According to abbreviationfinder, Beijing, officially Chinese in Latin letters Beijing [-d ʒ -, Chinese “Northern Capital”], 1928–49 Beiping (formerly Peiping transcribed), since 1949 after a 21-year break again, is the capital of China , with (2017) 18.6 million Second largest city in the country after Shanghai.

As the administrative area of ​​a city under the government with the rank of a province, it covers 16 800 km ² with (2018) 21.5 million residents, of which around 12 million permanent residents and over 7.26 million migrant workers (of permanent residents 96% Han, 2% Hui, just under 2% Manchu, 20,000 Mongols and 10,000 Korean). Beijing is 30-40 m above sea level in a bay (Bay of Beijing) in the extreme north of the south-sloping scree and loess plain of the North China Plain, bounded in the north by the Mongolian Plateau, in the northeast by the Yan Mountains. Beijing’s most important cultural and educational institutions are nine academies of various sciences, including Academia Sinica, several universities (including Peking University, founded in 1898; Qinghua University, founded in 1911; People’s University, founded in 1950), Central Nationality University, 1950 founded.

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The earliest remains of the wall in Beijing date from the time of the Jindynasty (1115–1234). Under the early Ming emperors between 1368 and 1420, the city was destroyed and then rebuilt. Your city design, based on the previous layout, was conceived as a representation of the cosmos and consisted of three rectangular districts (Imperial City, Inner City, Outer City), each walled and accessible through mighty gateways. On the main axis running from north to south, there were gateways, ceremonial and palace buildings, hierarchically staggered one behind the other and related to one another. The central district was formed by the south-facing, walled and moat-enclosed imperial city (“Forbidden City”, inaccessible to the people until the end of the imperial era; UNESCO World Heritage Site).

Outside the inner wall, in the four cardinal directions, were the temple complexes, important for the imperial state sacrifices, with the earth altar (in the north), heavenly altar (south), sun altar (east) and moon altar (west). The Outer City was reached from the south through the Yongdingmen Gate; behind him stretched the arable temple in the west, the temple of heaven in the east (UNESCO World Heritage Site, partly well preserved, including the “Hall of Annual Prayers” and the imperial sacrificial altar). The main axis continues to the Qianmen, which formerly formed the gate of the south wall of the inner city. Behind this is Tiananmen Square (Tian’anmen Square), which is now the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall and the Monument to the People’s Heroes.

This largest public square on earth is framed by the Great Hall of the People (in the west) and the museum complex (in the east). In the north, the Gate of Heavenly Peace (Tian’anmen) separates it from the Imperial City. A pavilion surrounded by a white marble balustrade rises above the massive, purple-red gate structure (1651) with five arches. The main axis runs between Sun Yatsen Park (since 1928, before that Zhongshan Gongyuan), where a. the older altar of the earth and the harvests was located, and the culture park of the working people with the culture palace (the former imperial ancestral temple) to the Wumen gate (noon gate; renewed in 1420, 1647 and 1801), which forms the entrance to the imperial city. The 1st A stream runs through the courtyard of the imperial city in symmetrical windings with five arches decorated with marble railings. The »Gate of the Supreme Harmony« (Taihemen), located on a multi-storey terrace, leads after about 200 m to the »Hall of the Supreme Harmony« (Taihedian; 1669, 1765 renewed), a former audience hall, which is located together with the »Hall of the Perfect Harmony “(Zhonghedian) and the” Hall for the Preservation of Harmony “(Baohedian) rises above a triple-stepped conversion with white marble balustrades; in the middle of the double staircase a marble slope with relief depictions of dragons twisting in clouds. The »Gate of the Supreme Harmony« (Taihemen), located on a multi-storey terrace, leads after about 200 m to the »Hall of the Supreme Harmony« (Taihedian; 1669, 1765 renewed), a former audience hall, which is located together with the »Hall of the Perfect Harmony “(Zhonghedian) and the” Hall for the Preservation of Harmony “(Baohedian) rises above a triple-stepped conversion with white marble balustrades; in the middle of the double staircase a marble slope with relief depictions of dragons twisting in clouds. The »Gate of the Supreme Harmony« (Taihemen), located on a multi-storey terrace, leads after about 200 m to the »Hall of the Supreme Harmony« (Taihedian; 1669, 1765 renewed), a former audience hall, which is located together with the »Hall of the Perfect Harmony “(Zhonghedian) and the” Hall for the Preservation of Harmony “(Baohedian) rises above a triple-stepped conversion with white marble balustrades; in the middle of the double staircase a marble slope with relief depictions of dragons twisting in clouds.

In the buildings to the east and west of the courtyard are the rich collections of the palace museum (painting, calligraphy, sculpture, sacred bronzes, textile art, etc.). The northern part of the Imperial Palace with the complex of the “Palace of Divine Purity”, the “Hall of the Touch of Heaven and Earth” and the “Palace of Earthly Rest” in the center and (on both sides) many small palaces in a checkerboard layout form the “Inner Palace”, the imperial private district. Behind the “Gate of Divine Boldness” (Shenwumen) in the north wall begins the ascent to the artificially built Jingshan (formerly Meishan, “Coal Hill”) with the “Pavilion of Eternal Spring” (18th century) on the highest elevation of the old Beijing. The northern end of the central axis is formed by the drum tower (Gulou; 15th century, in the 18th Century renewed) and the bell tower (Zhonglou; renewed 1272, 1420). In the northeast of the inner city are the Confucius Temple (Kongmiao), the former Imperial Academy (Gouzijan, 18th century; today library) and the Lama Temple (Yonghe Gong; 18th century). and 13th century, restored in 1978). To the northwest of the imperial city lies the Beihai Park, which was formerly reserved for the emperor, around an artificial lake, and in the center of the Jade Island is the 36 m high “White Pagoda” (Baita; 1651). In the north-west of today’s city the Summer Palace (Yihe Yuan, UNESCO World Heritage Site) extends, a park landscape in hilly terrain with pagodas and pavilions and the white marble ship (Shifang) in the artificially excavated Kunming Lake (18th century), Pei Ieoh Ming (1983).

Buildings with an international design language include the Peking Lufthansa Center (1988–91) and the Japanese-Chinese youth exchange center by K. Kurokawa (1986–89). Large-scale urban development changes, which will massively change the appearance and infrastructure of Beijing, began with the award of the 2008 Summer Olympics. The new National Theater (2006) was built on Tiananmen Square according to a design (1999) by the French architect Paul Andreu (* 1938) , and the new or extension of the Chinese National Museum was built according to plans by Gerkan, Marg & Partner. The new Olympic Stadium designed by Herzog & de Meuron is one of the outstanding buildings(Opening 2008). – About 50 km northwest of Beijing near Changping is the monumental tomb, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, with the tombs of 13 rulers of the Ming dynasty.