Beijing – the capital of China, the cultural stronghold of Asia and the venue for the Winter Olympics. Everything you need to know about the metropolis.
Beijing – More than 21 million people cavort on an area of almost 17 thousand square kilometers. It is the capital and the political center of the People’s Republic of China, as well as a world cultural heritage site and the venue for the 2022 Winter Olympics. We are talking about Beijing, a city that looks more like a province.
The metropolis is the government center of the country and has a historical background that goes back more than 3000 years. Destroyed and rebuilt several times, Beijing survived numerous dynasties of the Chinese Empire and thus gained more and more importance within China over the centuries. Even today, the population sees Beijing as the heart of the country, which is why the city continues to grow and grow.
China’s capital: Beijing – The geography
Beijing is the capital of China and is located in the northwest of the country, around 150 kilometers from the Gulf of Bohai. The city is located in a low plain on the Mongolian plateau and is surrounded by mountains. Your region is repeatedly shaken by earthquakes due to the shifting of the Indian continental plate. With an area of around 16,400 square kilometers, the size of the city-state roughly corresponds to that of the state of Thuringia.
Beijing is currently home to more than 21 million people. Since the founding year of the People’s Republic of China, the capital has grown by around a third of its area. The growth of textile and porcelain manufacturers as well as iron and steel works turned Beijing into an industrial city.
Beijing: The Chinese Weather and Climate
The geographical location of Beijing ensures warm, humid summers and dry, cold winters. The mean daytime temperature in summer is around 30 degrees. In July and August more than 60 percent of the total annual precipitation falls. With an average humidity of 75 percent, the summer months in Beijing are quite humid.
Autumn is usually pleasantly warm during the day and fresh in the evening. Only from mid-November do temperatures begin to drop sharply and winter is heralded. From December to March it is consistently frosty, but mostly with little snow. Winter in Beijing is characterized by the high cold over Siberia. The coldest month is January with temperature drops of up to minus ten degrees.
Spring is often dry in Beijing. From April to May it is windy and dust from the steppe and desert areas of Mongolia is carried across the country’s borders and brings sandstorms to the capital. The average temperatures are around 20 degrees during the day and drop to around ten degrees Celsius at night.
Beijing: History and Development of the Capital of China
Beijing literally means “the capital of the north” and is the second largest city in the Chinese People’s Republic after Shanghai. The city was first mentioned in documents around 1,000 BC during the Zhou dynasty. For centuries, Beijing was an important hub of the country. Due to its strategic importance, the city was always contested and frequently changed rulers. In the 13th century Beijing was conquered by Genghis Khan and developed into the new capital of the Mongol Empire. At that time, today’s metropolis was still known under the name Dadu.
In the meantime, Dadu has been replaced as the center of power. It was not until the beginning of the 15th century, under the rule of the Ming and Qing dynasties, that the city regained importance and was given its name, which is still in use today: Bejing – Peking. During this phase Beijing developed into an imperial city. Many of the most impressive buildings and monuments in China were built during this period, for example the Summer Palace or the Forbidden City.
With the abdication of the Manchu in 1911, the time of the Chinese Empire ended. In 1912 the Republic of China was founded with Beijing as its capital. In the following years the country suffered from the devastating fighting of various groups who wanted to usurp power across China. After several bitter and bloody civil wars, the People’s Republic of China was proclaimed in Beijing on October 1, 1949 under Mao Zedong’s leadership.
China and its capital have been constantly changing since then. Industrial and economic progress stabilized the nation, but only with the loss of numerous cultural and historical buildings. In Beijing’s old town, centuries-old walls, portals and decorative bridges were subjected to road construction and leveled. In the temple of the cultivated wisdom no more ceremonies were carried out, but wires were made and the temple of the fire god was now used for the production of lightbulbs. In the mid-1940s, the city still had around 8,000 temples and monuments. In the 1960s the number had dropped to 150.
In 1966, the country’s leader Mao started the “great proletarian cultural revolution” and thus opened one of the bloodiest chapters in Chinese folk history. The primary purpose of the revolution was to consolidate Zedong’s power and to purify the country of all those who had “distanced themselves from the crowd.” In Beijing, the effects of the ideological attack on any liberal political, historical and social thought were particular noticeable. The political campaign reached a sad climax in “Red August” 1966. The month marked the beginning of a series of brutal massacres in which intellectuals in Beijing were beaten to death and tortured. The Red August killed around 10,000 people, 92,000 houses were searched and 125,000 families were forced to leave the city.
It was not until 1976, with the death of Mao Zedong, that the dictator’s cultural revolution ended. Political freedoms remained restricted, but the country was able to develop into an economic nation and so the doors of China are still open to foreign tourists and investors. Even if the western world strongly condemns the actions of the Chinese government, the country has been able to rebuild relations with other industrialized countries with slow democratization measures. China is still criticized for human rights violations today.
Beijing was the political, academic and cultural capital of China for a long time, but now it is in the commercial shadow of Shanghai. It was only through the massive investment and infrastructure program in the course of the Summer Olympics in 2008 that the megacity experienced a new economic boom. Large amounts of foreign capital created new jobs and promoted the rehabilitation of Beijing.
Beijing today: the country’s cultural capital
Today the city is home to around 21 million inhabitants, making it one of the largest cities in the world. Although Beijing’s cityscape has suffered greatly under Mao Zedong’s leadership, the Chinese capital is still considered a cultural stronghold today, which tells the country’s 3000-year history. In the center is the Forbidden City. During the times of the Chinese imperial dynasties, the huge palace was reserved for the ruler, his family and servants.
Tuab’anmen Square is considered to be the largest square in the world. Up to a million people can still easily gather there for celebrations and rallies. In the southern part of the square there is a huge mausoleum, in which the preserved body of the dictator Mao Zedong has been resting since 1976. Another landmark of Beijing is the Temple of Heaven, a temple complex that is said to help the country get a good harvest. The building was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is said to have been instrumental in the development of Chinese culture and architecture.
In addition to other architectural sights, such as the Great Wall of China, Beijing offers a huge cultural program with numerous theaters, concert halls, operas and museums and is the linchpin of Chinese art.
Beijing: venue for the 2022 Olympics
After the 2008 Summer Games, Beijing will host an Olympiad for the second time. The Winter Olympics will be fought in the Chinese capital in February 2022. The Olympic Committee has already announced all sports, disciplines and competitions. If the corona pandemic does not cause any rescheduling, a preliminary time and schedule has already been set.
But the Beijing Games are not without controversy: Many social organizations are calling for a boycott of the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. In addition, it is still unclear which corona rules should apply during the games.
Entry, visa and flight: how do I get to Beijing?
The flight connections to Beijing are very good given its international airport. From Germany, the journey on a non-stop flight takes around nine to ten hours. Depending on the provider, ticket prices start at around 500 euros per route.
German travelers only need a valid passport for a short vacation. If you want to visit Beijing or China for more than six days, you should apply for a tourist visa at the Chinese embassy beforehand.
In view of the corona pandemic, there are currently entry and exit restrictions. According to the Foreign Office, German citizens are currently banned from entering the country. Only those who are in possession of a valid Chinese residence permit or who wish to travel to China for personal matters or to reunite their families are allowed to visit China. (aa)
