 | Beijing Today Beijing, capital to the People's Republic of China is one of the largest metropolises in the world with an ever growing population. Beijing is a place where life is constantly on the move- a fact which is reflected in the constant construction- the building and the rebuilding of restaurants, offices and shopping malls ever so often. It is a perfect fusion of ancient meets modern. Juxtaposed with the temples and royal halls built as early as the 8th Century and other historic structures such as the Museums and the Royal grounds, are other recently built modern structures such as the numerous sk |
 | Beijing back then Historically Beijing has always been an important city of China- it has always played the role of 'capital' on and off since hundreds of years ago. It was in the 1260s that it became renowned as the 'Great Capital' during the reign of Kublai Khan the Mongol invader. Beijing also known as Peking thus attained great importance as the seat of power of the Mongolian Empire. After the fall of the Mongolian Empire, however, Beijing lost its status as capital city not to be attained again until the early 1400s when the Ming Emperor restored this position to it. Beijing once again lost its status as c |
 | The Peninsula Palace Beijing This hotel is arguably the best in town- it is both extravagant and luxurious. The location is perfe |  | St. Regis Beijing This hotel is located in Chaoyang district. It has a wonderful ambience; the hotel staff is extremel |
 | China World Hotel This hotel is located in the Choayang District. The location is excellent. The rooms and bathrooms a |  | Hilton Beijing This hotel is located in northeast Chaoyang. Hilton is famous worldwide for its service which fails |
 | Grand Hotel This hotel was built in 1990. The location is excellent and rooms look out on to the Forbidden City. |  | Lusong Yuan Binguan This small hotel has been erected on the site of the house of a senior military officer belonging to |
 | Oriental Plaza This massive shopping center is arguably the most famous of Beijing's shopping centers. There are se |  | China World Trade Centre This is another of Beijing's famous shopping malls. A range of international brands have set up shop |
 | Lufthansa Youyi Shopping Centre While much of what is sold here is over priced and readily available in other shopping areas, a few |  | The Pearl Market This market is famous for the jewelers who have set up stall here exhibiting their pearl and jade pi |
 | Panjiayuan Jiuhuo Shichang This is a fantastic market consisting of hundreds of stalls and an array of products ranging from je |  | Five Colors Earth For fashion lovers this is definitely the place to head to. Beautiful tops and smart jackets are ava |
 | Chinese New Year & Spring Festival The Chinese New Year is celebrated on the first day of the first lunar month of the year and is an i |  | Beijing International Jazz festival Chinese as well as international artists participate in this festival which spans 3 days of outdoor |
 | Lantern Festival
On the fifteenth day after the spring festival, i.e. the fifteenth day of the |  | Mid Autumn Festival This is also known as the moon festival and is an annual event. It is a time for people to get toget |
 | Dragon Boat Festival This annual festival honors and celebrates Chinese hero Qu Yuan who stood up against the emperor and |  | Tomb Sweeping Day This is an important event that occurs annually. It is a time for people to pay their respects to th |
 | Matsuko Good quality traditional Japanese dishes are served here which means a lot of sushi and tempura. The |  | Huangcheng Lao Ma Quality Chinese food is served here. The sea food dishes are exceptionally good but there is much el |
 | Ariya Decadent best describes the interior of this restaurant. The Sea food dishes are marvelous and the d |  | Le Cafe Igosso 'Down to earth' best describes the atmosphere inside this restaurant. Unpretentious delicious food c |
 | Shanghai Fengwei Canting Set amidst a beautiful man-made forest guests, will be paying more for the ambience and not necessar |  | Kejia Cai This restaurant is especially interesting because the interior epitomizes Han culture. Han cui |
 | Fast Facts Location:
Beijing is located in the North China plain- it is surrounded by mountains to the North, Northwest and West
Area: 16,800 sq km Dialing code: +86/010 Area Code: +86/010 Emergency Numbers: Fire: 119 Police: 110 Ambulance: 120 Population: 15 million approximately Languages: Mandarin Chinese Time zone: UTC +8 (China Standard Time) Currency: China Renminbi Yuan Average January Temperatures: - 3.5 °C Average July Temperatures: 26.5 °C Annual Rainfall: 25.1inches |
