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Beijing

Bĕijīng (北京, Wade-Giles: Pei-Ching), or in older transliterations Peking, is the capital city of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the 4 municipalities of the People's Republic of China, which have a provincial-level status. The municipality governs 10 districts and 8 counties.

北京市
Province Abbreviation(s): 京 Jīng
Area
 - Total
 - % water
Ranked 29th
16,808 km²
xx%
Population
 - Total (Year)
 - Density
Ranked 26th
13,820,000
822/km²
Administration Type Municipality

Table of contents
1 Names
2 History
3 Geography
4 Economy
5 Demographics
6 Culture
7 Tourism
8 List of colleges and universities
9 Miscellaneous topics
10 External links

Names

Beijing literally means "northern capital" (as opposed to Nanjing, meaning "southern capital" and Tonkin and Tokyo, both of which mean "eastern capital"). Beijing is sometimes referred to as Peking. The term originated with French missionaries four hundred years ago, and corresponds to an archaic pronunciation which does not take into account a 'k' to 'j' sound shift in Mandarin that occurred during the Qing dynasty.

In China, the city has had many names. Between 1911 and 1949, it was known as Beiping (北平 Wade-Giles Peip'ing) or "Northern Peace". The name was changed because jing means "capital" and the Kuomintang government in Nanjing wanted to emphasize that Beijing was not the capital of China, and Beijing's warlord government was not legitimate. Curiously, many maps of China from Taiwan still use the old name, although most people in Taiwan call the city Beijing.

For the historical names of Beijing, see Capital of China.

Tourism


Picture of the
Forbidden City

Famous landmarks around Beijing include:

List of colleges and universities

Miscellaneous topics

Beijing will be the site of the 2008 Summer Olympics and of the 2008 Summer Paralympics.

Airports include:

See also:

External links

simple:Beijing