Beijing China travel guide and culture. Peking the city
Introduction to Beijing (Peking) China
Beijing, also called Peking, is the capital of China and it is located in the north part of the North China Plain (its name means literally north capital). It is a huge city, which occupies an area of about 16,800 sq Km with a population of 13.80 million made up mostly by Han Chinese. The spoken language is Peking dialect, quite close to standard Mandarin.
Beijing, the capital of China, is a municipality,
which 
means
that it depends directly form the central government
and it is divided into 14 districts and four counties.
Beijing’s symbols are the cypress (representing the strength of Chinese people), the scholar tree (that in China is symbol of joy and good fortune), the rose and the chrysanthemum.
Beijing’s climate is a continental monsoon climate; winters are dominated by cold and dry winds blowing from Siberia and Mongolia, while summers are mild with warm and humid winds blowing from the southeast.
Culture and economics in Beijing (Peking), China
Beijing is one of the oldest Chinese cities, with
over 3,000 years of history; therefore it has a
very rich culture. Very famous and highly appreciated
in China is the Beijing opera. Also, Beijing is
a very industrial city now, but even in the past
it has always been famous for its manufactured goods
such as jade, cloisonné, lacquer ware, embroidery
and more.
Beijing hosts the Chinese National library, which
is the biggest library in Asia, and it has more
than forty state scientific research institutes,
more than thirty universities and many exhibition
halls.
The cuisine adopted in Beijing is Mandarin cuisine, with its most famous dish worldwide being the Peking Roast Duck. Also, Beijing is home to traditional imperial food and imperial medicinal food. The Manhan Quanxi (the Han-Chinese full banquet) is also typical of Beijing. It is a full traditional banquet originally intended for the Qing Dinasty’s emperors. Nowadays it is served in the most exclusive restaurants and it is very expensive.
Main attractions in Beijing, China
Being such an ancient and prestigious city, it is not a surprise that Beijing has a lot of magnificent attractions to offer its visitors. Such attractions include (just to mention some of them):
- Tian’Anmen Square (Tian’Anmen Guangchang).
The biggest square in the world, 800 metres long
and 500 metres wide.
- The Forbidden City or Imperial Palace (Gugong)
- The Temple of Heaven (Tiantan)
- The Summer Palace (Yiheyuan)
- The Ming Tombs (Shisanling)
- The Great Wall of China (Changcheng)
Getting there and accommodation
Transportation wise,
Beijing is well connected by road and rail to every
main city in China and by air to many Chinese and
international destinations.
Also, finding accommodation is not a problem nowadays.
In the past, Beijing did not have hotels as Westerners
intend them, but today there is an ample choice
that includes some of the biggest hotel chains in
the world, such as Beijing Hilton, Shangri-La Hotel,
Radisson Beijing Hotel etc.
Extra links:
- Read about Shanghai - learn about other Chinese cities.
- Invest with Chinese real estate and property.
Study in Peking Beijing, China
Peking University in Beijing is one of country's top universities and a wonderful cultural experience if you have the chance to study in China.
