| Properties |  |
| Currency Yuan | Language Mandarin, Bad Mandarin, Worse Mandarin | Time Zone (GMT+08) Beijing, Hong Kong |
| Beijing is kind of like if you took Washington DC’s penchant for bureaucracy combined it with Los Angeles’ smog and sprawl, a rustbelt hardass attitude, and then took all the “R”s that people don’t use in Boston and threw them on the end of every other word. Its expensive, by Chinese standards, and between spring and fall there are probably only a hundred days of pleasant weather, tops. The song goes “New York, if you can make it there you can make it anywhere,” but thanks to Giuliani’s efforts it probably ought to be changed to Beijing. That said you kind of have to love a place where people park Audis in front of their work-unit-subsidized flats and not even the liberally empowered police seem to be able to stop people from running red lights.
Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, is the nation's political and cultural center, as well as China's most important center for international trade and communications. Together with Xian, Luoyang, Kaifeng, Nanjing and Hangzhou, Beijing is one of the six ancient cities in China. It has been the heart and soul of politics and society throughout its long history and consequently there is an unparalleled wealth of discovery to delight and intrigue travelers as they explore Beijing's ancient past and enjoy its exciting modern development.
Beijing is situated at 40 degrees north latitude and 116degrees east longitude. It lies at approximately the same latitude as Philadelphia in the U.S. and Madrid in Spain. It is 43 meters above sea level and 183 kilometers from the sea. Beijing covers an area of 16,800 square kilometer and has a population of 14.93 million people, which about 6 million live in the city proper and the rest on the outskirts. 38% of it is flat land and 62% mountains. Surrounded by the Yanshan Mountains on the west, north and east, Beijing stands on the alluvial plain of the Yongding River and faces the Bohai Sea. Beijing has a continental climate, with four distinct seasons. Annual rainfall averages nearly 700 millimeters; most of it comes in July and August. Its best is late spring and autumn. Winter is dry and cold. The frost-free period is 185 days. The best time to visit Beijing is May, September and October, when people can enjoy bright sunshine and blue skies. An abundance of international class performances are presented in May. In winter, you can skee in Beihai Park and viewing the snowy sights on West Hill, enjoying the steaming hotpot is the best choice, which is really the fun of tour in Beijing. Beijing is the cultural cradle of the Chinese nation and also a birthplace of human civilization. Its long and illustrious history started some 500,000 years ago. It existed as a city more than 3,000 years ago. It was here that the "Peking man" lived and multiplied in primitive communities 700,000 years ago. With a history of over 3000 years, the city was once capital of the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, the imperial Palace Museum, the Great Wall, the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven are on the list of the world cultural heritage. The famous Eight Supreme Sceneries of old Beijing, the three water systems of Zhongnanhai, Beihai and Shishahai, the south-to-north Axial Line that cuts through the magnificent Tian’anmen Gate, the Qianmen Gate, the Jingshan Park, the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower as well as the thousands of streets and alleys that crisscross the entire city area have all presented the charm of a unique ancient capital that is the largest of its kind in the world and best-preserved amongst its peers. Beijing has over 7000 historic relics. The exquisite Beijing cuisine which has brought together the best of Chinese and Westem as well as south and north food and such world-oriented tourist resources as shops, catering, cultural, entertainment and sports venues as well as hundreds of star hotels have made the city an ideal meeting place for people from China and the rest of the world. On October 1st, 1949, Chairman Mao proclaimed to the whole world the founding of the People's Republic of China. With better environmental protection, ecological preservation and infrastructure and in particular with the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing is in for an even brighter future both in terms of sustainable development and as a competitor in the global economic integration process.
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 |  Map and Photos for Beijing |  |
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