Beijing

I

Introduction

Beijing, also known as Peking, city and capital of China, encircled by Hebei Province, located in the northern part of the country, on the northern edge of the Huabei Pingyuan (North China Plain), approximately 110 km (70 mi) northwest of the Bo Hai gulf. Beijing, the second largest city in China after Shanghai, is the cultural, political, and intellectual center of the country, as well as a major industrial and commercial metropolis. Initially settled more than 2,000 years ago, it has been the capital of China for most of the last 700 years. The climate is seasonal, with hot summers and cold winters. Temperatures can climb higher than 38°C (higher than 100°F) in July and drop lower than -15°C (lower than 5°F) in January.

II

Beijing and Its Metropolitan Area

Beijing is an independently administered municipal district of about 16,810 sq km (6,490 sq mi). It comprises ten urban districts and eight predominantly rural counties. The urban districts include four dense city districts and six suburban districts. The suburbs are growing rapidly as new institutional, industrial, and residential buildings are constructed, converting agricultural land to urban uses. The eight rural counties continue to provide basic grain, vegetables, fruits, building materials, and water supplies to the city. However, significant industrial growth has also occurred in these areas, namely in the outlying towns of Shijingshan, Tongxian, Fengtai, and Fangshan.

The city proper consists of two older sections in the center of the city and new outlying residential, industrial, and institutional areas built mainly after 1949. The old section includes a square inner city on the north constructed between 1409 and 1420, and a rectangular outer city to the south built between 1521 and 1566. Once encircled by a wall about 24 km (15 mi) long and about 15 m (50 ft) high, the inner city has at its core the Forbidden City. Between 1421 and 1912, this was the walled palace and inner compound of China’s imperial family and was so named because ordinary citizens were not allowed inside. It was the most sacred space in traditional, imperial China. The complex, now housing the Palace Museum (founded in 1925), was opened to the public in 1949. Beyond the Forbidden City was the Imperial City, which contained government offices, temples, gardens, palaces, and parks. Outside the Imperial City were upper-class homes, markets, and more temples. The adjacent outer city, once encircled by a wall about 23 km (14 mi) long, shared the northern part of its wall with the inner city. The outer city contained important temple areas and residential space for the commoners.

In accordance with traditional Chinese town planning, Beijing was designed along a north-south central axis; this line represented the imperial authority and it ran through many key government offices, buildings, imperial residences, and main gates. After the Communist revolution in 1949, most walls of the old city were demolished and replaced with thoroughfares. However, several of the old gates have been preserved. During the 1950s Tiananmen (the Gate of Heavenly Peace, also known as Tian’an Men), located along the city’s north-south axis south of the Forbidden City, was rebuilt and its square to the south was enlarged to hold crowds for parades. Major installations were added in and around Tiananmen Square, including the Great Hall of the People, built in 1959, where the national legislature meets. Several blocks east of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square is Wangfujing Avenue, the city’s most famous shopping district.

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III

Economy

As the nation’s capital and political center, the particular economic role of Beijing has been a topic of considerable debate and controversy. The Communist government has designated Beijing as an appropriate center for industrial, commercial, transportation, trade, cultural, and scientific development. However, these multiple roles have sometimes conflicted with one another. Extremely rapid industrial development, for example, occurs at the expense of preserving some of Beijing’s historical and cultural landmarks.

Nevertheless, Beijing has become the second largest industrial center in China after Shanghai. The industrial growth extends to outlying towns in the municipality’s rural areas; there are now major factories in Shijingshan (a major iron and steel mill), Tongxian (motor vehicles), Fengtai (machinery), and Fangshan (petrochemicals). In the early 1990s more than 2.1 million workers were employed in industry in Beijing. Processed foods, textiles, paints, paper, high-quality lubricants, and electronic products are now produced in Beijing. Construction activity has also increased rapidly. New buildings, factories, and improvements to the infrastructure are widespread. In the early 1990s there were about 684,000 construction workers employed in Beijing.

Employment in agriculture, about 900,000 in the early 1990s, has remained relatively unchanged since the 1980s. Major farm products include grains, cabbages, tomatoes, eggplants, carrots, onions, milk, eggs, poultry, and pork.

Commercial and service activities have grown rapidly in recent years and in the early 1990s employed more than 1 million workers. The city is a major hub for shopping, retailing, and trade, and international products and brands are now commonplace. Since the 1980s joint ventures with foreign companies have become common, and the local economy not only includes enterprises owned by the state and collective units, but also many privately owned companies and self-employed individuals.

Beijing is one of China’s main centers of transportation and trade. A major expressway was recently completed to Tianjin, an important port city about 90 km (55 mi) to the southeast. Beijing is the hub of a national network of major highways. Railway lines radiate to all parts of the country, and some connect to North Korea, Russia, and Mongolia. Within the city there are new roads and expressways. Opened in 1969, the Beijing subway continues to expand and is one of China’s noteworthy efforts at mass transit. Despite new road construction, traffic has become increasingly congested as more cars become available. Most people still travel short distances on bicycles, and these contribute to the clogged streets. Beijing’s international airport, located 26 km (15 mi) northeast of the city, has extensive domestic service to most of the larger cities in China and is also served by several international carriers with direct service to North America, Europe, and other parts of Asia.

IV

Population

The estimated population of Beijing municipality in 1988 was 9,879,700. In 1992 the estimated population was 11,020,000, of whom approximately 7 million lived in the dense area of the city proper. The remainder lived in small cities, towns, and villages in the surrounding counties. By 2003 the estimated population had grown to 14,564,000. The city has a low birth rate, a low death rate, and a very low rate of natural population increase. Most of Beijing’s recent growth has been by immigration. In the mid-1990s the city also had more than 1 million transients (visiting workers on temporary permits or illegal workers) who were not included in the official population statistics. They serve as construction workers, domestic servants, and in other low-level service activities. Many transients live in crude shacks or other temporary shelters, or rent dormitory space. Because of their transient status and low income level, they are often blamed for rising crime and social unrest.

More than 90 percent of the population of Beijing are Han Chinese, and the remainder are Manchus, Mongols, Turkic peoples from western China, and other minority nationalities and foreigners. Mandarin Chinese is the language spoken in and around Beijing. The dialect of Beijing has become the standard form of Mandarin, which is the country’s official spoken language. See Chinese Language.

Like most other Chinese cities, Beijing has serious pollution problems. Industrial and residential waste water disposal is largely unregulated and the burning of coal and other polluting materials contributes to the city’s severe air and water pollution.

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