Beijing (literally "northern capital" in Chinese) is the capital of the People's Republic of China and its second largest city in terms of population, after Shanghai. It is the political, educational, and cultural center of the People's Republic of China, while Shanghai and Hong Kong predominate in economic fields.Beijing has been settled since 1000 BC, but only became the capital of China under the Mongol rule in the 13th century. Beijing is a huge city (the emphasis being on "huge", with huge buildings, wide 12-lane streets and large open spaces in between (the Tiananmen square is 1 km wide). Beijing has a rough climate with cold winters, hot summers and short intermediate seasons in-between. The city also suffers from heavy pollution and poor air quality from industry and traffic.
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52 photos of the Forbidden City, a huge area in Beijing with many well preserved ancient buildings and temples.
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27 photos of the Tiananmen square in the centre of Beijing, the largest open urban square in the world
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22 photos of Wangfujing street, with the pedestrian area and its shops and malls
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19 photos of the Temple of Heaven, a huge 267 hectare park with several ancient buildings.
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30 photos of the Summer Palace in Beijing, a huge garden around a lake with several palaces, temples and pavilions
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17 photos of the Changan street, the Oriental Plaza malls and other scenes in central Beijing
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16 photos of Hutongs, traditional Chinese neighbourhoods in Beijing and of a Go game
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13 photos of the CCTV building, the new headquarter of CCTV and a skyscraper with a very unusual shape
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12 photos of the new park between the Tiananmen square and the Forbidden city
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12 photos of the Great Wall of China in Jinshanling, a remote place about three hours by car northeast of Beijing.
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©Copyright Alfred Molon
