Beijing Facts
Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, is the center of the nation's politics, culture and international exchanges and a moden metropolis full of vitality. The world's earliest record of Beijing came from the travel notes by Marco Polo, the young Italian traveler in the 13th century. His description of people's civilized and well to do life in Beijing and his admiration for the beauty of the city has for hundreds of years attracted the reverie of numerous people about this ancient capital of civilization in the East. 
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Beijing History
Beijing (北京）literally means "the northen capital". The city construction of Beijing has a history of over 800 years dated back to the year 1153 AD when the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) built Beijing as its capital later named "Zhongdu". Mongol armies seized Zhongdu in 1215. Kublai Khan rebuilt the city and gave it the Chinese (Han) name of Dadu or Great Capital as capital city called "Dadu" in Yuan Dynasty (1271 – 1368). On August 2, 1368, Ming troops conquered Dadu and renamed it Beiping (Northern Peace). Zhu Yuanzhang was the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). When the Manchus founded the Qing Dynasty in 1644, they began to build suburban gardens, the most famous of which was Yuanmingyuan.
Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) left the city wall and palaces built in Ming Dynasty almost intact. So Beijing's city plan was first laid out in the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368). Yet only after massive reconstruction during the Ming and Qing (1644-1911), did the city come as an architectural masterpiece as the capital of the Chinese empire.
Nanjing was officially made the capital of the Republic of China in 1928. Beijing was renamed Beiping (北平), meaning "northern peace" or "north pacified". During the Anti-Japanese War, Beiping fell to Japan on 29 July 1937.
On 1 October, 1949, the Communist Party of China, under the leadership of Mao Zedong, announced in Tiananmen the founding of the People's Republic of China and renamed the city back to Beijing. This date became China's national day.
Beijing Location
Beijing is situated at 40 degrees north latitude and 116 degrees of longitudes. Beijing covers an area of 16,800 square kilometers, 38% of it is flat land and 62% mountains. Beijing is located in northern China, abutting Hebei Province to the north, west, south, and to the east in a small part, and Tianjin Municipality to the southeast. As a port city of Beijing, Tianjin is about 200km to the southeast of Beijing.
Beijing is surrouded on its three sides (north, northwest and west) by mountains with its southeast opening to the south and east extending to Bohai Sea. The Great Wall of China runs across the northern part of Beijing.
Beijing Population & Administration
Beijing has a population of 20 million in the year of 2009, about 5 million live in the city proper and the rest on the outskirts. It is divided into 14 districts and 2 counties. | Below are the 6 districts in or close to the Beijing city proper: | |||
| Dongcheng District | Xicheng District | Chaoyang District | Haidian District |
| Fengtai District | Shijingshan District | ||
| Below are the 8 districts on the outskirts of Beijing: | |||
| Tongzhou District | Shunyi District | Changping District | Daxing District |
| Pinggu District | Huairou District | Mentougou District | Fangshan District |
| Below are the two counties: | |||
| Miyun County | Yanqing County |
The two counties are located in the suburbs of Beijing. | |
Beijing Economic Development
Through more than 50 years of construction sinnce 1949, Beijing has changed from a consumer-city to a major city with various industries. Beijing ranks second among the top 50 cities in China in terms of comprehensive power, and is the first among the 40 best cities in China in terms of investment enviroment.
With China's reform and opening up, Beijing is improving urban construction on an unprecedented scale. Its speed of development is astonishing and it brings about changes day by day. Around this graceful ancient capital, a large number of key national projects, massive infrastructure buildings and moden residential houses have sprung up.
Wasteland and low, dilapidated houses are gradually disappearing, replaced by newly-built residential quarters of different styles and surrounded by greenbelts. 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.
Beijing is one of the most developed cities in China. Beijing is home to 26 Fortune Global 500 companies, the third most in the world behind Tokyo and Paris, and over 100 of the largest companies in China.
In 2010, Beijing's GDP reached 1.37 trillion RMB. Its per capita GDP was 78,194 RMB. In 2009, Beijing's GDP was 1.19 trillion RMB (US$174 billion), a growth of 10.1% over the previous year. Its GDP per capita was 68,788 RMB (US$10,070), an increase of 6.2% over 2008
Beijing Education & Health
There are nearly 100 institutions of higher learning such as the famous Beijing University, Qinghua University, over 1000 middle schools and 4500 primary schools in Beijing, with total enrollment of over 2 million. Much attention is being paid to special schools with total about 600 now. more than 500 scientific research Institutions, over 300 publishing houses, as well as hundreds of newspapers and periodicals. In medical and health care, the city has more than 500 hospitals, about 65600 sick beds, with around.
Beijing Culture
Beijing culture is an important part of China culture which includes literature, music, visual arts, martial arts, cuisine etc. Beijing or Peking opera, is a traditional form of Chinese theatre well known throughout the nation. Beijing cuisine is the local style of cooking. Beijing Roast Duck is perhaps the best known dish. Beijing Religion
Beijing, as elsewhere in China, is a city with religious freedom and respects every religion. Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Christianity are religions found in Beijing. Religious activities are carried out in Buddhist temples, Taoist temples, mosques and churches in Beijing. Beijing Language
Beijing speak the Beijing dialect, which belongs to the Mandarin subdivision of spoken Chinese. Beijing dialect is the phonological basis of Standard Chinese. Although the Beijing dialect and Standard Chinese are highly similar, many differences generally make clear to Chinese speakers. Are you in the process of searching for an ideal hotel for your leisure trip to Beijing? Tired? Mentally drained by the search for the over 800 star-rated hotels in Beijing?!
A plethora of Beijing hotel options are likely to remain around to tantalize and torture you. We at Tour-Beijing Travel Service, are to hack through the jungle of options and simplify your selection process into three choices - the top three best value hotels in Beijing, saving your time and your money.
Beijing's climate is defined as "continental monsoon." Beijing has distinctive four seasons. In spring time, Beijing is a bit dusty and windy. Spring is short here and excursions are a popular form of tourism. Summer is hot, but the hot weather is short-lived, plus, rainfall is plentiful. Autumn, lasting about 50 days, is the best season for tourism and the temperature is mild and the sun is out a lot. Winter is long and cold, but the ice lantern shows an skiing still attract many tourists.
| Beijing Temperature and Rainfall | ||||||||||||
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Temperature (Celsius) |
-4.6 | -2.2 | 4.5 | 13.1 | 19.8 | 24.0 | 25.8 | 24.4 | 19.4 | 12.4 | 4.1 | -2.7 |
| Rainfall (cm) | 3.0 | 7.4 | 8.6 | 19.4 | 33.1 | 77.8 | 192.5 | 212.3 | 57.0 | 24.0 | 6.6 | 2.6 |
| Days of rainfall |
2.0 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 5.9 | 9.7 | 14.1 | 13.2 | 6.8 | 5.0 | 3.7 | 1.6 |
Beijing is a pretty safe place, and you can enjoy a pleasant and secure time here. Indeed, as a foreigner, you will often be given special consideration and a certain amount of leniency. Of course, you have to abide by the law and respect the culture and customs, but in general you don't need to be afraid of this city.
Touring Beijing on an escorted tour group is good for the first time tourist. But if you really want to travel independently, you should break off from the pack and do some touring on your own. This page provides you some tips and insight on how to get around in Beijing and some spots in the suburban area.
Being the capital of the country, Beijing has foods from all over China as well as from all parts of the world. There are quite a few types of foods which are unique to Beijing, and while you are here you should try to sample as much of the local cuisine as you can.
Shopping in Beijing is becoming more and more convenient. Every year new shopping centers, plazas and malls are sprouting up all over the capital. Just 20 years ago there were only a few department stores and small bazaars, but now there are many superstores, mega-malls and markets and boutiques where you can buy just about anything you need.
There are various places to go for shopping, depending on what you expect and the prices you are prepared to pay.
| Top Things to Buy in Beijing | |||
| Porcelain | Cloisonne | Lancquerware | Handcraft |
| Silk | Painting & Calligraphy | Jade | Books |
Are you seeking a kind of nightlife in Beijing? Looking for an evening bar or a pub? Or maybe you are interested in Peking Opera or Chinese acrobatics show? Beijing nightlife is very colourful. Beijing nightlife has more to offer! If you travel with your kids, then enjoying Kung Fu show in the evening is a must. If you are young and energetic, you may go to disco or live jazz. If you like to know more about old Beijing and enjoy Chinese tea, you can go to teahouses.
| Beijing Bar & Pub Areas | Beijing Opera | Beijing Acrobatics |
| Beijing Kung Fu Show | Beijing Teahouse Theater | Cultural city of Beijing |
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Welcome to Beijing!
There are over 70 colleges and universities of higher education in Beijing. Most of the colleges and universities are public or affiliated, only a few are privately sponsored and managed.
| Names | Address | Phone | Website | |||
| Directly administered by the municipality | ||||||
| Beijing University of Technology | No.100 Pingleyuan, Chaoyang District | 67393456 | www.bjut.edu.cn | |||
| North China University of Technology | No.5 Jinyuanzhuang Road, Shjingshan District | 88802114 | www.ncut.edu.cn | |||
| Beijing Technology and Business University | No. 33 Fucheng Road, Haidian District | 68984711 | www,btbu.edu.cn | |||
| Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology | No.2 Heping Street North yinghua East Road,Chaoyang District | 64288364 | www.bift.edu.cn | |||
| Beijing Insititute of Graphic Communication | No.25 Xinghua North Road, Daxing District | 60261500 | www.bigc.edu.cn | |||
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We have listed the offices of the major domestic and foreign airlines based in Beijing.
| Name | Address | Telephone | Website |
| Emirates | A-1003, Pengrun Bldg, 26, Xiaoyun Road, Chaoyang District | 51088696 | www.emirates.com |
| Austrian Airlines | C604 Kempinski Hotel Bldg, 50, Liangmaqiao Road, Chaoyang Ditrict | 64596901 | www.austrian.com |
| Qantas | Unit 7-8,10th Floor the Twin Towers/west, 乙12 ,Jianguomenwai St.,Chaoyang | 64590296 9765679006 | www.qantas.com.au |
| Scandinavian Airlines | 14 Floor, Hengji Center, 18, Jianguomennei St. Dongcheng District | 85276100 | www.flysas.com |
| Korean Air | 901 Hyundai Bldg,38 Xiaoyun Road, Chaoyang District, | 4006588888 | www.koreanair.com |
| Lufthansa German | 1 Floor, Yansha Center, Chaoyang District | 64598866 | www.lufthansa.cn |
| Russian Airlines | 3, Jianguamenwai St., Chaoyang District | 64591288 | www.aeroflot.org |
| More airline offices in Beijing | |||
We have listed the major foreign embassies based in Beijing, the capital of China with addresses and phone numbers.
Afghanistan
Chancery: No.8, Dong Zhi Men Wai Da Jie
Tel: 65321582 65321629
Fax: 65322269
Armenia
Chancery: Ta Yuan Nanxiaojie 9, Chaoyang District
Tel: 65325677
Fax: 65325654
Arab
Chancery: No.6, Dong Si Jie, San Li Tun
Tel: 65321372
Fax: 65321575
Algeria
Chancery: No.7, San Li Tun Lu
Tel: 65321496
Fax: 65321648
Austria
Chancery: No.5, Xiu Shui Nan Jie, Jian Guo Mei Wai
Tel: 65322061
Fax: 65321505
America
Chancery: No.55, An Jia Lou Road
Tel: 85313000
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