Beijing, China

Beijing is the capital of the People’s Republic of China. Called the “Northern Capital,” Beijing is one of the oldest cities in the world, having been occupied by the Chinese people for over four thousand years and serving as the capital of multiple Chinese dynasties.

Beijing City is in the northeastern part of the country and is part of Beijing Municipality, one of four municipalities in China. Beijing is China’s second most populous city, and is a major center for education, government and transportation.

Tourists to Beijing can visit hundreds of historically significant landmarks, including portions of the Great Wall of China and several palaces from China’s imperial era. Beijing is also a major sports and entertainment destination, and is home to many of China’s most prominent artists, athletes and public figures.

Landscape

The Beijing Municipality occupies 17,000 square kilometres (6,500 square miles) of the North China Plain, bordering the provinces of Hebei and Tianjin. The city of Beijing is in the south-central portion of the municipality, and has an area of 7,000 square kilometres (2,702 square miles).

Beijing experiences a continental monsoon climate with four distinct seasons and an average annual precipitation of about 635 millimetres (25 inches), mostly during the summer months. Winters are long and cold, with temperatures often falling below 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit), while summers are hot and humid. Spring is typically dry and windy, with occasional dust storms. In recent years, climate change and rapid urbanization have intensified environmental challenges. According to the Report on the State of the Ecology and Environment in China 2023, Beijing continues to struggle with high levels of PM2.5 air pollution, largely due to industrial emissions and unfavorable weather conditions. The city also faces more frequent extreme weather events such as heatwaves and heavy rainfall underscoring the need for adaptive strategies to protect public health, infrastructure, and natural resources.

The city is bordered on the north and west by a mountainous region, with low plains and farmland to the east and south. The Xishan and Jundu mountain ranges both border Beijing Municipality.

There are several large rivers running through Beijing. The Golden Water River and the Changpu River are used to fill moats around some of the city’s former palaces and official buildings.

Beijing is arranged in concentric circles radiating from the centre of the city. The municipality has ten districts and eight counties. The eastern Chou Yang and central Dong Cheng districts comprise the urban centre of the city. The remaining districts are divided between residential and commercial areas.

Beijing has a significant problem with pollution and deterioration of natural habitat. The government is doing some work to restore the city’s green spaces and reduce pollution by exploring alternative energy and expanded public transportation. According to critics, China’s Communist government has been slow to work on environmental issues out of concern that will impact the country’s economic growth. Some Chinese officials have stated that China has the right to develop its industry just as western developed countries did in the past. In 2014, then-Premier Li Keqiang declared a "war against pollution," marking a significant policy shift from prioritizing growth to addressing environmental issues. More recently, the Chinese government’s Report on the State of the Ecology and Environment in China 2023 outlines renewed efforts to reduce coal consumption and curb high-emission projects in regions like Beijing. The goal is to improve air quality and reduce the density of PM2.5 pollutants by 10 percent by 2025 compared to 2020 levels.

People

The CIA World Factbook estimates Beijing's urban population at 21.766 million in 2023. In addition, the municipality includes roughly 8.19 million migrants who have lived in the city for more than six months. Beijing is the second largest city in mainland China, after Shanghai.

Beijing's urban areas are highly populated, and the government has sought to ease congestion by moving residents from deteriorating neighbourhoods to the outer suburbs. With an urbanization rate of 87.8 percent, far surpassing the national average of 66.16 percent, the city remains a vital hub for both economic growth and migration.

China recognizes fifty-six ethnic groups living in Beijing Municipality. The Han ethnic group is China's largest group, and comprised about 92 percent of China’s population in 2024

Mandarin Chinese is the most commonly spoken language in Beijing, and the standard form known as Putonghua (common language) is based on the Beijing dialect. This standardized version is used nationally in education and official communication. While Putonghua dominates daily life in the city, other Chinese dialects such as Wu (Shanghainese) and Yue (Cantonese) may be heard in communities of migrants from other provinces, though they are not native to Beijing.

In the Beijing Municipality, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism are the most popular religions, followed by Islam and various forms of Christianity. The city is home to numerous temples, mosques, and churches representing the country’s major religions.

Beijing is home to more than sixty universities and colleges. Tsinghua University and Peking University are two of the city’s most renowned institutions. Beijing is also one of China’s leading cities for the arts, sports, and entertainment.

Beijing’s cuisine is dominated by northern Chinese cooking styles. Beijing’s traditional cuisine includes “imperial” dishes developed during the Ming dynasty, and cuisine that utilizes local ingredients. In the urban area, restaurants offer cuisine from other areas of China, as well as international and ethnic cuisine.

Economy

Though Beijing is the educational, political, and cultural capital of China, the cities of Hong Kong and Shanghai dominate in terms of economics and industry. According to Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics, in 2023, the gross domestic product (GDP) of Beijing was estimated to be 4.4 trillion yuan as compared to 4.02 trillion yuan the previous year.

The Beijing urban area hosts over 23,000 industries, the most prominent being finance, industrial manufacturing, information technology, and scientific research. The automobile industry is also significant, and Beijing’s suburbs contain many high-profile auto manufacturing plants. Major exports include petroleum, electronics, vehicles, and control systems. Beijing’s iron and steel production plants are important employers for the area.

According to CIA World Factbook, in 2023, the unemployment rate in Beijing was 4.4 percent while in China was 4.67 percent. The income gap in Beijing is wide: the wealthiest 20 percent of the population earn four times as much as the poorest 20 percent. On the national level, the income gap appears to be growing. A survey of five provinces by Peking University’s China Family Panel Studies found that the top 25 percent earned 59 percent of total income compared to 3.9 percent of total income earned by the bottom 25 percent of earners.

Beijing significantly upgraded its public transportation systems and sports and entertainment infrastructure in 2006 in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. The city later served as host for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, becoming the first to host both Summer and Winter editions.

Landmarks

Beijing has a long history and boasts dozens of historical, cultural, and political landmarks. At the center of Beijing is the Forbidden City, the largest collection of ancient buildings in China. Built in the early 1400s, the Forbidden City was the official residence of both the Ming and Qing dynasty emperors and features many objects of cultural, military and historical significance.

There are many famous Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian temples both in the city and stretching into the surrounding suburbs. The Tanzhe Temple, built in the third century CE, is the largest Buddhist temple in Beijing. The White Cloud Temple, a Tang dynasty (618–907 CE) Taoist shrine, was at one time the center of Taoist activity in northern China.

The Great Wall of China, which runs 6,352 kilometers (3,948 miles) across China, passes through the northern portion of Beijing. The Beijing section of the Great Wall is 600 kilometers (372.8 miles) long, and is one of China’s most popular tourist spots. The portions of the Great Wall in Beijing are some of the best preserved sections anywhere in China.

Tiananmen Square, a 440,000 square meter (about 1,443,570 square feet) outdoor area built during the Ming dynasty, is located in central Beijing. Tiananmen Square was the site where Mao Zedong declared the formation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, and was also the site of pro-democracy protests in 1976 and 1989.

Wangfujing Avenue is the city’s most prominent shopping district and features restaurants, boutiques, and other modern shopping conveniences. South of Tiananmen Square is Dazhalan Street, another shopping district focusing on ethnic Chinese crafts.

Beijing’s large zoological park, built in 1906, contains over seven thousand animals including a collection of giant pandas. The zoo also features the world’s largest inland aquarium, which opened in 1999.

History

Archaeologists believe that humans have occupied the Beijing area for at least 500,000 years. The Beijing plain was originally comprised of a number of farming and fishing villages that gradually grew in population. In 350 BCE, Beijing became the capital of Ji, during the Warring States period (425–221 BCE). Despite an unstable military climate, Beijing remained a capital until 937 CE, during the Tang dynasty.

Beijing was the site of multiple battles between dynastic armies and ethnic tribes and was captured and renamed several times. The size of the city expanded during the Liao and Jin dynasties, during which the urban area expanded.

In 1215, Beijing was destroyed by the armies of Genghis Khan and then rebuilt to serve as Genghis Khan’s capital, then called Dadu. The Khan dynastic group maintained control of the city until 1368 when the dynasty was overthrown by the armies of the Ming dynasty. The city was renamed Beiping, meaning “northern peace.” The Ming Emperor Yongle gave the city the official name Beijing when he made it the capital of the Ming dynasty in 1421.

The Ming dynasty controlled Beijing until 1644, and built walls surrounding the inner city. The Manchu (Qing) dynasty took control in 1644 and maintained Beijing as the capital. The population of Beijing continued to grow during this period with the influx of immigrants from Manchuria.

The Qing dynasty controlled Beijing until 1912, when the Xinhai Revolution brought an end to the dynastic period and signaled the beginning of civil war in China. From 1911 to 1948, Beijing changed hands repeatedly and was variously controlled by communist, nationalist, and independent “warlord” factions.

In 1949, the Communist armies took control of Beijing and declared it the capital of the newly formed People’s Republic of China. Since 1949, the city has expanded greatly, adding twelve new districts and two suburbs. Currently, Beijing is undergoing an economic restructuring that is intended to stimulate business growth and create a number of new residential and economic building zones in the central urban area.

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