The Capital
2 min readBeijing is a municipality directly under the Central Government and the capital of the PRC，with an urban population of 7.34 millon.It is not only the nation’s political center，but also its cultural，scientific and educational center，and a key transportation hub.Situated on the north edge of the North China Plain，it is sheltered by chain upon chain of mountains to the west，north and east.Its southeastern part is a plain.Beijing’s temperate continental climate produces fourclearly contrasted seasons:a short spring，a rainy and humid summer，a long and cold winter，and a very pleasant autumn.
Beijing emerged as a city as far back as the Western Zhou Dynasty，then known as Ji.
During the Warring States Period，it was the capital of the State of Yan.Ji remained a city of strategic importance and a trade center for the north for well over a thousand years.Then，in the early 10th century，it became the secondary capital of the Liao Dynasty under the name of Yanjing.Between 1115 and 1911，it served in succession as the capital of the Jin，Yuan，Ming and Qing Dynasties，thus becoming a storehouse of Chinese culture，and leaving manysuperb historical legacies，such as the Tian’anmen Rostrum，Tian’anmen Square，the Forbidden City，the Great Wall，the Temple of Heaven，the Summer Palace，the Ming Tombs and so on.
An ancient city，Beijing is also attractive for its new look.Since 1949，when Beijing was designated as the capital of the PRC，tremendous changes have taken place in the city’s appearance.Tian’anmen Square is now flanked by massive modern buildings，including the Great Hall of the People，where the National People’s Congress is held annually，the Museum of Chinese History，the Museum of the Chinese Revolution，the Monument to the People’s Heroes and thePicture 2-3 The Capital of Beijing Chairman Mao Memorial Hal.North of the square，Chang’an Avenue has been widened and extended.Today it is the city’s major west-east artery，lined on either side with towering new buildings.The National Library of China，the China CentralTelevision，the World Trade Center，the International Exhibition Center，the China Theater，the Beijing West Railway Station，the Bird’s Nest and other modern buildings now tower on the Beijing skyline.The construction of the ring roads，expressways to the airport and the Great Wall at Badaling，about 200 flyovers，the new sports city at the Asian Games Village，and so on，have added a modern flavor to the old city.The ancient architectural complexes and the new buildings，which add radiance and beauty to each other，seem to form a huge new painting scroll of Beijing.
