Beijing (Chinese: ??; pinyin: Beijing; Wade-Giles: Pei-ching; Postal System Pinyin: Peking) is the capital of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Beijing is one of the four municipalities of the PRC, equivalent to a province in China’s administrative structure. Beijing Municipality borders Hebei Province to the north, west, south, and for a small section in the east, and Tianjin Municipality to the southeast.

Beijing is China’s second largest city in terms of population, after Shanghai. It is a major transportation hub, with dozens of railways, roads and expressways entering and leaving it in all directions. It is also the focal point of many international flights to China. Beijing is recognized as the political, educational, and cultural center of the PRC, while Shanghai and Hong Kong predominate in economic fields.

Beijing is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China.

Names

Beijing (??) literally means “northern capital”, in line with the common East Asian tradition whereby capital cities are explicitly named as such. Other cities similarly named include Nanjing (??), China, meaning “southern capital”; Tokyo (??), Japan, and Tonkin (??; now Hanoi), Vietnam, both meaning “eastern capital”; as well as Kyoto (??), Japan, and Gyeongseong (??; now Seoul), Korea, both meaning simply “capital”.

An older Western name for Beijing is Peking. The term originated with French missionaries four hundred years ago, and corresponds to an older, now obsolete pronunciation predating a subsequent sound change in Mandarin from [k?] to [t?]. ([t?] is represented in pinyin as j, as in Beijing.)

In China, the city has had many names. Between 1928 [1] and 1949, it was known as Beiping (??, Pinyin: Beiping, Wade-Giles: Pei-p’ing), literally “Northern Peace”. The name was changed-with the removal of the element meaning “capital” (jing or king, ?)-to reflect the fact that, with the Kuomintang government having established its capital in Nanking (pinyin: Nanjing), Peking was no longer the capital of China, and that the warlord government based in Peking was not legitimate.

The Communist Party of China reverted the name to Beijing (Peking) in 1949 again in part to emphasize that Beijing had returned to its role as China’s capital. The government of the Republic of China on Taiwan has never formally recognized the name change, and during the 1950s and 1960s it was common for Beijing to be called Peiping on Taiwan to imply the illegitimacy of the PRC. Today, almost all of Taiwan, including the ROC government, uses Beijing, although some maps of China from Taiwan still use the old name along with pre-1949 political boundaries.

Yanjing (Wade Giles: Yenching) is and has been another popular informal name for Beijing, a reference to the ancient State of Yan that existed here during the Zhou Dynasty. This name is reflected in the locally-brewed Yanjing Beer as well as Yenching University, an institution of higher learner formerly located in Beijing. Beijing is also the Cambaluc (Khanbalik) described in Marco Polo’s accounts.

Jinan
The capital of Shandong Province, Jinan is known as the ‘City of Springs’; these provide the main tourist attraction. The city also has Buddhist relics, parks and lakes. Of particular interest is the Square Four Gate Pagoda, the oldest stone pagoda in China. Outside the city, Mount Taishan’s 72 peaks make up a mountain park with ancient pine and cypress trees, spectacular waterfalls, 1800 stone sculptures and a kilometer-long mountain stairway known as the ‘Ladder to Heaven’.

Beyond Jinan
Qingdao is a former Treaty Port annexed by Germany. Like elsewhere in Asia, the Germans brought breweries, creating China’s ubiquitous Tsingtao Lager in 1902, but also built the fine German Concession buildings; there are also attractive traditional areas. Laoshan, east of Qingdao, is a fine mountain region with a famous monastery, the Taiqing Palace. In Qufu, close to Qingdao, the Mansion of Confucius was home to the sage’s descendants, and the enormous Temple of Confucius, with its many pavilions, was a center for his worshippers. Today, the buildings store and display important historical records, art and cultural artifacts. Confucius’s tomb is in a cemetery just north of Qufu.

Far Northeastern Regions
Shenyang was once an imperial capital. Remains from this period include the Imperial Palace and two interesting tombs. The North Imperial Tomb, about 20km (13 miles) from the city, is the burial place of the founding father of the Qing (Ch’ing) Dynasty. Dalian is China’s third port. Formerly occupied by the Soviets, it is an airy and interesting bi-cultural city with some Russian architecture.
Hohhot (meaning ‘green city’ in Mongolian) is the capital of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and one of the most colorful cities in China, with unique local architecture including the Five-Pagoda Temple. Tours of the grasslands can also be arranged. Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang Province, is a Russian-style industrial city. Harbin is host to the annual Harbin Summer Music Festival and a winter Ice Festival of ice sculptures (see Special Events section).

The Yungang Caves near Datong, west of Beijing, have awe-inspiring monumental Buddhist effigies carved into them. Equally impressive is the nearby Hanging Temple, clinging to a cliff, and the Yingxian Pagoda, China’s oldest surviving wooden pagoda.

Beidaihe, a small seacoast resort with beaches, temples and parks, is a popular vacation area 277km (172 miles) from Beijing, favored by the ruling elite. Attractions include the Yansai Lake and Shan Hai Guan, a massive gateway at the very start of the Great Wall, as well as elegant colonial-era villas.

Chengde is the former summer retreat of the Qing emperors and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are many temples and parks, including the remains of the Qing Summer Palace with its impressive Imperial Garden. The Eight Outer Temples, lying at the foot of the hills to the northeast of the Palace, include the architectural styles of the Mongolians, Tibetans and other subject peoples.

The surviving city walls are impressive monuments, as are the traditional hutongs, enclosed neighborhoods of alleys and courtyards. Other points of interest are the Coal Hill (Mei Shan), a beautiful elevated park with breathtaking views; Beihai Park, the loveliest in Beijing; Tiananmen Square, the largest public square in the world, surrounded by museums, parks, the zoo and Beijing University; the Temple of Heaven, an excellent example of 15th-century Chinese architecture; the Summer Palace, the former court resort for the emperors of the Qing Dynasty reconstructed in traditional style in the early 1900s after Western attacks, looking out over the Kunming Lake; the Great Wall (see below), the section at Badaling being some 72km (45 miles) from Beijing; and the Ming Tombs, where 13 out of the 16 Ming emperors chose to be buried. Two magnificent tombs here have been excavated, one of which is open to the public.

China does not recognize dual nationality (eg US-Chinese, Canadian-Chinese). (b) Travelers are required to complete a health declaration certificate on arrival in China. HIV-positive travelers are not permitted to enter the country.

Passports
Required by all. Passport must be valid for at least six months for a single or double entry within three months of the date of visa issue; at least nine months for multiple entries within six months.

Visas
Required by all except:
(a) 1. nationals of Brunei, Japan and Singapore for stays of up to 15 days;
(b) transit passengers (except nationals of the UK and USA, who always require a visa) continuing their journey by the same or first connecting plane to another country within 24 hours who hold valid onward documentation and do not leave the airport.

Types of visa and cost
Tourist/Business/Transit (UK nationals): £30 (single-entry); £45 (double-entry); £60 (multiple-entry for business visas only; six months); £90 (multiple entry for business visas only; 12 months and two to five years). Group (at least five people): £24 per person. Visa charges for other nationals vary; check with Embassy for further information.

Validity
Tourist, Business and Group visas are normally valid for three months from the date of issue (single and double-entry). Multiple-entry visas are normally valid for six months, 12 months or two to five years. The validity of Business visas varies. Transit visas are generally valid for up to seven days.

Application to
Consulate (or Consular section at Embassy); see General Info section. Visas should be applied for in person at least one month before departure. Group visas will usually be obtained by the tour operator or travel agent.

Ethnic Groups
The largest ethnic group is the Han Chinese, who constitute about 91.9% of the total population. The remaining 8.1% are Zhuang (16 million), Manchu (10 million), Hui (9 million), Miao (8 million), Uygur (7 million), Yi (7 million), Mongolian (5 million), Tibetan (5 million), Buyi (3 million), Korean (2 million), and other ethnic minorities.

Language
There are seven major Chinese dialects and many subdialects. Mandarin (or Putonghua), the predominant dialect, is spoken by over 70% of the population. It is taught in all schools and is the medium of government. About two-thirds of the Han ethnic group are native speakers of Mandarin; the rest, concentrated in southwest and southeast China, speak one of the six other major Chinese dialects. Non-Chinese languages spoken widely by ethnic minorities include Mongolian, Tibetan, Uygur and other Turkic languages (in Xinjiang), and Korean (in the northeast).

The Pinyin System of Romanization
On January 1, 1979, the Chinese Government officially adopted the pinyin system for spelling Chinese names and places in Roman letters. A system of Romanization invented by the Chinese, pinyin has long been widely used in China on street and commercial signs as well as in elementary Chinese textbooks as an aid in learning Chinese characters. Variations of pinyin also are used as the written forms of several minority languages.

The educational goals of the Chinese Communist government have been promoted by means other than formal education. During the 1960s and ’70s, plays, opera, popular literature, and music were seen to have the capacity to educate. For example, in 1964 the Peking Opera, which has a history of 200 years of active performance in China, presented the Festival of Peking Opera in Contemporary Themes, under the organization of Jiang Qing, Mao’s wife. New works combining drama and ideology, such as Taking of Tiger Mountain by Strategy, were written for the opera. Similar cultural modifications were introduced into Chinese ballet; elements of traditional folk dance, martial arts, gymnastics, and classical ballet were integrated into a popular production. These shows were performed not only in the major cities but also in the smaller cities and the countryside.

With the increase in foreign cultural exchanges since the mid-1970s, the official attitude toward the propaganda aspects of the arts has been relaxed. Foreign literature, which had been banned in the 1960s, began to reappear in China. In 1978-79 some 200 translations of foreign works, including popular novels from the West, were completed in the People’s Literature Publishing House.

In popular music the change was officially noted in a government report, which stated that new songs were emerging in the early 1980s because the Chinese were “tired of the old political songs and slogans they grew up with.” The Chinese government also recognizes that the arts afford a useful social outlet. Movie theaters are usually filled to capacity, and traveling troupes of acrobats, circus performers, and jugglers, as well as ballet and opera shows, play to full houses in small cities and commune centers. During the 1980s, China showed increased openness to classical and popular musicians from the West.

The climate for cultural expression in China is delicate because of the speed with which government attitudes can change. In 1957, during the Hundred Flowers campaign, writers and intellectuals were encouraged to speak up and provide perspectives on the government’s progress in meeting the needs of the people. The criticisms that were prompted by this call for candor were so strong that the government suddenly reversed itself, and many intellectuals found themselves persecuted for the opinions they had expressed. Similar “changes of sky” led China’s artists, writers, composers, and filmmakers to respond cautiously to governmental encouragement of independent cultural expression in the late 1970s and early ’80s.

Cultural Institutions
Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou play leading cultural roles in China; most of the renowned museums, theaters, and cultural displays are in these cities.

Beijing remains the cultural heart of the nation. Located in the vicinity of the famous Tienamen Square are the Forbidden City, formerly the residence of the emperor and now a museum open to the public; the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall; and the Museum of the Chinese Revolution. Beijing was also the location of the famous “Democracy Wall” and its so-called big-character posters that were significant (until officially banned in the late 1970s) in the expression of public opinion about governmental policy shifts after Mao’s death in 1976. The Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, the Ming dynasty tombs, and the Great Wall are all near Beijing; these great monuments of the Ming and Ch’ing dynasties provide a cultural focus for the increasingly mobile Chinese population.

Climate

The climate of China is extremely diverse; tropical in the south to subarctic in the north.

Monsoon winds, caused by differences in the heat-absorbing capacity of the continent and the ocean, dominate the climate. Alternating seasonal air-mass movements and accompanying winds are moist in summer and dry in winter. The advance and retreat of the monsoons account in large degree for the timing of the rainy season and the amount of rainfall throughout the country. Tremendous differences in latitude, longitude, and altitude give rise to sharp variations in precipitation and temperature within China. Although most of the country lies in the temperate belt, its climatic patterns are complex.

China’s northernmost point lies along the Heilong Jiang in Heilongjiang Province in the cold-temperate zone; its southernmost point, Hainan Island, has a tropical climate. Temperature differences in winter are great, but in summer the diversity is considerably less. For example, the northern portions of Heilongjiang Province experience an average January mean temperature of below 0°C, and the reading may drop to minus 30°C; the average July mean in the same area may exceed 20 °C. By contrast, the central and southern parts of Guangdong Province experience an average January temperature of above 10 °C, while the July mean is about 28 °C.

Precipitation varies regionally even more than temperature. China south of the Qin Ling experiences abundant rainfall, most of it coming with the summer monsoons. To the north and west of the range, however, rainfall is uncertain. The farther north and west one moves, the scantier and more uncertain it becomes. The northwest has the lowest annual rainfall in the country and no precipitation at all in its desert areas.

China stretches some 5,000 kilometers across the East Asian landmass in an erratically changing configuration of broad plains, expansive deserts, and lofty mountain ranges, including vast areas of inhospitable terrain. The eastern half of the country, its seacoast fringed with offshore islands, is a region of fertile lowlands, foothills and mountains, desert, steppes, and subtropical areas. The western half of China is a region of sunken basins, rolling plateaus, and towering massifs, including a portion of the highest tableland on earth.

The vastness of the country and the barrenness of the western hinterland have important implications for defense strategy. In spite of many good harbors along the approximately 18,000-kilometer coastline, the nation has traditionally oriented itself not toward the sea but inland, developing as an imperial power whose center lay in the middle and lower reaches of the Huang He (Yellow River) on the northern plains.

Location

Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam

Geographic coordinates: 35°00′ N 105°00′ E

Area

total: 9,596,960 km²
land: 9,326,410 km²
water: 270,550 km²
China is the world’s fourth-largest country (after Russia, Canada, and US)

Figures for the size of China differ slightly depending on where one draws a number of ill-defined boundaries. The official figure by the People’s Republic of China is 9.6 million square kilometers, making the country slightly smaller than Canada, and somewhat larger than the United States. The Republic of China puts this figure at 11 million square kilometers, accounting for outer Mongolia. China’s contour is reasonably comparable to that of the United States and lies largely at the same latitudes.