Beijing is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. Economic growth, development of industry and production make China one of the leaders in the international political arena. The cultural heritage of the country has always been considered a world heritage: the ancient Chinese civilization left behind unique objects, palaces, and teachings. Today, Beijing has become the focus and indicator of China's well-being and modernity. The population of the city is growing at a tremendous pace, millions of tourists from all over the world come here.
Rise
The first settlements on the territory of the present city appeared before the advent of our era. In that era, which was also called the era of the Warring States, the ancient kingdom of Yan was located in these lands. Since then, different dynasties have used the city to overthrow the enemy, but the coordinates of Beijing have not changed much. In the 10th century, the city was given to the Liao dynasty, which made it the second capital, giving it the name Nanjing (translated from Chinese as "southern capital"). In the 11th century, another dynasty, the Jin, seized sole power and settled in the city, calling it Zhongdu.
Beijing on captureMongols
In the 13th century, Mongol troops led by associates of Genghis Khan invaded China. They burned the settlement to the ground, and after almost 40 years they built a new city here - their own capital, which they called Dadu. The next dynasty to reign in the city was the legendary Ming Dynasty. The classical name "Beijing" belongs to the third ruler of Yongle, and the city was also called Jingshi - the capital. It was the Ming dynasty that laid the modern features of the settlement, erected the city wall, which for a long time served as a fortress. During her reign, when the population flourished, Beijing (the capital) was the largest city in the world, the Forbidden City was founded, and the Temple of Heaven was erected. These monuments of unique Chinese culture have been symbols of the country for almost 600 years.
Beijing remained the capital of China until 1928. In that era, the country was going through hard times and actually broke up into separate provinces, subordinate to the commander in chief. After the victory of the conservative Kuomintang party, the capital was moved to the city of Nanjing, and Beijing, the main city of the military government, was renamed Beiping. He returned to his former status during the Japanese occupation in 1937.
Other names for Beijing
It is typical for Asian states that the city's name contains its status. The globally accepted pronunciation of "Beijing" does not correspond to traditional Chinese. The locality is named differently. Classic among Beijing Chinese would be the pronunciation of thiswords like "Beijing". That is why you can often find the international spelling of the city's name - Beijing. Many Western countries adhere to the classical spelling, while in Russia, Holland and a number of other countries the old name - the city of Beijing - has been preserved.
Besides, when the capital was transferred to the Chinese Nanjing, the city was renamed Beiping. Beijing has another historical name, rooted in its origin, associated with the ancient kingdom of Yan - Yanjing.
Geographic location of Beijing
The city of Beijing is located 150 kilometers from the Yellow Sea. From the west and north it is surrounded by mountains, which serve as a separation between the plain and the Gobi desert. During the summer months, fog and smog are regularly observed in the city, which appear due to the geographical location - warm sea monsoons do not allow polluted air to rise high enough to overcome the mountains and leave the city.
Summer here is relatively cool for a tropical region, but the air contains a high concentration of moisture. Such conditions can become difficult for an unprepared organism. Winters in Beijing are often snowless as most of the precipitation falls in late summer. Beijing coordinates in decimal degrees are as follows: latitude 39.9075, longitude 116.39723.
Population: Beijing and surroundings
According to the latest data, the population of Beijing is more than 20 million people. Of these, only a little morehalf of the residents have permanent registration in the city. The rest of the population are people who came to the capital from the provinces in search of work. About 7 million live within the city itself.
In China, there is a very strong lag in the economic development of the provinces from large cities. The population of most regions is engaged in agricultural activities, the process of urbanization is in its infancy. Such a huge gap between them and prosperous cities - Beijing, Shanghai and others - causes a significant influx of residents from the hinterland into overpopulated cities. Beijing is notorious for many living there illegally, living in low-wage jobs and living in slums.
Ethnic composition of the city
China is a fairly closed country, and therefore the vast majority of its inhabitants are ethnic Chinese, also called Han. Beijing demonstrates the same: the capital is ethnically composed of 95% Han. However, in the city you can meet representatives of other nationalities, but, above all, the Asian race. Among them are the Manchus, Hei, Mongols - the history of China is inextricably linked with these countries. A special school has been organized for Tibetan children in Beijing.
There is one more social sign by which the population can be classified. Beijing is extremely attractive for visitors, because of the incredible development of the economy, a huge number of foreigners flock here. Students, businessmen, sales representatives - they settle among ordinaryChinese people in business districts, adopt their traditions, speak Chinese.
Another group is the citizens of South Korea. Already today, they are the largest diaspora living in all of China.
Languages of the city
On the territory of modern China, 292 living languages and one more that no one else speaks are registered. Linguists have 9 language families, among which you can find Altaic, Austroasiatic, Tai-Kadai and others.
Despite this, traditional Chinese is spoken by the population. Beijing, like all other cities, prefers the official language - Putonghua. It is closer and dearer to the inhabitants. Multinational Beijing, whose language is based on Mandarin, also speaks Mongolian, Tibetan, Zhuang.
Other populous cities in China
Beijing is only the third largest city in China in terms of population. The most populous Chinese city is Chongqing - 29 million people live in it and its environs, and most of the inhabitants are outside the urbanization zone, that is, they are rural population.
The next city in terms of population, ahead of Beijing, is Shanghai. About 23 million people live in the largest financial and cultural center of the country. Both of these cities, like Beijing, were founded before our era, experienced attacks and destruction, were rebuilt anew and did not immediately acquire a modern look. Today, the largest cities in China are nothinginferior in beauty and fundamentality to the main world capitals. Tall skyscrapers abut the sky, the world's shopping centers and business districts do not stop working for a minute. Already today, China's economy is one of the most developed in the world.
