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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43 photos of the Forbidden City, the former Chinese imperial palace in Beijing
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17 photos of the Tiananmen square, a large square in the centre of Beijing
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26 photos of Wangfujing, a shopping area in central Beijing with souvenir shops and malls
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18 photos of the Temple of Heaven, a large park with several religious buildings in Beijing
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25 photos of the Summer Palace in Beijing, a huge park with a lake and several palaces, temples and pavilions
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31 photos of the central business district in Beijing with its iconic architecture
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25 photos of the Hutong area in Beijing with the Bell and Drum towers
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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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75 photos of the Ming tombs near Beijing, where 13 of the 16 emperors of the Ming dynasty are buried
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37 photos of the Tanzhe temple, a 1700 years old Buddhist temple near Beijing
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19 photos of Sanlitun, a modern and hip area of Beijing with many shops, restaurants and cool architecture
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15 photos of the Lama temple in Beijing, one of the most impressive Tibetan Buddhist temples outside of Tibet
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19 photos of the National Centre for the Performing Arts, a glass and titanium ellipsoid in Beijing, which hosts cultural events
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18 photos of several large shopping malls in Beijing
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17 photos of the Jingshan, Beihai and Houhai areas near the Forbidden city in Beijing
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14 photos of the Fragrant Hills / Xiangshan park in the west of Beijing
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35 photos of the Dongyue, Confucius and Fayuan temples and the Niujue mosque in Beijing
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25 photos of the Hutong area in Beijing with the Bell and Drum towers
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24 photos of Beijing skylines, the Olympic park, the southern train station and the airport of Beijing
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22 miscellaneous photos of Beijing and the surroundings
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39 photos of the temples of the Earth and of the Sun in Beijing
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15 miscellaneous photos of the Chaoyang and Guomao districts in Beijing
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