BEIJING

The capital of the People's Republic of China, the political, economic, cultural, and transportation center of the nation

Location: Beijing- The capital of China is located in the northern part of the North China Plain and its terrain is high in the northwest and low in the southeast.
Area: 16,807.8 sq km

Population: 13.82 million
Urban Population: 9.2 million

Ethnic groups: The permanent residents of Beijing come from all of China's 56 ethnic groups. The Han nationality accounts for 96.5% of the total. The other 55 ethnic minorities claim a population of more than 300,000, most of them are from Hui, Manchu, and Mongolian nationalities.

Tourist Attractions: The Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Forbidden City, Tian'anmen Square, The Summer Palace, The Heavenly Temple, etc.

History: Beijing served as the residence for three major dynasties in the past 1000 years;

- Yuan Dynasty: under the rule of Kublai Khan in the 13th century
- Ming Dynasty: 1368---1644
- Qing Dynasty: The Qing emperors lived in the Forbidden City until the dynasty collapsed in 1912.

Climate: The climate in Beijing is of the continental type, with cold and dry winters, due to the Siberian air massses that move southward across the Mongolian Plateau. The summers are hot owing to warm and humid monsoon winds from the southeast bringing Beijing most of its annual precipitation. January is the coldest month and July is the warmest. Winter usually begins towards the end of October. The summer months, June to August, are wet and hot with about 40% of the annual precipitation.