Beijing

Beijing is a large city located in the northeastern part of the People's Republic of China. It is the capital of the country and is the second largest city in China by population behind Shanghai. More than 18,000,000 people live in Beijing, which is approximately 1,600 square miles.The city is surrounded by mountains to its north, northwest, and west and has several rivers that run through it, such as the Yongding and the Chaobai Rivers.

It has been theorized that Beijing has been inhabited by humans for more than 27,000 years, as evidenced by Homo Erectus fossils found in nearby caves. The city has a long history but has been considered a capital city for over 1,200 years and first became the capital in the ninth century during the Tang dynasty. The city has been occupied by several groups, including the Mongols in 1215. During the Yuan dynasty in 1272, Beijing became the capital of the united country for the first time. The famous Forbidden City started being built during the Ming dynasty in 1406 and Beijing continued expanding for centuries.

In 1860, the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) was burnt down by invaders, and in 1900, the Eight-nation Allied Forces occupied Beijing. This all happened during the Quing dynasty, which was the last dynasty in China because in 1912, the last emperor Puyi was forced to abdicate the throne. Several wars broke out in the twentieth century, including the War of Resistance against Japan in 1947 and a civil war in 1945. The People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, and Beijing was made the capital of it. Leader Mao Zedong announced that it would be a communist regime and ruled in that manner until his death in 1976.

In 1989, protests took place in Tiananmen Square in the city to voice opinions that the citizens of the country should have more freedom, and there should be less corruption in the government. The protests grew across China and in May of the same year, martial law was declared in Beijing, A few days later in June, Chinese troops opened fire on protestors and killed thousands of them.

Beijing has seen several other large events in the last several decades, including hosting the summer Olympics in 2008 and the winter Olympics in 2022.

The following is a list of major sites to see in Beijing:

Beijing at dusk

• The Forbidden City
• The Great Wall of China
• Tiananmen Square
• Beihai Park
• The Temple of Heaven
• The Summer Palace
• Beijing National Stadium
• The Lama Temple (Yonghe)
• Beijing Capital Museum & the National Centrer for the Performing Arts
• Beijing Ancient Observatory