Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
🗺️

Beijing

geography Maturity 7-9 Vital Level 3 Next article →

Beijing is the capital city of China.

Parkview Green and CBD skyline (20210927131419)
Parkview Green and CBD skyline (20210927131419)

It sits in Northern China and is mostly surrounded by Hebei Province. The city neighbors Tianjin to the southeast. Beijing is a very large place with over 22 million residents. This makes it the most populous national capital in the world. It is also a major center for culture, business, and science.

Central Axis of Beijing from Yongdingmenwai (20240812145818)
Central Axis of Beijing from Yongdingmenwai (20240812145818)

The city is a global hub for many different things. It is home to many large companies and big financial institutions.

Traveling around Beijing is very busy. The city has a huge network of highways and railways.

The Beijing subway is one of the longest in the world. For many years, Beijing Capital International Airport was the busiest in Asia.

Wangjing SOHO6
Wangjing SOHO6

There is also a second airport called Beijing Daxing International Airport. This airport has the largest single-structure terminal on Earth. The city is a major center for research and technology. Many people go to the Zhongguancun area for scientific innovation.

Beijing has a history that lasts over 3,000 years.

Beijings layout genom historien
Beijings layout genom historien

Long ago, early humans lived in the caves of Dragon Bone Hill. The first walled city, called Jicheng, was built in 1045 BC.

For most of the last 800 years, Beijing was the political center of China. It was the home of the emperors. The city was built to be a grand residence. Mountains surround the city on three sides. These mountains helped protect the inland city long ago.

Many famous things happened in Beijing during recent years.

2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony - Fireworks
2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony - Fireworks

The city hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008. In 2022, Beijing became the first city to host both Summer and Winter Olympics.

National Centre for the Performing Arts
National Centre for the Performing Arts

It also hosted the Summer and Winter Paralympics. There are eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the city. These include the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven.

20200110 Temple of Heaven-13
20200110 Temple of Heaven-13

The Summer Palace and the Ming Tombs are also very famous.

When you visit, you see many different styles of building.

Corner Tower of the Forbidden City, Beijing
Corner Tower of the Forbidden City, Beijing

Some parts of the city have modern skyscrapers. Other parts have traditional hutongs and siheyuans.

VIEW OF THE CENTRAL STREET IN THE CHINESE QUARTER OF PEKING
VIEW OF THE CENTRAL STREET IN THE CHINESE QUARTER OF PEKING

Hutongs are narrow alleys between traditional houses. Many people visit Beijing to see these historic areas.

Summer Palace in Beijing2022 Spring
Summer Palace in Beijing2022 Spring

The city is also a great place for learning. It has many top universities like Peking University. Beijing is truly a place where the old and new meet.

378 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (61)
File:潭拓寺大雄宝殿.jpg
潭拓寺大雄宝殿.jpg
File:Pagoda of Tianning Temple from Tianning No. 1 (20230904171639).jpg
Pagoda of Tianning Temple from Tianning...
File:Beijings layout genom historien.jpg
Beijings layout genom historien.jpg
File:Verbotene-Stadt1500.jpg
Verbotene-Stadt1500.jpg
File:Jingshan old2.jpg
Jingshan old2.jpg
File:VIEW OF THE CENTRAL STREET IN THE CHINESE QUARTER OF PEKING.jpg
VIEW OF THE CENTRAL STREET IN THE CHINESE...
File:Xieqiqu ruins, Ernst Ohlmer, 1870s.jpg
Xieqiqu ruins, Ernst Ohlmer, 1870s.jpg
File:Peking. Chien men - Circa 1905 (ChinaZeug.de).jpg
Peking. Chien men - Circa 1905 (ChinaZeug.de).jpg
File:Chiang KaiShek Portrait Tiananmen Beijing.jpg
Chiang KaiShek Portrait Tiananmen Beijing.jpg
File:PEKING WALL AND MOAT.jpg
PEKING WALL AND MOAT.jpg
File:2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony - Fireworks.jpg
2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony -...
File:Central Axis of Beijing from Yongdingmenwai (20240812145818).jpg
Central Axis of Beijing from...

+ 49 more

More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.