One of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China, Beijing’s roots
can be traced back over 3,000 years. Beijing is located in the
north of the country, and its name in fact means ‘northern
capital’. The city has played a vital role in China since
Emperor Qin united China in 221 BC, and it was the capital city
of the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties which ruled
China for 1,000 years until the 20th century. The Qing dynasty
came to an end in 1911 due to the Xinhai Revolution, a movement
for a Chinese Republic. In 1916 the new emperor, Yuan Shikai,
died and Beijing fell under the control of regional warlords.
Royal residences were ransacked and burned down, and the country
degenerated into a semi-feudal society. It took more than three
decades for China to recover and on 1st October 1949 the
Communist Party Leader, Chairman Mao Zedong, announced the
creation of the People's Republic of China. Modern day Beijing
is home to 17 million residents and is an integral part of
China’s prosperity. Beijing is a grea