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Beijing,
the capital of the People's Republic of
China, is the nation's political and cultural
centre.
Beijing
has a population of 10.855 million, about
5 million live in the city proper and the
rest on the outskirts. It is divided into
12 districts and 6 counties.A long history
has left numerous famous historical sites
which possess great aesthetic and cultural
values.The Great Wall, a huge project begun
more than 2,000 years ago, meanders through
mountains and valleys for hundreds of kilometers
in the region of Beijing.On the Shijing
Mountain,there are more than 340 volumes
of 15,000 stone tablets carved with Buddhist
scriptures.The big Yongle Bell, cast at
one go with over 230,000 characters on it
, weighs 46.5 tons and shows the exquisite
casting technology of ancient China. The
Forbidden City, the largest ancient architectural
complex extant today, is splendid crystallization
of ancient Chinese architectural art. Walking
in the city, one may find many places worth
a second visit. These include mansions,
gardens , gate towers , temples, former
residences of celebrities and places where
many historical events took place. Every
day, hundreds of thousands of people, domestic
and foreign, come to Beijing to visit its
grand palaces and graceful gardens and to
enjoy its marvelous art.
Beijing
also attracts world attention with its growing
prosperity,and its closer links with world
affairs. Through more than 40 years of construction,Beijing
has changed from a consumer-city to a major
city with various industries. Beijing ranks
second among the top 50 cities in China
in terms of comprehensive power, and is
the first among the 40 best cities in China
in terms of investment environment.With
China's reform and opening up, Beijing is
improving urban construction on an unprecedented
scale. Its speed of development is astonishing,and
it brings about changes day after day. Around
this graceful ancient capital, a large number
of key national projects, massive infrastructure
buildings and modern residential houses
have sprung up. Wasteland and low, dilapidated
houses are gradually disappearing,replaced
by newly-built residential quarters of different
styles and surrounded by greenbelts. Wide
and smooth highways, magnificent overpasses
and expressways link Beijing with its neighboring
provinces and cities, and eye-catching green
trees and gardens have made Beijing resemble
a huge scroll of painting pleasing to both
the eye and the mind.
As China's
cultural center, Beijing , with a galaxy
of talent and a rich culture, has over 70
institutions of higher learning such as
the famous Beijing University, Qinghua University,
More than 500 scientific research institutions,
over 300 publishing houses,as well as hundreds
of newspapers and periodicals.Tian'anmen
Square, located in the city center, is a
symbol of both Beijing and China. The solemn
flag-raising ceremony has become a sacred
daily celebration. Standing in the world's
largest city square and looking far east
and west up and down the Chang'an Avenue,
one can see a centuries-old architectural
complex standing side by side with newly-built
modern-style buildings, pigeons fluttering
in the blue sky, large kites flying lazily
above, torrents of bicycles flooding by
and tows of cars whisking along. Tian'anmen
Square embodies Beijing's history and reality,
arousing the awareness the while the essence
of old Beijing remains splendid, the miracles
created by new Beijing add to the city's
brilliance. |
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