Beijing, sometimes called Peking, is the capital of the People’s Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The metropolis, located in northern China, is governed as a direct-controlled municipality under the national government, with 14 urban and suburban districts and two rural counties. Beijing Municipality is surrounded by Hebei Province with the exception of neighboring Tianjin Municipality to the southeast. The following are some Beijing facts for your reference.
Overview
| English Name: Beijing(Peking) Chinese Name: 北京 Coordinates: 39°54′50″N 116°23′30″E Municipality: 16,801.25 km2 (6,487.00 sq mile) Elevation: 43.5 m (142.7 ft) Population: 19,612,368 (2010) |
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Beijing has a long and rich history of over 3,000 years. The earliest residents of Beijing is Peking Man lived in Zhoukoudian from 770,000 to 230,000 years ago.
Beijing was first mentioned in history in the chronicles of the Zhou Dynasty’s conquest of the Shang Dynasty in the 11th century BC. A city called Jicheng was established in the southwest part of present Beijing by a state called Ji. Then it was conquered by Yan Country and the city was renamed Yanjing. >>Read more
With its long history and rich culture, Beijing has been enjoying a tourism bloom for a long time.
This city once thought as a misterious oriental city has been on her way to mordernity for many years. It has drew more and more attention from the rest of the world since 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The Games presented the whole world a new, modern, friendly, vivid Beijing. >>Read More
Beijing has the most world heritages listed by UNESCO. They are the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, the Ming Tombs and Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian. >>Read More
Beijing Time
Standard time zone: UTC/GMT +8 hours (the whole China is set to Beijing time)
Time zone abbreviation: CST – China Standard Time
Money
China’s legal currency is Renminbi (RMB), officially CNY (China Yuan). Its symbol: ￥; Monetary unit: Yuan (元) and Fractional units: Jiao (角) and Fen (分). >>Read more
Beijing Administrative Division
| Below are the 6 districts in or close to the Beijing city proper: | |||
| Dongcheng District | Xicheng District | Chaoyang District | Haidian District |
| Fengtai District | Shijingshan District | ||
| Below are the 8 districts and 2 counties on the outskirts of Beijing: | |||
| Tongzhou District | Shunyi District | Changping District | Daxing District |
| Pinggu District | Huairou District | Mentougou District | Fangshan District |
| Miyun County | Yanqing County | ||
Beijing’s climate is defined as “continental monsoon.” Beijing enjoys four distinctive seasons. In spring time, Beijing is a bit dusty and windy. Spring is short here and excursions are a popular form of tourism. Summer is hot, but the hot weather is short-lived, plus, rainfall is plentiful. Autumn, lasting about 50 days, is the best season for tourism and the temperature is mild and the sun is out a lot. Winter is long and cold, but the ice lantern shows an skiing still attract many tourists. >>Read more
| Annual Average Temperature | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Daily Average Maximum Temperature(℃) | 1.6 | 4 | 11.3 | 19.9 | 26.4 | 30.3 | 30.8 | 29.5 | 25.8 | 19 | 10.2 | 3.3 |
| Daily Average Minimum Temperature(℃) | -9.4 | -6.9 | -0.6 | 7.2 | 13.2 | 18.2 | 21.6 | 20.4 | 14.2 | 7.3 | -0.4 | -6.9 |
| Rainfall(mm) | 3.0 | 7.4 | 8.6 | 19.4 | 33.1 | 77.8 | 192.5 | 212.3 | 57.0 | 24.0 | 6.6 | 2.6 |
| Days of Rainfall(day) | 2.0 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 5.9 | 9.7 | 14.1 | 13.2 | 6.8 | 5.0 | 3.7 | 1.6 |
As the capital of China and an international metropolis, there are a lot of people travelling in this city everyday from both home and abroad. Although traffic jams frequently emerge here, travelling in the city is of much convenience.
| Beijing Flights | Beijing Railway | Beijing Subway | Beijing Bus |
| Beijing Taxi | Beijing Car Rental | Beijing Bike |
Language and Communicating
If you come to China, you will probably worry about language problem. The official language of China is Mandarin Chinese based on Beijing dialect. Most people can speak Mandarin Chinese. There are also dialects from different parts of China. If people speak dialect from their hometown, most of the time even Chinese don’t understand each other. So if you are having difficulty making yourself understood, you are not alone!
As a metropolis, Beijing is ready to welcome friends from all over the world. Most hotels, restaurants, scenic spots and public places have English signs and some even have Japanese or Korean signs. Many hotel staff can speak English. Nowadays, all the students from primary school to collage are having English classes at school in China. Many young people can speak English. If you want to ask directions or something else, ask youngsters for help because they are likely to know English. If you want to go somewhere, it’s best to look it up on the internet about how to get there. Write down the Chinese address of your hotel and destination in case you get lost.
The Chinese holiday is part of Chinese culture.The traditional Chinese holidays have been celebrated for centuries in China’s history. In ancient China, people used the lunar calendar to know when to sow,fertilize and harvest. The traditional Chinese holidays are Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, Tomb Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-autumn Festival. >>Read More
Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Taoism…religion in Beijing is as diverse as its architecture; temples, churches, mosques and synagogues are all present. Call in advance to inquire if there is English-languages service. >>Read More
Travelling in an exotic city can be new, adventurous, strange and exciting. Beijing is a city ready to welcome friends all over the world. Here are a few tips about travelling in Beijing. Hope to make your tour a little bit better. >>Read more