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Beijing, also known as Peking, is the
capital of the People's Republic of China and with around 20 million
inhabitants, one of the world’s most populous cities. Located in northern
China, the city is the country’s political, cultural and educational centre
and the majority of China’s state-controlled companies are based here. It is
also a major transportation hub with an international airport and an
extensive rail and road network. China’s history has revolved around Beijing
for centuries and many of its buildings are of considerable historical
significance. These together with its art treasures have long made Beijing
the cultural centre of China. Fossils dating from some 250,000 years ago
provide evidence of the earliest human habitation and by the 1st millennium
BC, settlements were already sited in the area of present-day Beijing. The
formation of the People’s Republic of China was announced by Mao Zedong,
leader of the Communist Party, in Tiananmen on 1 October 1949, following the
unopposed entry of communist forces into Beijing on 31 January during the
Chinese Civil War.
Beijing is now one of China’s most advanced cities. Its economy is largely
driven by service industries, which account for almost 75% of the gross
domestic product. Around 25 Fortune Global 500 ranked companies also have
their headquarters in Beijing. The city’s rapid expansion has however caused
a myriad of problems, not the least of which is its smog. The pollution
itself is a problem and some of its major industries are also leaving the
city with the resultant redundancies because they are unable or unwilling to
reduce emissions to the levels ordered by the government. However, studies
suggest that much of the city’s pollution is “imported” from surrounding
cities and areas. The now well-known Beijing smog is also a deterrent to
visitors and thus problematic for the tourist industry.
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