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Beijing (北京, Hanyu Pinyin:
Běijīng, Wade-Giles: Pei-ching; Postal System Pinyin: Peking), is the capital city of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the 4 municipalities of the People's Republic of China, which have a provincial-level status. The municipality governs
10 districts and 8 counties.
Names
Beijing literally means "northern capital" (as opposed to Nanjing, meaning
"southern capital" and Tonkin and Tokyo, both
of which mean "eastern capital"). Beijing is sometimes referred to as Peking. The term originated with French
missionaries four hundred years ago, and corresponds to an archaic pronunciation which does not take into account a 'k' to 'j'
sound shift in Mandarin that occurred during the
Qing dynasty.
In China, the city has had many names. Between 1928 [1]
and 1949, it was known as Beiping (北平 Wade-Giles Peip'ing) or "Northern Peace". The name was changed because jing
means "capital" and the Kuomintang government in Nanjing wanted to emphasize that Beijing was not the capital of China, and Beijing's warlord government was not
legitimate. From 1937 to 1945, Beijing was occupied by the Japanese.
The name was changed back by the Communist Party of
China in 1949 in part to emphasize that Beijing was the capital of China. The government of the Republic of China on Taiwan has
not formally recognized the name change, and during the 1950s and 1960s it was common for Beijing to be called Peiping on Taiwan.
Today, almost everyone on Taiwan, including the ROC government, uses the term Beijing, although some maps of China from Taiwan still use the old name along with pre-1949 provincial boundaries.
The GDP per capita was ¥24077 (US$2907), ranked no. 41 among all 659 Chinese cities.
For the historical names of Beijing, see Capital of China.
History
Map of central Beijing (1988)
The metropolitan area of Beijing had been settled in the first millennium BC and the capital of Kingdom Yan (燕) was
established there, who named it Ji (蓟). Ji has often been claimed to be the beginning of Beijing; but in reality Ji had
been abandoned no later than the 6th century AD. The exact location of Ji remains unknown despite much effort in recent decades
to identify the site.
During the great Tang and Song dynasties, only townships existed in this area. Numerous ancient poets came here to mourn the
lost city, as testified by their surviving compositions.
By the early 10th century, Kingdom Liao had set up a "secondary capital" in the city proper, and called it Nanjing ("the
Southern Capital").
The Jin Dynasty that annexed Liao and ruled northern China built its
capital there, called Zhongdu (中都), or "the Central Capital".
Mongol forces burned Zhongdu to the ground in 1215 AD and rebuilt its own "Grand
Capital" (大都) to the north of the Jin capital in 1267 AD, which was the true
beginning of contemporary Beijing. 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.
In 1403 AD, the 3rd Ming emperor Zhu Li, who had just grabbed the throne by killing his
brother after a bloody civil war and moved the capital from southern China to his own power base in the north, renamed the city
Beijing (北京), or "Northern Capital".
The Forbidden City was constructed soon after that (1406-1420 AD), followed by the Temple to Heaven (1420 AD), and numerous other construction projects. Tian-An-Men, which has become a state symbol of
the PRC in modern times, was burned down twice during the Ming Dynasty and
the final reconstruction was carried out in 1651 AD.
Geography
Economy
Demographics
Culture
Transportation
The city is served by four completed concentric ring roads (with a fifth nearing completion); these are:
- 2nd Ring Road
- 3rd Ring Road
- 4th Ring Road
- 5th Ring Road (98 km)
- 6th Ring Road
The western part of the 6th Ring Road is still partially under construction. Rare sources have mentioned a potential 7th Ring
Road, but no further details have been given.
Oddly enough, there is the lack of a 1st Ring Road. This may have referred to a rectangle of roads around the intersections at
Dongdan, Xidan, Dongsi, and Xisi; it may also be a mapmaker's fiction, and nonexistent. Maps in Beijing do not actually show the
1st Ring Road.
Nine toll expressways link Beijing to its suburbs, outlying regions, and other cities; these are:
The evolving Beijing Subway has four lines (two above ground, two
underground), with several more being built in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics. The number of bus routes is approaching one thousand. There are also many
trolleybus routes in the city.
Traffic in the city centre is gridlocked, especially around rush hour. The authorities have attempted several moves with
limited success. One big problem is that public transportation is underdeveloped (the underground system is minimal) and that
even busses are jam-packed with people around rush hour. Beijing authorities trumpet that traffic jams may be a thing of a past
come the 2008 Olympics.
Tourism
Famous landmarks around Beijing include:
Important tourist attractions also include:
- Beihai Park
- Jingshan Park
- Tanzhe Temple
- Jietai Temple
- Yunju Temple
- Beijing Zoo
- The Fragrant Hills
- Beijing's Hutongs
Famous Theatres of Beijing include:
Colleges and Universities
[National]
- Peking University (北京大学) (founded
in 1898)
- Beijing University Health Science Center (formally Beijing Medical University)
(北京大学医学部, 原北京医科大学)
- Beijing
Normal University (北京师范大学) (founded 1902)
- Tsinghua University (清华大学)
(founded in 1911)
- Beihang
University (北京航空航天大学)
- Beijing Jiaotong University (北京交通大学)
- China University of Geosciences (中国地质大学)
- China University of Mining & Technology
(中国矿业大学)
- Beijing University of Petroleum (石油大学)
- Beijing University of Chemical Technology
(北京化工大学)
- Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications
(北京邮电大学)
- Beijing University of Technology (北京工业大学)
- China Agricultural University (中国农业大学)
- Beijing Forestry University (北京林业大学)
- Peking Union Medical College
(中国协和医科大学)
- Beijing University of Chinese Medicine
(北京中医药大学)
- Renmin University of China
(中国人民大学)
- China University of Political Science and Law
(中国政法大学)
- Beijing Foreign Studies University
(北京外国语大学)
- Beijing Language and Culture University
(北京语言大学)
- University of International Business and Economics
(对外经济贸易大学)
- Central University of Finance and Economics
(中央财经大学)
- Foreign
Affaires College (外交学院)
- Central University for
Nationalities (中央民族大学)
- Beijing Broadcasting Institute
(北京广播学院)
- Central Conservatory of Music (中央音乐学院)
- Central
Academy of Drama (中央戏剧学院)
- Central Institute of Fine Arts (中央美术学院)
- Beijing
Sports University (北京体育大学)
[Public]
- Beijing
Union University (北京联合大学)
- Capital
Normal University (首都师范大学)
- Capital University of Economics and Business
(首都经济贸易大学)
- University of Science and Technology Beijing
(北京科技大学)
- Beijing Institute of Technology
(北京理工大学)
- Beijing Information Technology Institute
(北京信息工程学院)
- Beijing Institute of Civil Engineering and Architecture
(北京建筑工程学院)
- SG
Institute of Technology (首钢工学院)
- Beijing Institute of Machinery
(北京机械工业学院)
- North China Electric Power University
(华北电力大学(北京))
- Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology
(北京石油化工学院)
- Beijing International Studies University
(北京第二外国语学院)
- China College
of Music (中国音乐学院)
- Academy of Traditional Chinese Opera
(中国戏曲学院)
- Beijing Film
Academy (北京电影学院)
- Beijing Dance
Academy (北京舞蹈学院)
- Central Radio and TV University
(中央广播电视大学)
- Beijing
Sports University(北京体育大学)
[Private]
- Beijing City
College (北京城市学院)
Note: Institutions without full-time bachelor programs are not listed.
Miscellaneous topics
Beijing will be the site of the 2008 Summer Olympics and
of the 2008 Summer Paralympics.
Airports include:
See also:
See also
External links
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