Guide to Beijing, China

Name: Beijing or Peking - means 'northern capital'

Capital of: The Republic of China

Location: Beijing is located at the northern tip of the North China Plain which opens south and east of city.

Nationality: Chinese

Population: 13,000,000

Religions: Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2%
note: officially atheist (2002 est.)

Languages: Cantonese, Mandarin

Currency: Yuan Renminbi. The official currency in mainland China is the Renminbi (RMB) or "People's currency." The basic unit is the yuan (also known as 'Kuai'), which equals 10 jiao (or 'mao'), which is then divided into 10 fen. Paper currency comes in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 yuan notes, paper jiao comes in denominations of 1, 2 and 5. There are also 1 and 2 fen notes, but these are rarely used as their purchasing power is almost zero. As for coins, there are 1 yuan, 1 and 5 jiao, and 1, 2 and 5 fen (again, the fen coins are basically useless).

Climate: Diverse: tropical in the south to subarctic in the north

Terrain:

Country Dialing Code: +86

Weights & Measures: Metric

Time Zones: GMT/UTC +8

Electricity: 220V 50Hz

Flying time: 10 hours from UK

Best time to go: The locals describe autum as 'tiangao qishuang' which means 'the sky is high and the air is fresh'. With clear skies and breezy days, and fewer tourists autumn may well be the best time to go. Spring is very wendy and Summer (June to August) is peak time when naturally hotels are at their most expense and tourists descend on the city and in particular The Great Wall of China. Winter is very cold offering freezing temperatures, but at least hotels are cheap. But during the Chinese New Year, which can land in January or February the city is brimful of people.

Weather: Autumn is bright and breezy, spring is dry, windy and sand clouds eminating fro Mongolia create the ubiquitous static electricity that dishcarge all over the place. The temperatures heat up from May onwards and can reach over 30°C (86°F). There can also be heavy rainfal late in the season - August. In winter its too cold for comfort with temepratures able to reach -20°C/-4°F with biting cold northern winds. During winter and summer, the city suffers from terrible air pollution.

Airport: Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) s situated in the Shunyi District of the city, about 25 km (about 15.5 miles) northeast of Tiananmen Square, and is China's busiest and most important international airport.

Getting Around: Probably the easiest way to get around is to us the Undergroud Dragon or subway. Buses tend to be overcrowded.

- Subway: At 43 miles an hour this offers the quickest method of getting around.

- Bus: There are around 140 bus and trolley routes, but be warned, the buses are very crowded.

- Taxi: Costs are around Y10.00 for the first 4km (2.5mi). If you can't speak Chinese bring a map and point to where you want to go.

OVERVIEW OF BEIJING

Beijing is home to the Forbidden City, the largest and best preserved Imperial Palace in the world. Happily though it is not forbidden to visit Beijing and recently the Olympic Games has been the catalyst needed to encourage Beijing (or Jing for short) to open itself up to scrutiny and tourism as it battles between Communist totalitarianism and freedom. It seems, that for now anyway, the last frontier of East-West tensions has finally been crossed. Famed for its precision in everything it does, the youth of trady are surprisingly laid back, trendy and open minded.

Beijing's history makes fascinating reading and comprises, Yuan, Ming, and Quing and its great mausoleums including the Ming Tombs are a must-see. Its Tiananmen Square is the largest city square in the world and is surrounded by significant sights and museums.

Beijing is a truly vast city and town planners created a city in accordance with the belief that puts the emperor at the axis of the cosmos. So, when Beijing still had its perimeter walls, it was in effect, an outer city that contained an inner city which contained the Imperial City and within that was the Forbidden City.

Of course, many tourists go to walk The Great Wall of China and in summer it must creak under the wait of avid marchers. It snakes its way through five provinces covering a stagging 6700 km or 2,587 miles covering landscapes of deserts, grasslands and mountains.

10 August 2008