History of Beijing

Located in northeastern China, Beijing is the capital and second largest city of the People's Republic of China, with a population of over seven million. The undisputed political, social, cultural and educational center of China, it is a great metropolis with a long and proud history; where Beijing now stands has been the site of an important city since the 10th century, and the city of Ji, in the same location, was the capital of a state during the first millennium BC. Beijing was the capital of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, the last three dynasties of China, and from here 34 emperors ruled China. This history has left Beijing an immense cultural legacy in the form of numerous important historical sites. For example, the Forbidden City, where Chinese emperors lived from its construction in 1422 to the abdication of the last emperor in 1912, is the largest palace complex in the world, and provides an opportunity to look at the art and architecture of Imperial China. Other notable attractions in Beijing include the Summer Palace, a complex on the outskirsts of the City where the Dowager Empress Cixi, who reigned at the end of the 19th century, vacationed, and Tiananmen Square, called the spiritual center of China, the largest public plaza in the world. Lastly, the Great Wall of China, a huge project begun more than 2,000 years ago that meanders through mountains and valleys for nearly four thousand miles, passes just north of Beijing, and is among the city's most popular tourist destinations.

As the cultural center of China, Beijing maintains many aspects of traditional Chinese culture even as it modernizes. Peking opera, a traditional performance style originating in Beijing, is referred to as one of China's national treasures, while the cuisine of Beijing, notably Peking duck, is renowned throughout the world. Traditional Chinese clinics, bookstores, and gardens can be found throughout the city side by side with more modern cultural outlets, while Beijing's parks are filled each morning with practitioners of forms of exercise including taijiquan (Chinese shadow boxing, better known as t'ai chi), qigong, and even disco. Beijing is also the home of some of China's oldest and best universities, including Peking University and Tsinghua University.

Since the 1980s, Beijing has transformed itself into a modern metropolis and a global city; the economy has boomed, and migrants from all over China and the world have given the city a more diverse face. The culmination of these efforts will be the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, hosted by Beijing. Now is a remarkable opportunity for Beijing students to see the world through the Global Classrooms® program, as Beijing prepares for the world to come to it.

Global Classrooms: Beijing Navigation