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Overview
At a latitude similar to Philadelphia or Madrid, the city of Beijing enjoys four distinct seasons, of which the summers can be stifling hot and the winters cold and snowy. The people of Beijing, or 'Beijingers,' speak Mandarin Chinese, and knowledge of a few phrases will endear the visitor to locals. The intricate calligraphy of written Chinese is extremely difficult for foreigners to master; however, an official Romanized alphabet called 'Pinyin' was established in the 1930s. Nowadays, many Beijingers, especially youngsters, can speak English with surprising fluency.
Home to over 16 million people, Beijing is the country's second largest city after Shanghai, which is the economic center of China. Beijing is regarded as the cultural, political and academic capital and, of course, was host to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. At the geographic center of Beijing lies Tiananmen Square and the complex of royal residences known as the Forbidden City. The rest of the metropolis flows outward in concentric lines, with the historic area of Qianmen and the Temple of Heaven to the south; the modern Wangfujing shopping street and Chaoyang entertainment district to the east; and the university and lake district to the west. When visiting Beijing, you'll find that the old courtyard houses are slowly disappearing, as high-rise buildings take their place. Still, the charm of the old city can always be found not far from any Beijing hotel or shopping mall. This is a city waiting to be explored. Join the thousands of locals who take to the streets on bicycles every day and tour Beijing by bike, or have a Beijing travel guide direct you.
During your vacation in Beijing, remember that Beijingers are often awake and active before dawn – cooking breakfast or performing tai-chi in the park. Be sure to visit the many Beijing shopping districts, but leave time for exploring Beijing's Great Wall, the Ming Tombs, the Temple of Heaven and countless other historic sites in Beijing. In the evening, choose from a kaleidoscope of restaurants and nightspots in Beijing, experience a traditional Peking opera or wander around Beijing's night markets. With so many exciting things to do in Beijing, vacations in this city are far from uninspired.
