Beijing , in Chinese means the capital in the north. It could go back to more than 3000 years ago. From 1272 to 1911, Beijing became capital city of three dynasties, Yuan, Ming and Qing. Long history left Beijing various culture heritages. The Great Wall is the only construction that can be seen by the astronaut, the Summer Palace is the classic royal park, furthermore, the Imperial Palace and the Temple of Heaven , are all arts generated by Chinese ancestors. And the four constructions mentioned above have been chosen by UNESCO as World Culture Heritages.

It was not until the late 19th century that Westerners were allowed to reside there and all trading links had previously been restricted to Canton . From 1911 to 1949 Beijing suffered, as did the rest of China , from the wars fought between various factions trying to take control of the whole country. The Japanese invasion in 1931 was followed by a bitter civil war, which finally led to Communist supremacy under Mao Tse Tung and the founding of the People's Republic of China with Beijing as the capital.

Beijing has continental climate, day is shorter than night in the short spring and autumn. While, Beijing is at its best in late spring and autumn. Moreover, autumn is a particularly pleasant time to visit as the days are warm and the leaves of the many trees in the city turn glorious shades of red and gold. In October, the temperature is between 11 ℃ to 23 ℃ ( 51.8 ℉ to 73.4 ℉ ), and the average temperature is 15 ℃ ( 56℉ ). The heat and humidity of the summers and the biting wind in winter can be extreme, and summers and winters are much longer here.

Beijing 's east longitude is between 115° 20' and 117°32', and north latitude is between 39°23' and 41°05'. It shares the same latitude with Madrid and Philadelphia . Its whole area is 16808 sq. km., of which, mountain region takes 62 per cent in the west, north and south, and plain region takes 38% in the south and southeast.

Beijing has a population of 14.070 million, and its population density is 867 persons per sq.km. according to China Statistics Year Book 2004. Male population is 7.242 million while female population is only 6.827 million.

Beijing has fine aviation facilities and infrastructure. It has two subways, and one airport, Beijing Airport . In 2003, the number of passengers carried of bus, trolley bus, and subway reached 4.267 billion person-times, and the number of public vehicles(including bus, trolley bus and subway) was 19991. And the number of taxi units in Beijing in 2003 reached 65984.

In 2003, the total GDP of Beijing was RMB366.310 billion. And Beijing 's GDP per capita reached about RMB32061.

There are many Buddhist fanes, churches, and mosques in Beijing . People with various religions can continue with their religions by entering corresponding religious group.

One of the most famous food in Beijing is Beijing Roast Duck. There is a local saying that he who does not reach the Great Wall is not a true man, and it's a great pity for you miss the chance to eat Beijing Roast Duck. The specialty of the food exists in that the ducks selected are those feed specially and use uncommon fruit trees' trunk as firewood. And the chefs who offer Beijing Roast Duck has the duty to perform the special craft of cutting the Duck into patches.