Beijing – City of Tourist Spots for 2008 Olympic Games

Beijing, the city of the 2008 Olympic Games, the capital of the People’s Republic of China, stands on the center of politics, economy, communications, science and culture of China.

Beijing also calls Peking by the western countries. It is a city full of Tourist Spots.

Three thousand years ago, Beijing was called Ji, an important town in northern China. During the Spring and Autumn (770-476 B. C. ) and Warring States Periods (475-221 B. C. ), it became the capital of the state of Yan. In Liao Dynasty (907-1125), it is designated as the second capital, named Nanjing, or Yanjing. In the middle of the twelfth century the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), established their main capital at Yanjing. Afterwards, dynasties down the history through Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1616-1911) all set their capitals here. On October 1, 1949, the People’s Republic of China was founded and Beijing became the capital of the new China.

Located at the northern end of the vast North China Plain, Beijing is circled by mountains on the northwest and abuts on plains to the Southeast. Its terrain pattern of mountains to the north and plains to the south has made it a place contested by the strategists of past dynasties and a modern communications hub of Northeast and North China. Indeed it is because of its significant topography value that all dynasties spared no efforts in developing the place into one of the world’s largest metropolises and one endowed with the most historical remains.

Beijing has the world’s largest imperial palace-the Forbidden City; picturesque imperial parks such as the Summer Palace and Beihai Park; well-designed Temple of Heaven; the military project of the Great Wall meandering as long as five thousand kilometers and the superbly-constructed necropolis of the Ming Tombs.

In satisfying the requests from the vast tourists, we have especially compiled and published this album of Beijing in a Nutshell. Due to the volume limit, we only listed here part of the scenic spots in Beijing, which is just an epitome, and we hope it will serve you to your convenience and pleasure. Welcome to Beijing, Welcome to 2008 Olympic Games.