Beijing
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
Beijing (Chinese: 北京 /Běijīng/) is the capital of the People's Republic of China. The city used to be known as Peking. It is located in the northern and eastern parts of the country.
The city of Beijing has played a very important role in the development of China. Many people from different cities and countries come to Beijing to look for better chances to find work. Nearly 15 million people live there. In 2008 Beijing will host the Olympic Games.
Beijing is well known for its ancient history. Since the Jin dynasty, Beijing has been the capital of several dynasties, including the Yuan, Ming, Qing, and others. There are many places of historic interest in Beijing. These places include the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, and the Great Wall of China.
[change] Name
Beijing means "the northern capital" in the Chinese language. It was once a counterpart of Nanjing, "the southern capital", during the Ming Dynasty. This dynasty gave Beijing its name.
[change] History
The center of Beijing was settled in the 1st millennium BC. In those days, the Kingdom of Yan (燕) set up their capital where Beijing is today. They called it Ji (蓟). After the Kingdom of Yan was destroyed, the city became smaller, although it was still an important place.
Beijing became more important again in the 10th century, when the Jin dynasty set its capital there. This city was destroyed by Mongol forces in 1215. Then in 1267, Mongols built a new city on the north side of the Jin capital, and called it "Great Capital" (大都), which was the beginning of modern Beijing. When Kublai Khan, the Mongolian monarch, set up the Yuan dynasty, this city became his capital.
The Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties all made Beijing their capitals. When the Qing dynasty lost power and the Republic of China was set up, the new Republic moved its capital from Beijing to Nanjing. When the People's Republic of China seized power, Beijing became the capital of China again.
[change] Education
Beijing is the education center of People's Republic of China. More 500 famous universities of China are located in Beijing. They also include 5 of the top universities: Peking University, Tsinghua University, China People University, Beijing Normal University and Beihang University. Beijing is also education center of China for teaching Chinese as a foreign language. The standard Chinese pronunciation is based on Beijing dialect, so over 70% foreigners who want to study Chinese go to Beijing for their studies.
