect provides the basis for Standard Mandarin, the standard Chinese language used in the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China on Taiwan, and Singapore. Rural areas of Beijing Municipality have their own dialects akin to those of Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing Municipality. Beijing Opera, or Peking Opera (''Jingju''), is well-known throughout the national capital. Commonly lauded as one of the highest achievements of Chinese culture, Beijing Opera is performed through a combination of song, spoken dialogue, and codified action sequences, such as gestures, movement, fighting and acrobatics. Much of Beijing Opera is carried out in an archaic stage dialect quite different from modern Standard Mandarin and from the Beijing dialect; this makes the dialogue somewhat hard to understand, and the problem is compounded if one is not familiar with Chinese. As a result, modern theaters often have electronic titles in Chinese and English. Image:BejingOperaProduction.jpg thumb|right|400px|A Beijing performance of the well-known opera ''Farewell my Concubine'' (September 2002). Image:Beijing Hutongs Mar2003.jpg Dongsishitiao.html" title="Meaning of right right|thumb|300px|A '''hutong'''（胡å?Œï¼‰ in eastern urban Beijing near [[Dongsishitiao. When photographed in March 2003, the left side was still standing; it has since given way to a new construction project..html" title="Meaning of thumb|300px|A '''hutong'''（胡å?Œï¼‰ in eastern urban Beijing near [[Dongsishitiao">right|thumb|300px|A '''hutong'''（胡å?Œï¼‰ in eastern urban Beijing near [[Dongsishitiao. When photographed in March 2003, the left side was still standing; it has since given way to a new construction project.">thumb|300px|A '''hutong'''（胡å?Œï¼‰ in eastern urban Beijing near [[Dongsishitiao">right|thumb|300px|A '''hutong'''（胡å?Œï¼‰ in eastern urban Beijing near [[Dongsishitiao. When photographed in March 2003, the left side was still standing; it has since given way to a new construction project. The Siheyuan (å››å?ˆé™¢) is a traditional architectural style of Beijing. A siheyuan consists of a square housing compound, with rooms enclosing a central courtyard. This courtyard often contains a pomegranate or other type of tree, as well as potted flowers or a fish tank. Siheyuans line Hutongs (胡å?Œ), or alleys, which connect the interior of Beijing's old city. They are usually straight and run east-to-west so that doorways can face north and south for Feng Shui reasons. They vary in width — some are very narrow, enough for only a few pedestrians to pass through at a time. Once ubiquitous in Beijing, siheyuans and hutongs are now rapidly disappearing, as entire city blocks of hutongs are leveled and replaced with high-rise buildings. Residents of the hutongs are entitled to apartments in the new buildings of at least the same size as their former residences. Many complain, however, that the traditional sense of community and street life of the hutongs cannot be replaced. Some particularly historic or picturesque hutongs are being preserved and restored by the government, with the objective that by the 2008 Olympics, only these few will remain. One such example can be seen at Nanchizi. Mandarin cuisine is the local style of cooking in Beijing. Peking Roast Duck is perhaps the most well-known dish. The Manhan Quanxi ("Manchu-Han Chinese full banquet") is a traditional banquet originally intended for the ethnic-Manchu emperors of the Qing Dynasty; it remains very prestigious and very expensive. Teahouses are also common in Beijing. Chinese tea comes in many varieties and some rather expensive types of Chinese tea are said to cure an ailing body extraordinarily well. The Jingtailan is a cloisonné metalworking technique and tradition originating from Beijing, and one of the most revered traditional crafts in China. Beijing lacquerware is well known for the patterns and images carved into its surface. The Fuling Jiabing is a traditional Beijing snack food, a pancake (''bing'') resembling a flat disk with filling, made from ''fu ling'' (''Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf'', or "tuckahoe"), an ingredient common in traditional Chinese medicine.

Stereotypes
Beijingers are stereotypically held to be open, confident, humorous, majestic in manner, enthusiastic about politics, art, culture, or other "grand" matters, unconcerned with thrift or careful calculation, and happy to take center stage. They are also stereotypically aristocratic, arrogant, laid back, disdainful of "provincials", always "lording it over others", and strongly conscious of social class. These stereotypes may have originated from Beijing's status as China's capital for most of the past 800 years, and the high concentration of officials and other notables in Beijing that has resulted.

Transportation
:''Main article: Transportation in Beijing'' With the growth of the city following economic reforms, Beijing has evolved as an important transportation hub. Encircling the city are five ring roads, nine expressways and city express routes, eleven China National Highways, several railway routes, and an international airport.

Rail
Beijing has two major railway stations: Beijing Railway Station (or the central station) and Beijing West Railway Station. Five other railway stations in Metropolitan Beijing handle regular passenger traffic: Beijing East Railway Station Beijing East, Beijing North Railway Station Beijing North, Beijing South Railway Station Beijing South, Fengtai Railway Station Fengtai, and Guang'anmen Railway Station Guang'anmen. Beijing is a railway hub. There are Railways of China railway lines from Beijing to Guangzhou, Shanghai, Harbin, Baotou, Taiyuan, Chengde and Qinhuangdao. International trains, including lines to cities in Russia and Pyongyang, North Korea (DPRK), all run through Beijing. Direct trains to Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region SAR also depart from Beijing. Construction on a Beijing-Tianjin high-speed rail began on July 4, 2005, and is scheduled to be completed in 2007.

Roads and expressways
:''See: Ring Roads of Beijing, Expressways of Beijing and China National Highways of Beijing for more related information.'' Image:BadalingExpwyNov02.jpg Badaling Expressway.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|300px|The [[Badaling Expressway near the intersection with the Northern 6th Ring Road (November 2002 image).html" title="Meaning of 300px|The [[Badaling Expressway">thumb|300px|The [[Badaling Expressway near the intersection with the Northern 6th Ring Road (November 2002 image)">300px|The [[Badaling Expressway">thumb|300px|The [[Badaling Expressway near the intersection with the Northern 6th Ring Road (November 2002 image) Beijing is connected via road links from all parts of China. Nine expressways of China (with six wholly new expressways under projection or construction) connect with Beijing, as do eleven China National Highways. Within Beijing itself, an elaborate network of five ring roads has developed, but they appear more rectangular than ring-shaped. Roads in Beijing often are in one of the four compass directions (unlike, for example, Tianjin). One of the biggest concerns with traffic in Beijing deals with its apparently ubiquitous traffic jams. Traffic in the city centre is often gridlocked, especially around rush hour. Even outside of rush hour, several roads still remain clogged up with traffic. Urban area ring roads and major through routes, especially near the Chang'an Avenue area, are often clogged up during rush hour. Recently expressways have been extended (in some cases reconstructed as express routes) into the territories within the 3rd Ring Road (Beijing) 3rd Ring Road. As they are either expressways or express routes, drivers do not need to pass through intersections with traffic lights. This may finally solve the difficulties in "hopping between one ring and another". Another problem is that public transportation is underdeveloped (the subway system is presently minimal) and that even buses are jam-packed with people around rush hour. Beijing was poorly designed in terms of zoning and in terms of transportation system [http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-10/06/content_269518.htm], [http://www.bjreview.com.cn/200410/Nation-200410(C).htm]. Compounding the problem is patchy enforcement of traffic regulations, and road rage. Beijing authorities claim that traffic jams may be a thing of a past come the 2008 Olympics. The authorities have introduced several bus lanes where, during rush hour, all vehicles except for public buses must keep clear. Chang'an Avenue runs east-west through the centre of Beijing, past Tian'anmen. It is a major through route and is often called the "First Street in China" by authorities. {{Roads and Expressways of Beijing}}

Air
Beijing's main airport is the Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) near Shunyi District Shunyi, which is about 20 km northeast of Beijing city centre. Most domestic and nearly all international flights arrive and depart at Capital Airport. Capital Airport is the main hub for Air China. It is linked to central Beijing by the Airport Expressway and is a roughly 40-minute drive from the city centre during good traffic hours. In preparation for the 2008 Olympics, another expressway is being built to the Airport, as well as a lightrail system. Other airports in the city include Liangxiang Airport, Nanyuan Airport, Xijiao Airport, Shahe Airport and Badaling Airport. However, these are primary for military use and less well-known to the public.

Public transit
The evolving Beijing Subway has four lines (two above ground, two underground), with several more being built in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics. There were 599 bus and trolleybus routes in Beijing as of 2004. [http://www.bjstats.gov.cn/tjyl/tjgb/200501210039.htm] Taxis are nearly ubiquitous, and some can accept Yikatong cards for payment. Buses and trolleybus fares cost 1 Renminbi for shorter trips, and more for longer trips. Subway tickets range from 2 to 5 Renminbi. Taxi fares depend on vehicle type: these start at 10 Renminbi for the first 3 to 4 kilometers, and go up by 1.20, 1.60, 2.00, or 2.50 Renminbi per extra kilometer, depending on the type of taxi. Some, too, can accept Yikatong cards for payment.

Tourism
Image:TempleofHeaven-HallofPrayer.jpg thumb|250px|The Temple of Heaven Image:Wan song monk pagoda01.jpg thumb|150px|Wansong Pagoda :''Main article: Tourist attractions of Beijing'' Despite the turmoil of the nineteenth century nineteenth and twentieth century twentieth centuries — including damage caused by Old Summer Palace European military intervention, the Second Sino-Japanese War Japanese invasion of WWII and the Cultural Revolution — and the recent intense urbanisation and transformation, including the demolition of hutongs, Beijing still maintains tourist attractions that are rich in history. Although more known for its political significance in the West, the Tian'anmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) has long been one of the most important tourist sites of Beijing, both by itself and as the main entrance to the Forbidden City. Other world-renowned sites include the Badaling section of the Great Wall of China, the Summer Palace, and the Temple of Heaven.

Buildings, monuments, and landmarks
*Sections of the Great Wall of China Great Wall (World Heritage Site) at: ** Badaling ** Juyongguan ** Mutianyu ** Simatai ** Jinshanling ** Jiankou *Forbidden City (World Heritage Site) *Tiananmen Square, site of the Tiananmen Square protests of Tiananmen Square protests of 1919 May 4, 1919, Tiananmen Incident 1976, and Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 1989 **Tiananmen (The Gate of Heavenly Peace) **Great Hall of the People (National Legislature) **The National Museum of China **Monument to the People's Heroes **Mausoleum of Mao Zedong *The Summer Palace (World Heritage Site) *Old Summer Palace Ruins of the Old Summer Palace *Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian (World Heritage Site) *The Ming Dynasty Tombs (World Heritage Site) *Gulou Bell Tower and Drum Tower *Historic Hutongs and Siheyuans in many older neighborhoods *Lugou Bridge (Marco Polo Bridge) *Prince Gong's Mansion Prince Gong Mansion (Gong Wang Fu) *Zheng Yici Peking Opera Theatre *Liulichang Liulichang Culture Street *Beijing Ancient Observatory

Temples, cathedrals, and mosques
*Temple of Heaven (World Heritage Site), situated in the southern area of urban Beijing *Temple of Earth, located in northern Beijing *Temple of Sun, situated in the eastern area of urban Beijing *Temple of Moon, located in western Beijing *Tanzhe Temple *Jietai Temple *Yunju Temple *Yonghegong (Lama Temple) *Guangji Temple *Confucius Temple *Great Bell Temple *Five Pagoda Temple *Temple of Azure Clouds *Temple of Recumbent Buddha *White Dagoba Temple in Beihai Park *Badachu *Immaculate Conception Cathedral *Holy Saviour Church *Niujie Mosque

Parks and gardens
*Beihai Park *Shichahai *Jingshan Park *Beijing World Park *The Fragrant Hills (Xiangshan) *The Grandview Garden (Daguanyuan) *Beijing Botanical Garden *Taoranting Park

Shopping and commercial districts
*Wangfujing: Beijing's most upscale, globalized shopping district *Xidan *Beijing CBD *Beijing Financial Street *Zhongguancun *Yizhuang See also Jin Yuan Mall.

Hotels and lodging
In first two decades following the PRC's foundation in 1949, Beijing had virtually no hotels (at least by Western standards), due to economic and social conditions at the time. One system of institution providing a place for individuals traveling to Beijing from other locations to spend the night was the ''zhaodaisuo'' (literally, "accommodation centre"). ''Zhaodaisuo'' were subordinate to state organisations or state organs. Older ones had communal public conveniences and amenities. Some ''zhaodaisuos'' still remain in use today. In the late 1970s, Beijing, alongside much of China during the period of reform and economic opening under Deng Xiaoping, saw greater attempts at attracting and catering to international business. A large number of hotels and other facilities to accommodate business, tourist, and other visitors began to be constructed. Today, given Beijing's size and status as one of the most frequently visited and economically, politically, and culturally important cities in Asia, a great number of hotels exist, many rivalling the highest international standards. The most well-known hotel is the Beijing Hotel, which is state-owned. Other notable hotels are the Great Wall Sheraton Hotel, the Jianguo Hotel, the China World Hotel, the St. Regis, Grand Hyatt at Oriental Plaza and the Peninsula Palace Hotel, operated by the Hong Kong-based Peninsula Group. Youth hostels do exist but are few in number. There is one near the centre of Beijing, where accommodations are located four floors below ground level.

Nightlife
Nightlife in Beijing is varied. Most clubs are situated in the area around Sanlitun or in the region near the Workers Stadium, especially to the north and to the west. New clubs opened on Gongrentiyuchang West Road. Wudaokou, in northwestern Beijing, is also a bustling center of nightlife. There are more Koreans and other foreigners, mostly students, in the area. Bar-wise, the following areas of Beijing are known as hubs for bars which open until late: *Sanlitun *Houhai *Yuandadu

Education
:''Main article: Colleges and Universities of Beijing'' Beijing is home to a great number of colleges and universities, including several well-regarded universities of international stature, especially including China's two most prestigious institutions, Peking University ("Beida") and Tsinghua University. Other well known institutions, domestically and internationally, include Beijing Normal University and Renmin University of China. Owing to Beijing's status as the political and cultural capital of China, a larger proportion of tertiary-level institutions are concreated here than probably any other city in China, reaching at least 59 in number. Many international students from Japan, Korea, North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and elsewhere come to Beijing to study every year, a growing trend, especially among Western students. The institutions listed here are administered by China's Ministry of Education. Best-known institutions: *Tsinghua University (清�大学) (founded 1911), typically considered one of the two best academic institutions in China along with Peking University *Peking University (北京大学) (founded 1898), typically considered one of the two best academic institutions in China along with Tsinghua University *Renmin University of China (中国人民大学) *Beijing Normal University (北京师范大学) (founded 1902) *Beijing Foreign Studies University (北京外国语大学) Other institutions include: *Beijing Language and Culture University (北京语言大学) *Beijing Forestry University (北京林业大学) *Beijing Institute of Technology (北京�工大学) *Beijing Jiaotong University (北京交通大学) *Beijing University of Chemical Technology (北京化工大学) *Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (北京中医�大学) *Beijing University of Petroleum (石油大学) *Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (北京邮电大学) *Capital Normal University (首都师范大学) *Central University of Finance and Economics (中央财�大学) *China Agricultural University (中国农业大学) *China University of Political Science and Law (中国政法大学) *Communication University of China (中国传媒大学) *Beijing University Health Science Center (formally Beijing Medical University) (北京大学医学部, 原北京医科大学) *University of International Business and Economics (对外�济贸易大学) *University of International Relations (国际关系学院) *University of Science and Technology Beijing (北京科技大学) *Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (北京航空航天大学) *Beijing University of Technology (北京工业大学) Arts-related institutions: *Central Academy of Drama (中央�剧学院) *Central Conservatory of Music (中央音�学院) *Central Institute of Fine Arts (中央美术学院) *Beijing Film Academy (北京电影学院)

Media
Image:Xinhua News Agency.JPG Xinhua_News Agency.html" title="Meaning of right right|thumb|140px|[[Xinhua News Agency..html" title="Meaning of thumb|140px|[[Xinhua News Agency">right|thumb|140px|[[Xinhua News Agency.">thumb|140px|[[Xinhua News Agency">right|thumb|140px|[[Xinhua News Agency.

Television and radio
Beijing Television (BTV) broadcasts on numbered channels 1 through 10. Unlike China Central Television (CCTV), there is at present no exclusive English-language TV channel on a citywide level in Beijing. Three radio stations feature programmes in English: ''Hit FM'' on FM 88.7, ''Easy FM'' by China Radio International (CRI) on FM 91.5, and the newly launched ''Radio 774'' on AM 774.

Press
The well-known ''Beijing Evening News'' (''Beijing Wanbao'') newspaper is distributed every afternoon, covering news about Beijing in Chinese. Other newspapers include ''The Beijing News'' (''Xin Jing Bao''), the ''Beijing Star Daily'', the ''Beijing Morning News'', the ''Beijing Youth Daily'' (''Beijing Qingnian Bao''), as well as English-language weeklies ''Beijing Weekend'' and ''Beijing Today'' (the English-language edition of ''Youth Daily''). ''People's Daily'' and ''China Daily'' (English) are also published in Beijing. Nationally-circulated Chinese newspapers are also available in Beijing. Publications primarily aimed at international visitors and the expatriate community include the English-language periodicals ''City Weekend'', ''Beijing This Month'', ''Beijing Talk'', ''that's Beijing'' and ''MetroZine''. Rolling Stone Magazine will base it China version's editorial staff in Beijing. The international press, including English- and Japanese-language newspapers and magazines, are available in major international hotels and Friendship Stores, and content often appears complete.

Sports
Beijing will host the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Summer Paralympics. Professional sports teams based in Beijing include: *Chinese Football Association Super League ** Beijing Xiandai *Chinese Basketball Association ** Beijing Ducks ** Beijing Olympians The Beijing Aoshen Olympians of the American Basketball Association (21st century) ABA, formerly a Chinese Basketball Association CBA team, kept their name and maintained a roster of primarily Chinese players after moving to Maywood, California in 2005.

City and regional partnerships
Beijing maintains Town twinning partnerships or "sister city" status with the following international locations. (''Note: some locations are provinces or regional-level units, not cities properly. Beijing itself is not technically a city, being a municipality of China municipality''). {| class="wikitable" ! City ! Country ! Sister City since: |- |Tokyo |Japan |March 14, 1979 |- |New York City |United States USA |February 25, 1980 |- |Belgrade |Serbia and Montenegro |October 14, 1980 |- |Lima |Peru |November 21, 1983 |- |Washington, D.C. |United States USA |May 15, 1984 |- |Madrid |Spain |September 16, 1985 |- |Rio de Janeiro |Brazil |November 24, 1986 |- |Île-de-France (région) Île-de-France{{ref|Ilede}} |France |July 2, 1987 |- |Cologne |Germany |September 14, 1987 |- |Ankara |Turkey |June 20, 1990 |- |Cairo |Egypt |October 28, 1990 |- |Islamabad |Pakistan |October 8, 1992 |- |Jakarta |Indonesia |October 8, 1992 |- |Bangkok |Thailand |May 26, 1993 |- |Buenos Aires |Argentina |July 13, 1993 |- |Seoul |South Korea |October 23, 1993 |- |Kiev |Ukraine |December 13, 1993 |- |Berlin |Germany |April 5, 1994 |- |Brussels |Belgium |September 22, 1994 |- |Hanoi |Vietnam |October 6, 1994 |- |Amsterdam |Netherlands |October 29, 1994 |- |Moscow |Russia |May 16, 1995 |- |Paris |France |October 23, 1997 |- |Rome |Italy |May 28, 1998 |- |Gauteng{{ref|Gaut}} |South Africa |December 6, 1998 |- |Ottawa |Canada |October 18, 1999 |- |Canberra |Australia |September 14, 2000 |- |Manila |Philippines |November 14, 2005 |- |Tehran |Iran |Planned |} 1: {{note|Ilede}} French region hosting the largest part of Paris metropolitan area
2: {{note|Gaut}} A Provinces of South Africa province of South Africa :Source: [http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn/ying/default.htm www.ebeijing.gov.cn]

See also
*List of mayors of Beijing *List of hospitals in Beijing * 2045 Peking - the name of an asteroid

External links
{{sisterlinks|Beijing}}
- Official site (English version)
- Official 2008 Summer Olympics Website (English)
- The Beijing Page - #1 Google Search for "Beijing" (English)
- Beijing Map - full size, 1560 x 1547 pixels, 645kb
- Large map of Beijing region
- Beijing The Virtual City (under construction)
- Useful collection of Beijing links (English)
- Beijing Weather Forecast
- gou-rou.com Beijing satire
- Human Rights in China and the Beijing 2008 Olympics - OlympicWatch.org

Travel and tourism

- Top tips for visitors to Beijing
- Photos of Beijing
- Beijing Travel Informations
- My Beijing travel Guide
- Chinese Central, Provincial and City governments
- Peking.org - Peking Tourist Attractions, Photos and History
- The Beijing Guide
- Bruce Ma's Beijing Tour [http://www.brucema.co.nr/], pictures
- Beijing tours
- Beijing Expatriates Resources
- Beijing Travel Service
- Beijing Travel
- Beijinglives.com Information about tourism in Beijing
- Beijing Hotel Guide

Images of Beijing

- Pictures of Beijing
- Satellite image of Beijing at NASA Earth Observatory
- Pictures of Beijing Attractions
- Flickr: Photos tagged with beijing, photos likely of Beijing
- Pictures from a backpacker's trip around Beijing

Wiki project links
*{{wikitravelpar|Beijing}} {{Provinces_of_China}} {{Olympic Summer Games Host Cities}} {{ChineseText}} Category:Beijing * Category:Capitals in Asia Category:Cities in China Category:Host cities of the Summer Olympic Games {{Link FA|de}} ar:بكين an:Pekín bg:Пекин ca:Pequín cv:Пекин cs:Peking za:Baekging cy:Beijing da:Beijing de:Peking et:Peking es:Pekín eo:Pekino eu:Beijing fr:Pékin gl:Beijing - 北京 ko:베�징 hi:बेइजिन�ग io:Beijing id:Beijing is:Peking it:Pechino he:בייג'ינג jv:Beijing ka:პეკინი la:Pecinum lb:Peking lt:Pekinas hu:Peking mk:Пекинг ms:Beijing na:Beijing nl:Peking ja:北京 no:Beijing