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Beijing
Beijing also known
as Peking is the capital of the People's Republic
of China and one of the most populous cities in the
world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The
city is the country's political, cultural, educational
and military center， and home to the headquarters for
most of China's largest state-owned companies. The
metropolis, located in northern China, borders Hebei
Province to the north, west, south, and a small section
to the east, and Tianjin Municipality to the southeast。
The city's size is
staggering. Beijing encompasses an enormous 6,500 square
miles (16,800 sq km). The sheer magnitude has
consequently created smaller city-like districts within,
from expat suburb communities to expansive, shapeless
developments.
Governed as a municipality
under the direct administration of the national
government, Beijing is divided into 14 urban and
suburban districts and two rural counties It is a major
transportation hub, with dozens of railways, roads and
motorways passing through the city, and the destination
of many international flights to China.
Few cities in the world
have served as long as the political and cultural centre
of an area as immense. Beijing is one of the Four Great
Ancient Capitals of China. It has been the heart of
China’s history for centuries, and there is scarcely a
major building of any age in Beijing that does not have
at least some national historical significance. The city
is renowned for its opulent palaces, temples, and huge
stone walls and gates。 Its art treasures and
universities have long made it a centre of culture and
art in China. Beijing hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Climate
The city has a rather dry, monsoon-influenced humid
continental climate (Köppen climate classification
Dwa), characterized by hot, humid summers due
to the East Asian monsoon, and generally cold,
windy, dry winters that reflect the influence of the
vast Siberian anticyclone.
Spring can bear witness to sandstorms blowing in
from the Mongolian steppe, accompanied by rapidly
warming, but generally dry, conditions. Autumn, like
spring, sees little rain, but is crisp and short.
The monthly daily average temperature in January is
−3.7 °C (25.3 °F), while in July it is 26.2 °C
(79.2 °F). Precipitation averages around 570 mm
(22.4 in) annually, with the great majority of it
falling in the summer months. Extremes have ranged
from −27.4 to 42.6 °C (-17 to 109 °F)。
| Climate data for Beijing
(1971−2000) |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
| Average high °C (°F) |
1.8
(35.2) |
5.0
(41) |
11.6
(52.9) |
20.3
(68.5) |
26.0
(78.8) |
30.2
(86.4) |
30.9
(87.6) |
29.7
(85.5) |
25.8
(78.4) |
19.1
(66.4) |
10.1
(50.2) |
3.7
(38.7) |
17.9
(64.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) |
−8.4
(16.9) |
−5.6
(21.9) |
0.4
(32.7) |
7.9
(46.2) |
13.6
(56.5) |
18.8
(65.8) |
22.0
(71.6) |
20.8
(69.4) |
14.8
(58.6) |
7.9
(46.2) |
0.0
(32) |
−5.8
(21.6) |
7.2
(45) |
|
Precipitation
mm (inches) |
2.7
(0.106) |
4.9
(0.193) |
8.3
(0.327) |
21.2
(0.835) |
34.2
(1.346) |
78.1
(3.075) |
185.2
(7.291) |
159.7
(6.287) |
45.5
(1.791) |
21.8
(0.858) |
7.4
(0.291) |
2.8
(0.11) |
571.8
(22.512) |
| % Humidity |
44 |
44 |
46 |
46 |
53 |
61 |
75 |
77 |
68 |
61 |
57 |
49 |
56.8 |
| Avg.
precipitation days
(≥ 0.1 mm) |
1.8 |
2.3 |
3.3 |
4.3 |
5.8 |
9.7 |
13.6 |
12.0 |
7.6 |
5.0 |
3.5 |
1.7 |
70.6 |
|
Sunshine hours |
194.1 |
194.7 |
231.8 |
251.9 |
283.4 |
261.4 |
212.4 |
220.9 |
232.1 |
222.1 |
185.3 |
180.7 |
2,670.8 |
|
Source: China
Meteorological Administration
[46] |
Economy
Beijing is amongst the
most developed cities in China, with tertiary industry
accounting for 73.2% of its Gross Domestic Product
(GDP); it was the first post industrial city in mainland
China。 Beijing is home to 26 Fortune Global 500
companies, the third most in the world behind Tokyo and
Paris.
Finance is one of the
most important industries。 By the end of 2007,
there were 751 financial organizations in Beijing
generating revenue of 128.6 billion RMB, 11.6% of
the total financial industry revenue of the entire
country. That also accounts for 13.8% of Beijing's
GDP, the highest percentage of any Chinese city.
In 2010, Beijing's
nominal GDP reached 1.37 trillion RMB. Its per
capita GDP was 78,194 RMB. In 2009, Beijing's
nominal GDP was 1.19 trillion RMB (US$174 billion),
a growth of 10.1% over the previous year. Its GDP
per capita was 68,788 RMB (US$10,070), an increase
of 6.2% over 2008. In 2009, Beijing's primary,
secondary, and tertiary industries were worth
11.83 billion RMB, 274.31 billion RMB, and
900.45 billion RMB respectively. Urban disposable
income per capita was 26,738 yuan, a real increase
of 8.1% from the previous year. Per capita pure
income of rural residents was 11,986 RMB, a real
increase of 11.5%. The Engel's coefficient of
Beijing's urban residents reached 31.8% in 2005,
while that of the rural residents was 32.8%,
declining 4.5 and 3.9 percentage points respectively
compared to 2000.
Beijing's real estate
and automobile sectors have continued to boom in
recent years. In 2005, a total of 28,032,000 square
metres (301,730,000 sq ft) of housing real estate
was sold, for a total of 175.88 billion RMB. The
total number of cars registered in Beijing in 2004
was 2,146,000, of which 1,540,000 were privately
owned (a yearly increase of 18.7%).
The Beijing central
business district (CBD), centred on the Guomao area,
has been identified as the city's new central
business district, and is home to a variety of
corporate regional headquarters, shopping precincts,
and high-end housing. Beijing Financial Street, in
the Fuxingmen and Fuchengmen area, is a traditional
financial centre. The Wangfujing and Xidan areas are
major shopping districts. Zhongguancun, dubbed
"China's Silicon Valley", continues to be a major
centre in electronics and computer-related
industries, as well as pharmaceuticals-related
research. Meanwhile, Yizhuang, located to the
southeast of the urban area, is becoming a new
centre in pharmaceuticals, information technology,
and materials engineering、Shijingshan, on the
western outskirts of the city, is among the major
industrial areas. Specially designated industrial
parks include Zhongguancun Science Park, Yongle
Economic Development Zone, Beijing
Economic-technological Development Area, and Tianzhu
Airport Industrial Zone.
Agriculture is carried
on outside the urban area, with wheat and maize
(corn) being the main crops. Vegetables are also
grown closer to the urban area in order to supply
the city.
Beijing is
increasingly becoming known for its innovative
entrepreneurs and high-growth startup companies.
This culture is backed by a large community of both
Chinese and foreign venture capital firms, such as
Sequoia Capital, whose head office in China is in
Chaoyang, Beijing. Though Shanghai is seen as the
economic centre of China, this is typically based on
the numerous large corporations based there, rather
than for being a centre for entrepreneurship.
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