Beijing
is a metropolis in northern China and the capital of the People's
Republic of China. It is one of the four municipalities of
the PRC, which are equivalent to provinces in China's administrative
structure. Beijing is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals
of China. The municipality of Beijing borders Hebei Province
to the north, west, south, and for a small section in the
east, and Tianjin Municipality to the southeast.
Beijing is China's second largest city,
after Shanghai.
Beijing is a major transportation hub, with dozens of railways,
roads and motorways passing through the city. It is also
the focal point of many international flights to China.
Beijing is recognised as the political, educational, and
cultural center of the People's Republic of China, while
Shanghai and Hong Kong predominate in economic fields. The
city hosted the 2008 Olympic Games.
Few
cities in the world besides Beijing have served as the political
and cultural centre of an area as immense as China for so
long. The Encyclopædia Britannica describes it as,
"One of the world's great cities," and declares,
"The city has been an integral part of China’s
history over the past eight centuries, and nearly every
major building of any age in Beijing has at least some national
historical significance." Beijing is renowned for its
opulent palaces, temples, and huge stone walls and gates.
Its art treasures and universities have long made the city
a centre of culture and art in China.
The earliest remnants of human habitation in the Beijing
municipality are found in the caves of Dragon Bone Hill
near the village of Zhoukoudian in Fangshan District, where
the Peking Man lived. Homo erectus fossils from the caves
date to 230,000 to 250,000 years ago. Paleolithic homo sapiens
also lived there about 27,000 years ago. There were cities
in the vicinities of Beijing by the 1st millennium BC, and
the capital of the State of Yan, one of the powers of the
Warring States Period (473-221 BC), Ji (?/?), was established
in present-day Beijing.
After
the fall of the Yan, the subsequent Qin, Han, and Jin dynasties
set up local prefectures in the area. In Tang Dynasty it
became the headquarters for Fanyang jiedushi, the virtual
military governor of current northern Hebei area. An Lushan
launched An Shi Rebellion from here in 755 AD.
