Beijing Facts

Beijing, abbreviated as Jing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, is the political, economic and culture center as well as a hub of transportation and international exchanges of China. Beijing's city trees are oriental arborvitae and Chinese scholar, tree, and the city flowers are Chinese rose and chrysanthemum.

Beijing is situated at 40 degrees north latitude and 116 degrees east longitude: It is 43 metres above sea level and 183 kilometres from the sea. Beijing encompasses 16, 807 square kilometres, 38% of it is flat land and 62% mountain. The city has a population of 14 million. Beijing has a 500, 000 years history of civilization and has more than 3,000 years history as a city; while as a capital, it has a history of nearly 800 years. Hence, there are many places of interests such as Tianmen Square, the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, etc. where receive countless visitors each year.

The municipality of Beijing is divided into 16 districts and 2 counties. The 16 districts are East City, West City, Chongwen, Xuanwu, Chaoyang, Fengtai, Haidian, Shijingshan, Mentougou, Fangshan, Tongzhou, Shunyi, Changping, Ping-gu, Huairou and Daxing; the 2 counties are Miyun and Yanqing.