Beijing

Bĕijīng (北京, Pei-Ching in Wade-Giles;, also Pekin or 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.

**北京市**
Province Abbreviation(s): 京 Jīng
Area - Total - % water	Ranked 29th 16,808 km² xx%
Population - Total (Year) - Density	Ranked 26th 13,820,000 822/km²
Administration Type	Municipality

Names

Beijing literally means "northern capital" (as opposed Nanjing, "southern capital", Tokyo and Tonkin, "eastern capitals"). 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 1911 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. Curiously, many maps of China from Taiwan still use the old name, although most people in Taiwan call the city Beijing.

For the historical names of Beijing, see Capital of China.

Tourism

Beijing's Forbidden City
Picture of the Forbidden City

Famous landmarks around Beijing include:

Forbidden City
Tiananmen Square, site of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1919, 1975, 1989
The Great Wall
The Temple of Heaven
The Summer Palace
Ruins of the Old Summer Palace
Gulou - The Drum Tower
Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian (World Heritage Site)

List of colleges and universities

Miscellaneous topics

Beijing will be the site of the 2008 Summer Olympics and of the 2008 Summer Paralympics.

Airports include:

Beijing Capital International Airport

External links