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China Travel Guide » Places in China » Beijing Province
Places in China: Beijing Province
People travel to China for many reasons. Beijing municipal province is one of the highlights of any trip to the Peoples Republic. More than 3000 years ago, Beijing was one for the first cities in the world. It became the nation's capital over eight hundred years ago. The basic plan for the city of Beijing basically took shape from 1403 AD. The city is symmetrical and has rather rigid rectangles and squares beginning at the palace and moving outward.
Although the city is ancient and retains many of its ancient charms, it also is adept at keeping up with the rest of the modern world. Its recent hosting of the Olympic Games has proven how up-to-date Beijing and the rest of the province around the capital are.
The best time to visit Beijing is in the autumn of the year. There are fewer tourists tramping on the Great Wall and other attractions, plus the weather is much more favourable then. Summers tend to be hot and humid while winters are somewhat harsh. Springtime is nice except for the sand and dust storms which come at that time of the year.
Tourist attractions in the Beijing region include part of the Great Wall of China on the northwest corner of the province, the Summer Palace about twelve kilometres northwest of downtown Beijing, the Forbidden City of the Ming and Qin dynasties and the imperial Temple of Heaven, built in 1420. These are only the highlights of any visit to Beijing; there are other equally impressive places to experience.
Located in the northeastern part of the country, Beijing is quite accessible to and from other areas of China. Modern highways, a very large and efficient airport and a railway system make travel to Beijing more carefree than one might expect.
The Beijing Municipality, which could easily qualify for the status of a province, borders on Hebei Province as well as Tianjin Municipality.
One impressive feature of China has a very diverse natural landscape. Even in the Beijing region, one can choose either mountains or flat ground. Mountains on three sides, five rivers running through the city and the alluvial plain of the Yongding River on the fourth side all are parts of the geography of Beijing.
Although some of the Beijing area is flat ground, the soil is less fertile than some areas of China. Some grain farming is done in the area. However, tourism is a more popular means of livelihood in the municipality.
The people in Beijing and surrounding areas are around ninety-six percent Han Chinese with Manchu, Hui and Mongolian making up most of the remainder of the population. Population density in Beijing is 888 people per square kilometre. The municipality covers around 6490 square miles. The dialect of Beijing is the official language of the country, Mandarin Chinese.
Also known as Peking and Beiping, Beijing became the official name for the nation's capital when announced by Mao Tse Tung in 1949. As it is the nation's capital, visitors can expect to find many governmental offices among the older tourist attractions.
Hotels and other tourist attractions are ready to serve travellers and have English-speaking staff on hand at all times. However, it is wise to have the name of your hotel, written in Chinese characters, with you to show to taxi drivers. Visitors to Beijing usually want to experience Chinese foods, especially Peking Duck. This is as much a part of a trip to China as seeing the Great Wall.
Visitors are often impressed by the obvious development of industry and entertainment sectors in Beijing. The growth of China and of Beijing in particular are very apparent.
Major cities in Beijing Province:
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