Beijing Travel Guide

Beijing is the capital city of China, and it is a world famous city filled with ancient history and culture. It is also China's political, economic, cultural, and transportation center covering an area of over 16,800 square kilometers. With a population of over 15 million, Beijing has a semi humid continental climate. Its winters are cold and dry, while the summers are hot and humid – both spring and autumn are short lasting. Because of the winter cold and summer heat, the best times to travel to Beijing are during the spring and autumn seasons. Where Ji (Beijing today) was situated was a strategically advantageous location for development. It's situated on a small plain with three sides closed off with surrounding mountains, and expansive rolling plains to the south. Leading to the south were a number of gorges such as Shangguan Pass, Juyongguan, and Nankou Pass (south entry pass). To the northwest, there is Badaling (Eight Prominent Peaks, which happens to be a popular tourist destination for Great Wall Tours today), leading to the Mongolian plateau. With this, Ji was a strategic communications hub between the north and the south. Beijing is the capital of China, located in the northern part of China. As the capital of China, Beijing stands as the nation's social, economical, political, and cultural center. Beijing has had a rich history of enduring invasions by warlords and foreign powers, devastating disasters, and has seen the rise and fall of generations of imperial dynasties. Since 1949, Beijing officially became the capital of the People's Republic of china. This splendid city attracts millions of visitors and tourists from all over the world each year. Today, Beijing is the center and home of the greatest repository of historical landmarks and monuments from imperial China. Beijing has a fantastic blend of historical tourism sites and modern 21st century technology and lifestyle. From the world famous Great Wall of China, Forbidden City Palace, Summer Palace, and Ming Tombs to WangFuJing, Tianmen Square, Beijing's West Railway Station, and China Central Television Tower. The Beijing Opera has a history of over 200 years, and it is one of the key features of ancient Chinese culture. It was named Peking Opera as it evolved from several types of local operas that were performed in the city of Beijing. Its origins tracks back to 1790 during the Qing Dynasty, where 4 famous operas from Anhui Province performed in Beijing. You'll also discover the wide variety of gourmet cooking Beijing has to offer including the eight most famous regional cuisines of China, ranging from the hot and spicy Szechuan style cooking, to light, non-greasy tasting ShangDong style, and the Huaiyang cuisine with a history traceable back to 300 BC, and most famous of all, Peking Duck (Beijing Duck). Peking Duck (Beijing Duck) history can be traced back to more than 1,500 years ago; however it has its roots in the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644). Written By: Jim Yang Beijing Travel Guide is a post from: Traveling China from Traveling China http://www.chinaya.org

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