What does the name Beijing mean?
Names of Beijing
The Chinese characters ("north") and ("capital") together mean the "Northern Capital". The name was first used during the reign of the Ming dynasty's Yongle Emperor, who made his northern fief a second capital along with Nanjing (, the "Southern Capital") in 1403 after successfully dethroning his nephew during the Jingnan Campaign. The name was restored in 1949 at the founding of the People's Republic of China.
Names of Beijing
"Peking" is a spelling created by French missionaries of the 17th and 18th centuries. In "De Christiana expeditione apud Sinas" (1615), Matteo Ricci calls the city "Pechinum". (The English translation gives "Pequin".) "Peking" appears in "A Description of the Empire of China" (1735) by Jean-Baptiste Du Halde. These early spellings may represent pronunciation in the Nanjing dialect, which was used as a lingua franca at this time, or the various other southern Chinese languages (e.g., Cantonese, Hokkien and Hakka) used by the traders of the port cities visited by early European traders. Peking was the English name of the city until the adoption of pinyin. However, it is still employed adjectivally in terms such as "Pekingese", "Peking duck", "Peking Man" and various others. The name is retained at Peking University as well. The name remains in common and official use in many other languages.
Peking duck
A number of restaurants in Beijing specialise in Peking Duck. Examples include Quanjude, Bianyifang, Changan Yihao (長安一號), Dayali, Beijing Xiaowangfu (北京小王府) and Dadong Kaoyadian (大董烤鴨店). Some restaurants, in particular Quanjude and Bianyifang, have long histories of serving high quality duck that they are now household names, or "Lao zihao" (老字號), literally "old brand name". In addition, Quanjude has received worldwide recognition, having been named a China Renowned Trademark in 1999.
Duck Chang's Restaurant, established in 1975 in Virginia, USA, was the first Chinese restaurant to prepare and serve Peking Duck without a 24-hour advanced notice.
Neighborhoods in Beijing
In the case of some enclaves the name starts with the name of the originating province and the name ends in "cun" (C: 村, P: "cūn") or "Village". For instance, Anhuicun or "Anhui Village" houses people from that room, and Henancun or "Henan Village" has settlers from that region.
Beijing city fortifications
Both the Ming and the Qing, after defeating the Yuan and the Ming respectively, entered the city for the first time through Deshengmen; the name "Desheng" means "morally victorious". Carts carrying weapons used this gate for luck when entering or leaving the city. Deshengmen was also informally known as "修门 Xiumen", meaning "having high moral and ethical standards".
Beijing central business district
The Beijing Central Business District, or Beijing CBD (), is the primary area for finance, media, and business services in Beijing, China.
History of Beijing
The Qing dynasty was overthrown in the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 but the capital of the newly founded Republic of China remained in Beijing as former Qing general Yuan Shikai took control of the new government from revolutionaries in the south. Yuan and successors from his Beiyang Army ruled the Republic from Beijing until 1928 when Chinese Nationalists reunified the country through the Northern Expedition and moved the capital to Nanjing. Beijing was renamed Beiping. In 1937, a clash between Chinese and Japanese troops at the Marco Polo Bridge outside Beiping triggered the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Japanese occupiers created a collaborationist government in northern China and reverted the city's name to Beijing to serve as capital for the puppet regime. After Japan's surrender in 1945, the city returned to Chinese rule and was again renamed Beiping. During the subsequent civil war between the Chinese Nationalists and Communists, the city was peacefully transferred to Communist control in 1949 and renamed Beijing to become the capital of the People's Republic of China.
Names of China
"Tianxia" (; ) literally means "under heaven"; and "Tianchao" () means "Heavenly Dynasty". These terms were usually used in the context of civil wars or periods of division, in which whoever ends up reunifying China is said to have ruled "Tianxia", or everything under heaven. This fits with the traditional Chinese theory of rulership in which the emperor was nominally the political leader of the entire world and not merely the leader of a nation-state within the world. Historically the term was connected to the later Zhou Dynasty (c. 1046–256 BCE), especially the Spring and Autumn period (eighth to fourth century BCE) and the Warring States period (from there to 221 BCE, when China was reunified by the Qin state)."Jiangshan" (; ) literally means "Rivers and mountains". This term is quite similar in usage to Tianxia, and simply refers to the entire world, and here the most prominent features of which being rivers and mountains. Use of this term is also common as part of the phrase "designing rivers and mountains" meaning maintaining and improving government and policy in the world.
Exonym and endonym
Following the declaration in 1979 of Hanyu Pinyin spelling as the standard romanisation of Chinese, many Chinese endonyms have successfully replaced English exonyms, especially city and most province names in mainland China, e.g. Beijing (北京 "Běijīng"), Guangdong (广东 "Guǎngdōng") (province), Qingdao (青岛 "Qīngdǎo"), although older English exonyms are sometimes used in certain contexts – e.g. Peking (duck, opera, etc.), Canton, etc. (In some cases the traditional English exonym is based on a local Chinese dialect instead of Mandarin, in the case of Xiamen, where the name Amoy is closer to the Hokkien pronunciation.) In the case of "Beijing", the adoption of the exonym by media outlets quickly gave rise to a hyperforeignized pronunciation, with the result that many English speakers actualize the "j" in "Beijing" as [ʒ].
Chung Ying Street
In Cantonese, "Chung" means China and "Ying" England or the United Kingdom. The name is a mark of history of the Second Convention of Peking, a treaty that China under the Qing dynasty was forced to lease New Territories to Britain in 1899.
Beijing
Due to the concentration of state owned enterprises in the national capital, Beijing in 2013 had more Fortune Global 500 Company headquarters than any other city in the world. Beijing has also been described as the "billionaire capital of the world".
Summer Palace (2006 film)
The film deals with a young student played by Hao Lei who leaves her small hometown to study at the fictional "Beiqing University" (a homage to Peking University). There she meets a fellow student and begins an intense romantic relationship in the backdrop of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. The film also follows the eventual disillusionment of these young idealists after the crackdown, as the years progress through the 1990s and into the 2000s (decade). The film is named after the Summer Palace located in Beijing.
Beijing Hotel
The Beijing Hotel () is a five-star state-owned hotel complex in the Dongcheng District of Beijing, China. It is located at the southern end of Wangfujing Street, at the corner with East Chang'an Avenue, 1.5 km from Beijing Railway Station with views of the Forbidden City and part of Tiananmen Square.
Beijing Bailie University
The Beijing Bailie University (BBU; ), previously known in English as Peili Vocational Institute, is a university in Beijing.
History of Beijing
In 1271, he declared the creation of the Yuan dynasty and named his capital Dadu (, Chinese for "Grand Capital", or "Daidu" to the Mongols). It is also known by the Mongol name Khanbaliq (), spelled "Cambuluc" in Marco Polo's account. Construction of Dadu began in 1267 and the first palace was finished the next year. The entire palace complex was completed in 1274 and the rest of the city by 1285. In 1279, when Mongol armies finished off the last of the Song dynasty in southern China, Beijing became for the first time, the capital of the whole of China. After the construction of Dadu, Xanadu, also known as Shangdu, became Kublai Khan's summer capital.
Hutong
Hutongs represent an important cultural element of the city of Beijing. Thanks to Beijing's long history and status as capital for six dynasties, almost every hutong has its anecdotes, and some are even associated with historic events. In contrast to the court life and elite culture represented by the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, and the Temple of Heaven, the hutongs reflect the culture of grassroots Beijingers. The hutongs are residential neighborhoods which still form the heart of Old Beijing. A virtual tour of one of Beijing's Hutong's can be found here.
Khanbaliq
"Khanbaliq" remained the standard name for Beijing in Persian and the Turkic languages of Central Asia and the Middle East for quite a long time. It was, for instance, the name used in both the Persian and Turkic versions of Ghiyāth al-dīn Naqqāsh's account of the 1419–22 mission of Shah Rukh's envoys to the Ming capital. The account remained one of the most detailed and widely read accounts of China in these languages for centuries.
Chinese Taipei
The name "Chinese Taipei" has spilled into apolitical arenas. The PRC has successfully pressured some religious organizations and civic organizations to refer to the ROC as "Chinese Taipei". The Lions Club used to refer to the Republic of China as "Chinese Taipei", but it now uses the name "Taiwan MD 300". Both the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank refer to the Taiwan as "Chinese Taipei", and "Taiwan" does not appear on the member countries list of either organization. The ICSU also refers to the Republic of China as "China Taipei", right below "China CAST". The Republic of China is a member economy of APEC, and its official name in the organization is "Chinese Taipei". It has also participated as an invited in the World Health Organization (WHO) under the name Chinese Taipei. It is the only agency of the United Nations that the ROC is able, provided it is invited each year, to participate in since 1971.
Beijing city fortifications
Due to its proximity to the Western Hills and the coal reserves at Mentougou District, carts carrying coal would enter the city through Fuchengmen. The barbican gate archway had an engraving of a plum flower (plum flower "梅 Mei" and coal "煤 Mei" are homophones in Chinese. Also, the plum trees near Fuchengmen blossom in spring, around the time when coal was no longer needed and deliveries ceased). This gives rise to the old Beijing saying: "Fucheng's plum blossoms announce the arrival of the new spring's warmth". Fuchengmen is also informally referred to as "惊门 Jingmen", meaning "Justice".
Beijing Workers' Autonomous Federation
The Beijing Workers' Autonomous Federation (BWAF), or Beijing Workers’ Autonomous Union (simplified Chinese: 北京工人自治联合会; pinyin: Běijīng gōngrén zìzhì liánhéhuì; popularly referred to in Chinese as gōngzìlián, meaning "the workers’ federation") was the primary Chinese workers' organization calling for political change during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. The group was formed in the wake of mourning activities for former General Secretary Hu Yaobang in April 1989. The BWAF denounced political corruption, presenting itself as an independent union capable of "supervising the Communist Party," unlike the Party-controlled All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU).
Erhua
More names of places, vegetables and little animals have erhua, compared to Beijing erhua.
Beijing Department Store
The Beijing Department Store (Chinese: 北京市百货大楼; Pinyin: Běijīng Shì Bǎihuò Dàlóu) is a major department store on Wangfujing street, Beijing, China.
Beijing
Beijing is situated at the northern tip of the roughly triangular North China Plain, which opens to the south and east of the city. Mountains to the north, northwest and west shield the city and northern China's agricultural heartland from the encroaching desert steppes. The northwestern part of the municipality, especially Yanqing County and Huairou District, are dominated by the Jundu Mountains, while the western part is framed by "Xishan" or the Western Hills. The Great Wall of China across the northern part of Beijing Municipality was built on the rugged topography to defend against nomadic incursions from the steppes. Mount Dongling, in the Western Hills and on the border with Hebei, is the municipality's highest point, with an altitude of .
History of Beijing
Though Beijing was but a peripheral city to Chinese dynasties centered in Luoyang and Xi'an, it was an important entryway into China for tribal peoples to the north. The city's stature grew from the 10th century with successive invasions of China by the Khitan, Jurchen, and Mongols.
History of the Republic of China
In January 1949 Beiping was taken by the Communists without a fight, and its name changed back to Beijing. Between April and November, major cities passed from Kuomintang to Communist control with minimal resistance. In most cases the surrounding countryside and small towns had come under Communist influence long before the cities. Finally, on 1 October 1949, Communists founded the People's Republic of China.
Arts of China
Although it is called Beijing opera, its origins are not in Beijing but in the Chinese provinces of Anhui and Hubei. Beijing opera got its two main melodies, "Xipi" and "Erhuang", from Anhui and Hubei operas. Much dialogue is also carried out in an archaic dialect originating partially from those regions. It also absorbed music and arias from other operas and musical arts such as the historic Qinqiang. It is regarded that Beijing Opera was born when the Four Great Anhui Troupes came to Beijing in 1790. Beijing opera was originally staged for the court and came into the public later. In 1828, some famous Hubei troupes came to Beijing. They often jointly performed in the stage with Anhui troupes. The combination gradually formed Beijing opera's main melodies.
Peking Gazette
The Peking Gazette was an official bulletin published with changing frequency in Beijing until 1912, when the Qing Dynasty fell and Republican China was born. The translated name, as it is known to Western sources, comes from Ming Dynasty era Jesuits, who followed the bulletin for its political contents. The "Peking Gazette" became a venue for political grievances and infighting during the reign of the Wanli Emperor in the late Ming Dynasty, when "literati" factions would submit politicized memorials that the Emperor often abstained from reviewing. From around 1730, the publication was in Chinese called Jing Bao (京报, sometimes transliterated "Ching Pao"), literally "the Capital Report". It contained information on court appointments, edicts, and the official memorials submitted to the emperor, and the decisions made or deferred.
Beijing Spring
The Beijing Spring () refers to a brief period of political liberalization in the People's Republic of China (PRC) which occurred in 1978 and 1979. The name is derived from "Prague Spring", an analogous event which occurred in Czechoslovakia in 1968.
Beijing city fortifications
Beijing was the location of the capital for the majority of the last three Chinese imperial dynasties (the Yuan, Ming, and Qing). It was also a secondary capital to two northern dynasties (the Liao and Jin), and is therefore often referred to as an ancient capital of five dynasties. It had an extensive fortification system, consisting of the Forbidden City, the Imperial city, the Inner city, and the Outer city. Fortifications included gate towers, gates, archways, watchtowers, barbicans, barbican towers, barbican gates, barbican archways, sluice gates, sluice gate towers, enemy sighting towers, corner guard towers, and a moat system. It had the most extensive defense system in Imperial China.
Imperial City, Beijing
In the Yuan dynasty, Beijing was known as Dadu, and the Imperial City formed the centre of the city. In 1368, the Ming armies conquered Dadu, and changed its name to "Beiping" (the two characters meaning "north" and "peace" or "pacified"), with the capital moved to Nanjing. Because the Imperial City was untouched by battle, most of the Imperial City survived the war; however, in 1369, the Hongwu Emperor ordered that the Imperial City be demolished.
Beijing cuisine
Foodservice establishments with names ending with the Chinese character "ting" (), or "ting zihao" () are foodservice establishments which had more business in onsite banquet hosting than catering at customers' homes. For onsite banquet hosting, entertainment was still provided, but foodservice establishments of this category did not have long-term contracts with Beijing opera troupes, so that performers varied from time to time, and top performers usually did not perform here or at any lower-ranking foodservice establishments. For catering, different foodservice establishments of this category were incapable of handling significant catering on their own, but generally had to combine resources with other foodservice establishments of the same ranking (or lower) to do the job.
Names of Beijing
The spelling Beijing was adopted for use within China upon the approval of Hanyu Pinyin on February 11, 1958, during the Fifth Session of the 1st National People's Congress. It became obligatory for all foreign publications issued by the People's Republic on 1 January 1979. It was gradually adopted by various news organizations, governments, and international agencies over the next decade.
History of Beijing
The most striking physical feature of Dadu was the string of lakes in the heart of the city. These lakes were created from the Jinshui River inside the city. They are now known as the six seas ("hai") of central Beijing: Houhai, Qianhai, and Xihai (the Rear, Front, and Western Seas) which are collectively known as Shichahai; Beihai (the North Sea); and Zhonghai and Nanhai which are collectively known as Zhongnanhai. Qionghua Island is now the island in Beihai Park on which the White Dagoba stands. Like today's Chinese leaders, the Yuan imperial family lived west of the lakes in the Xingsheng (兴圣宫) and Longfu (隆福宫) Palaces. A third palace east of the lakes, called the Danei (大内), at the site of the later Forbidden City, housed the imperial offices. The city's construction drew builders from all over the Mongols' Asian empire, including local Chinese as well as those from places such as Nepal and Central Asia. Liu Bingzhong was appointed as the supervisor of the construction of the imperial city and a chief architect was Yeheidie'erding. The pavilions of the palaces took on various architectural styles from across the empire. The entire palace complex occupied the south central portion of Dadu. Following Chinese tradition, the temples for ancestral rites and harvest rites were built, respectively, to west and east of the palace.
The inclusion of the Jinshui and Gaoliang rivers gave Dadu a larger supply of water than the Lotus Pool which had nourished Ji, Youzhou, and Nanjing for the previous 2,000 years. To boost water supply even more, Yuan hydrologist Guo Shoujing built channels to draw additional spring water from Yuquan Mountain in the northwest through what is today the Kunming Lake of the Summer Palace through the Purple Bamboo Park to Jishuitan, which was a large reservoir inside Dadu. The expansion and extension of the Grand Canal from Dadu to Hangzhou enabled the city to import greater volumes of grain to sustain a larger population. The completion of the Tonghui Canal in 1293 allowed barges from Tongzhou to sail through the city right to the gates of the imperial palace at Shichahai. In 1270, Dadu had a population of 418,000 and another 635,000 in the surrounding region. By 1327, the city had 952,000 residents with another 2.08 million in the surrounding region.
Beijing cuisine
Another tradition that influenced Beijing cuisine (as well as influenced by the latter itself) is the Chinese imperial cuisine that originated from the "Emperor's Kitchen" (), which referred to the cooking facilities inside the Forbidden City, where thousands of cooks from different parts of China showed their best culinary skills to please the imperial family and officials. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult to determine the actual origin of a dish as the term "Mandarin" is generalised and refers not only to Beijing, but other provinces as well. However, some generalisation of Beijing cuisine can be characterised as follows: Foods that originated in Beijing are often snacks rather than main courses, and they are typically sold by small shops or street vendors. There is emphasis on dark soy paste, sesame paste, sesame oil and scallions, and fermented tofu is often served as a condiment. In terms of cooking techniques, methods relating to different ways of frying are often used. There is less emphasis on rice as an accompaniment as compared to many other regions in China, as local rice production in Beijing is limited by the relatively dry climate.
Beijing Derbies
The Beijing Derbies (simplified Chinese: 北京德比; pinyin: "Běijīng Débǐ") are various local derbies between the football teams of Beijing. The term specifically refers to individual matches between the teams, but can also be used to describe the general rivalry between the different clubs.
Gate of China, Beijing
The main tablet hanging above the gate was carved out of stone, with the individual characters made of Lapis lazuli and fitted into the tablet. On October 9, 1912, the day before the one year anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution, the Republic of China government decided to change the name to "China Gate" to celebrate the overthrow of imperial power. It was thought that they could simply take down the tablet, reverse it, and carve the new name on it. When the stone was taken down, however, they discovered that the inside was inscribed "Great Ming Gate": it seems the Qing artisans already thought of the idea two hundred years ago. So a wooden tablet was quickly made, and the mayor of Beijing wrote the three characters "中華門" (Gate of China).
Imperial City, Beijing
In 1399, Zhu Di launched a coup d'état and ascended to the throne to become Yongle Emperor in 1402. In 1403, the name of Beiping was changed to Beijing (literally "the Northern Capital"), and in 1406 a plan was drafted to move the capital to Beijing.
Battle of Beijing
The Battle of Beijing may refer to multiple battles fought in what is now Beijing:
Zhonghua minzu
"Dulimbai Gurun" (Written ) is the Manchu name for China, has the same meaning with the Chinese name "Zhongguo" (Written 中國, means "Middle Kingdom"). The Qing identified their state as "China" (Zhongguo), and referred to it as "Dulimbai Gurun" in Manchu. The Qing equated the lands of the Qing state, including present day Manchuria, Xinjiang, Mongolia, Tibet and other areas as "China" in both the Chinese and Manchu languages, defining China as a multi ethnic state, rejecting the idea that China only meant Han areas, proclaiming that both Han and non-Han peoples were part of "China", using "China" to refer to the Qing in official documents, international treaties, and foreign affairs, and the "Chinese language" (Dulimbai gurun i bithe) referred to Chinese, Manchu, and Mongol languages, and the term "Chinese people" (中國之人 "Zhongguo zhi ren"; "Dulimbai gurun-i niyalma") referred to all Han, Manchus, and Mongol subjects of the Qing.
Tiananmen
The Chinese name of the gate (/), is made up of the Chinese characters for "heaven," "peace" and "gate" respectively, which is why the name is conventionally translated as "Gate of Heavenly Peace". However, this translation is somewhat misleading, since the Chinese name is derived from the much longer phrase "receiving the mandate from heaven, and pacifying the dynasty." (). The Manchu translation, "Abkai elhe obure duka", lies closer to the original meaning of the gate and can be literally translated as the "Gate of Heavenly Peacemaking." The gate had a counterpart in the northern end of the imperial city called Di'anmen (, Dì'ānmén; Manchu: "Na i elhe obure duka"), which may be roughly translated as the "Gate of Earthly Peacemaking."
History of Beijing
The Yellow Emperor is said to have founded the settlement of Youling () in or near Zhuolu. The sage-king Yao founded a town called Youdu () in the Hebei-Beijing region about 4,000 years ago. You () or Youzhou () later became one of the historical names for Beijing. Yuzishan, in Shandongzhuang Village of Pinggu County, in the northeastern fringe of Beijing Municipality, is one of several places in China claiming to host the Yellow Emperor's Tomb. Yuzishan's association with Yellow Emperor dates back at least 1,300 years when Tang poets Chen Zi'ang and Li Bai mentioned the tomb in their poems about Youzhou.
Peking (disambiguation)
Peking usually refers to Beijing, the capital city of the People's Republic of China. It may also refer to:
Gugong (disambiguation)
Gugong () is the Chinese name for the Forbidden City in Beijing.
Beijing
The fomenters of the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 sought to replace Qing rule with a republic and leaders like Sun Yat-sen originally intended to return the capital to Nanjing. After the Qing general Yuan Shikai forced the abdication of the last Qing emperor and ensured the success of the revolution, the revolutionaries accepted him as president of the new Republic of China. Yuan maintained his capital at Beijing and quickly consolidated power, declaring himself emperor in 1915. His death less than a year later left China under the control of the warlords commanding the regional armies. Following the success of the Kuomintang's Northern Expedition, the capital was formally removed to Nanjing in 1928. On 28 June the same year, Beijing's name was returned to Beiping (written at the time as "Peiping").
Ring roads of Beijing
The notion of "1st Ring Road" briefly reappeared after the end of the Cultural Revolution, during which the original names of the roads described above were changed to names with strong political propaganda meaning that eulogized and advocated the ideologies of the Cultural Revolution, and when the political turmoil had ended, the names changed. One suggestion was to completely rename those roads as "1st Ring Road" to symbolize the new start in the era of reform, as well as to reflect the willingness of China to embrace modernness and globalization, but this suggestion was quickly turned down because most people favored the original names of the roads and believed in their historical meaning and cultural heritage, and more importantly, they felt that returning the original names also had more symbolic meaning of denouncing Cultural Revolution. Therefore, the original names of the roads were adopted once again, and the phrase "1st Ring Road" was seldom heard again.
Names of Beijing
There were two previous Beijings: one, the northern capital of the Northern Song at modern Daming in Hebei; the other, the northern capital of the Jurchen Jin located at Ningcheng in Inner Mongolia.
Names of China
Chinese names for China, aside from "Zhongguo", include "Zhōnghuá" (/), "Huáxià" (/), "Shénzhōu" () and "Jiǔzhōu" (). "Hàn" (/) and "Táng" () are common names given for the Chinese ethnicity. The People's Republic of China () and Republic of China () are the official names for the two contemporary sovereign states currently claiming sovereignty over the traditional area of China. "Mainland China" is used to refer to areas under the jurisdiction by the PRC usually excluding Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.
Beijing Marathon
The Beijing Marathon () is an annual marathon race of 42.195 km held in October in Beijing, People's Republic of China. The race was first held in 1981 and has been held every year since. Beijing Marathon is the first international sport event ever to be held in China. The race is also the first marathon race to use lottery system to allocate entries and the first full marathon race only in China.
Peking pork
Peking Pork () is a meat dish that is a mistranslation. The name in Chinese means "Capital Rib," a name that is more common in Taiwan and overseas than in Mainland China itself. Its reference to Beijing, China is a misnomer. The dish actually refers to sweet and sour style of rib, which originated from Wuxi as Wuxi Fried Spare Ribs and then popularized overseas through Cantonese restaurants. The capital refers to the Nanjing capital, an area where sweet and sour cooking originated in China. This dish consists of crisp pork ribs that are marinated in a sweet red sauce. The pork should be firm and crisp, with a slightly sweet glaze that does not overwhelm the tenderness of the pork. Found in many Chinese and dim sum restaurants in Chinatown, this rare dish is not common in many Chinese restaurants elsewhere.
Peking opera
In China, the art form has been known by many other names in different times and places. The earliest Chinese name was a combination of the Xipi and Erhuang melodies, and was called "Pi Huang". As it increased in popularity, its name became "Jingju" or "Jingxi", which reflected its start in the capital city, Jing, and the form of the performance, Xi. From 1927 to 1949, Beijing was known as Beiping, and Peking opera was known as "Pingxi" or "Pingju" (Traditional 平劇, Simplified 平剧) to reflect this change. Finally, with the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the name of the capital city was reverted to Beijing, and the formal name of Beijing theatre in Mainland China was established as "Jingju". The Taiwanese name for this type of opera, "Guoju", national theatre style, reflects disputes over the true seat of the Chinese government.
Names of China
The names of China include the many contemporary and historical appellations given in various languages for the East Asian country known as "Zhōngguó" (/) in its official language. China, the name in English for the country, was derived from Portuguese in the 16th century, and became popular in the mid 19th century. It is believed to be a borrowing from Middle Persian, and some have traced it further back to Sanskrit. It is also generally thought that the ultimate source of the name China is the Chinese word "Qin" (), the name of the dynasty that unified China but also existed as a state for many centuries prior. There are however other alternative suggestions for the origin of the word.
Beijing
According to the 2010 census, nearly 96% of Beijing's population are ethnic Han Chinese. Of the 800,000 ethnic minorities living in the capital, Manchu (336,000), Hui (249,000), Korean (77,000), Mongol (37,000) and Tujia (24,000) constitute the five largest groups. In addition, there were 8,045 Hong Kong residents, 500 Macau residents, and 7,772 Taiwan residents along with 91,128 registered foreigners living in Beijing. A study by the Beijing Academy of Sciences estimates that in 2010 there were on average 200,000 foreigners living in Beijing on any given day including students, business travellers and tourists are not counted as registered residents.
Beijing Antique Market
"Panjiayuan" (). Another English name is "Beijing Curio Market".
Haipai
The term was coined by a group of Beijing writers in 1920 to criticize some Shanghai scholars and the styles of embracing or admiring western capitalism and western culture. The name "Haipai" originally came from painting and drama. According to "History of Chinese Painting", which was published in 1937, "During Emperor Tongzhi's and Guangxu's reign in the Qing Dynasty, most Chinese painters lived in Shanghai and made a living by selling paintings. In order to make profits, painters catered to vulgar public taste. Their paintings gradually demonstrated "Haipai" style." In addition, performers of Peking opera regarded Beijing as the authority of China and they referred to cities outside Beijing as "Haipai". At that time "Haipai" was used by scholars with contempt, as it represented unorthodox and vulgar culture. However, the meaning of "Haipai" has gradually changed during the following years and "Haipai" culture has become one of the most charming cultural styles in China. "Haipai" is "rebellious" while "Jingpai" (literally "Beijing style") is "traditional". They represent two opposing kinds of Chinese cultures and still have profound influence.
Peking University
Peking University (abbreviated PKU, colloquially known as Beida) is a major research university in Beijing, China, and a member of the elite C9 League of Chinese universities. The first modern national university established in China, it was founded during the late Qing Dynasty in 1898 as the Imperial University of Peking and was the successor of the Guozijian, or Imperial College. The university's English name retains the older transliteration of "Beijing" that has been superseded in most other contexts.
History of Beijing
The Japanese created another puppet regime, the Provisional Government of the Republic of China, to manage occupied territories in northern China and designated Beiping, renamed Beijing, as its capital. This government later merged with Wang Jingwei's Reorganized National Government of China, a collaborationist government based in Nanjing, though effective control remained with the Japanese military.
Calais, Vermont
Pekin is named after Peking (now Beijing), China, the result of a local farmer who had a friend who was a missionary to China. The missionary sent some Chinese wheat back to Vermont, the farmer planted it, and it flourished. It became the style to give directions using the wheat field as a landmark ("up by the Pekin wheat", or "just past the Pekin wheat"). Eventually, the location of the field came to be known simply as Pekin. Another version suggests that the missionary sent back rice, and that the farmer planted the rice in a low-lying plain, which flooded each spring. The river came to be known as Peking Brook, later and presently Pekin Brook.
Dancing Beijing
The emblem draws on various elements of Chinese culture, depicting a traditional red Chinese seal above the words "Beijing 2008" and the Olympic rings. The seal is inscribed with a stylised calligraphic rendition of the Chinese character 京 ("jīng", meaning 'capital', from the name of the host city) in the form of a dancing figure. The curves are also claimed to suggest the body of a wriggling Chinese dragon. The open arms of the figure symbolise the invitation of China to the world to share in its culture. The figure also resembles that of a runner crossing the finish line. Red, the dominant colour of the emblem, is an important colour in Chinese society, often signifying prosperity.
Uyghurs in Beijing
After Genghis Khan captured Beijing from the Jin dynasty in 1215, Uyghur noble families serving the Mongol court were sent to administer the city, then renamed Yanjing. These Uyghur nobles were from the Qocho Kingdom, which was formed in the Tarim Basin in 855 and submitted to the Mongols in 1209. Among the Uyghurs who came to Yanjing was Buluhaya, who was a lieutenant of Genghis Khan and given the rank of financial manager. He built a large estate outside the city along the Gaoliang River and moved his mother there. The settlement became known as the "Weiwuercun" or the "Uyghur Village." After Buluhaya's death, he was posthumously honored by Külüg Khan as the Duke of Wei. It is believed that "Weigongcun" or the Village of the Duke of Wei, was so-named because of Buluhaya (布鲁海牙).
London to Peking Motor Challenge
As the name implied, the rally consisted of a drive from London, UK to Peking, China. Peking is now officially known as "Beijing", but the old name was used, as the rally traced the course driven by the Italians Prince Scipione Borghese, mechanic Ettore Guizzardi and journalist Luigi Barzini in the Peking to Paris race in 1907 (before the name change). The 1990 rally ran in the opposite direction as the 1907 course, heading west-to-east.
The Peninsula Beijing
In September 2003, The Palace Hotel was renamed The Peninsula Palace Beijing. In 2006, it became The Peninsula Beijing, following the completion of a four-year phased renovation from 2000 - 2004.
Gate of China, Beijing
The gate was first built in the Yongle period of the Ming dynasty. As it was the southern gate of the Imperial City, and in ancient China "south" was regarded as the most eminent direction, this gate enjoyed a status as "Gate of the Nation". Its name has changed as dynasties rose and fell. In the Ming dynasty it was known as the "Great Ming Gate", and bore a set of engraved couplets "The Sun and Moon illuminate the virtues of Heaven; The Mountains and Rivers make magnificent the home of the Emperor." (“日月光天德，山河壯帝居。”). When the Qing dynasty replaced the Ming, the gate's name was accordingly changed to the "Great Qing Gate" (; Manchu: "Daicing duka") in 1644. After the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1912, the gate's name was changed to the "Gate of China". In 1952, with the expansion of Tiananmen Square, consultants from the Soviet Union recommended demolishing the gate. In 1954 the gate was demolished. In 1976, after the death of Mao Zedong, a mausoleum was built for him on the site of the former gate.
Geography of Beijing
The inner city is divided into eastern and western halves by Dongcheng and Xicheng Districts. The Forbidden City, where emperors once lived, and Tiananmen Square, the center of the city, both belong to Dongcheng. But the Zhongnanhai Compound, next door to the Forbidden City, where China’s current leaders now reside, and the Great Hall of the People, on the west side of Tiananmen Square, both are part of Xicheng. The outer city, adjacent and south of the inner city, comprises the former Xuanwu and Chongwen districts, merged with Xicheng and Dongcheng respectively in July 2010. Chongwen is home to the Temple of Heaven. Xuanwu is oldest continuously inhabited part of Beijing. Some of its neighborhoods including those around the Niujie Mosque (b. 996 A.D.) and Pagoda of Tianning Temple (b. 1119 A.D.) predate the Yuan capital. Unlike in most other parts of the city, most narrow lanes in Xuanwu are called "jie" instead of "hutongs". Each of the two core city districts has population density of over 20000 persons/km (51800 persons/sq. mi.)
Beyond the 2nd Ring Road, the city spreads out in a checkerboard fashion marked by concentric ring roads. Four other districts, Haidian, Chaoyang, Fengtai and Shijingshan, were once considered on the city’s outskirts, but are now integral parts of the city inside the 5th Ring Road. All four have population densities above 4500 persons/km (11,600 persons/km). The vast Haidian District to the northwest is home to the Old and New Summer Palace, the university district, and Zhongguancun, the city’s high-technology silicon village. The even bigger Chaoyang District embraces the city from the north and east. Its possessions include Beijing Central Business District (CBD), the Olympic Green, and even the Beijing Capital International Airport. Shijingshan is a heavily industrialized district in the foothills of the Western Hills. Fengtai spans across the south of urban Beijing.
Chinese universities nicknames
Most major universities in China are known colloquially by an abbreviated form of their names. For example, Beijing University, whose Chinese name is ""beijing daxue"" (lit. "Beijing University") is normally just referred to as ""beida"", taking the first syllable of each word ""bei"" + ""da"" The full names, which are much longer, are typically only used in formal communications.
History of Beijing
Both Yan and Ji were situated along an important north–south trade route along the eastern flank of the Taihang Mountains from the Central Plain to the northern steppes. Ji, located just north of the Yongding River, was a convenient rest stop for trade caravans. Here, the route to the northwest through the mountain passes diverged from the road to the Northeast. Ji also had a steady water supply from the nearby Lotus Pool, which still exists south of the Beijing West Railway Station. The Liulihe settlement relied on the more seasonal flow of the Liuli River. Some time during the Western Zhou or early Eastern Zhou dynasty, Yan conquered Ji and moved its capital to Ji, which continued to be called Jicheng or the City of Ji until the 2nd century AD. Due to its historical association with the State of Yan, the city of Beijing is also known as Yanjing () or the "Yan Capital."
Xi'an
"Xi'an" is the atonal pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of its name , which means "Western Peace". (The apostrophe- known in Chinese as a , '- should be included to distinguish its pronunciation from the single syllable "xian".) The name was adopted in 1369 under the early Ming dynasty. Jesuit missionaries recorded its name as or "Si-ngan-fou" from its status as the seat of a prefecture (,"fǔ"). This form still appears in the Latin name of the Catholic diocese of Xi'an, . The name was later romanized as by Wade & Giles and as "Sianfu" or "Sian" by the Qing imperial post office, both of which were common until the general adoption of pinyin.
Chinese architecture
Beijing became the capital of China after the Mongol invasion of the 13th century, completing the easterly migration of the Chinese capital begun since the Jin dynasty. The Ming uprising in 1368 reasserted Chinese authority and fixed Beijing as the seat of imperial power for the next five centuries. The Emperor and the Empress lived in palaces on the central axis of the Forbidden City, the Crown Prince at the eastern side, and the concubines at the back (therefore the numerous imperial concubines were often referred to as "The Back Palace Three Thousand"). However, during the mid-Qing Dynasty, the Emperor's residence was moved to the western side of the complex. It is misleading to speak of an axis in the Western sense of a visual perspective ordering facades, rather the Chinese axis is a line of privilege, usually built upon, regulating access—there are no vistas, but a series of gates and pavilions.
Beijing city fortifications
Chaoyangmen was Beijing's "Food Gate", through which many carts carrying staple foods entered the city. The gate was closest to the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and wheat and rice from the south China plains such arrived via that route. Much of the food was stored in warehouses just inside Chaoyangmen. Thus it has the symbol of a wheat grain engraved on the archway of the barbican gate. Chaoyangmen has the informal name of "Dumen", meaning 杜门 "resting station".
History of Beijing
On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong stood atop the rostrum of Tiananmen Gate, proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China. The city's name was restored to Beijing, which again served as the national capital. At the time, the city limits contained of territory and had just over 2.03 million residents. Over the next sixty years, the city would reach unprecedented size in both territory (expanding 23-fold) and population (growing ten-fold) as well as political stature and importance. As the political center of a highly centralized government, Beijing witnessed and its residents took part in many of the political events and developments that shaped modern China.
University of Science and Technology Beijing
The University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB; ), formerly known as Beijing Steel and Iron Institute (北京钢铁学院) before 1988, is a national key university in Beijing, China. USTB's metallurgy and materials science programmes are highly regarded in China. It is a Chinese Ministry of Education Double First Class Discipline University, with Double First Class status in certain disciplines.
Zhengyangmen
Qianmen () is the colloquial name for Zhengyangmen (;Manchu:; Möllendorff:tob šun-i duka; meaning "gate of the zenith Sun"), a gate in Beijing's historic city wall. The gate is situated to the south of Tiananmen Square and once guarded the southern entry into the Inner City. Although much of Beijing's city walls were demolished, Zhengyangmen remains an important geographical marker of the city. The city's central north-south axis passes through Zhengyangmen's main gate. It was formerly named Lizhengmen (), meaning "beautiful portal".
Names of China
"Sīnae" was an ancient Greek and Roman name for some people who dwelt south of the Seres (Serica) in the eastern extremity of the inhabitable world. References to the Sinae include mention of a city that the Romans called "Sēra Mētropolis", which may be modern Chang'an. The Latin prefixes "Sino-" and "Sin-", which are traditionally used to refer to China and the Chinese, came from "Sīnae". It is generally thought that "Chīna", "Sīna" and "Thīna" are variants that ultimately derived from Qin, which was the westernmost state in China that eventually formed the Qin Dynasty. There are however other opinions on its etymology (See section on China above). Henry Yule thought that this term may have come to Europe through the Arabs, who made the China of the farther east into "Sin", and perhaps sometimes into "Thin". Hence the "Thin" of the author of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, who appears to be the first extant writer to employ the name in this form; hence also the Sinæ and Thinae of Ptolemy.
Tour of Beijing
The Tour of Beijing was an annual professional stage bicycle road race held in Beijing, China.
Beijing Design Week
Beijing Design Week (BJDW) is an annual event, taking place in the fall in Beijing. First launched as a pilot effort in 2009, it has quickly become the leading international platform for design in China. In 2012, UNESCO named Beijing an “international design capital,” recognizing the city’s effort to foster innovation and be a leading smart city in China. The purpose of Beijing Design Week is to raise public design awareness as well as to help develop stronger design infrastructure and discourse in Beijing. BJDW is an initiative of the Ministry of Education of the PRC, the Ministry of Science and Technology of the PRC, the Ministry of Culture of the PRC, and the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality. It is undertaken by Beijing Gehua Cultural Development Group and Beijing Industrial Design Center.
Beijing Design Week 2014 is scheduled to run from 26th Sep – 3rd Oct.The opening ceremony and the Beijing Design Awards mark the beginning of Beijing Design Week. The Design Awards honor organizations, individuals or pieces that excel in encouraging social progress, cultural development, trade promotion and urban construction. They enhance design education, communication, and consumption, and the development of the design industry as a whole. These awards also present China’s achievements in the design field, promote design innovation, stimulate the design industry and ultimately set the trend for Beijing’s design market. These awards are widely respected inside and outside the design industry as one of the most significant international design awards.Beijing Design Week Forum is one of the main sections of BJDW. It places China at the center of a global conversation around the practical and intellectual challenges in an ever more interconnected world. Policy makers and industry leaders share their experience and wisdom during the day-long event. The BJDW Forum articulates itself around different themes depending on the year. Past speakers have included Daan Roosegaarde, Masayuki Kurokawa, Marcel Wanders, Min Wang… etc.Every year, BJDW hosts a guest city’s representatives to share their wisdom and experience. The aim is to promote institutional exchange as well as commercial and economic opportunities amongst the two cities. Past participants have been London, Milan, Amsterdam, and in 2014 it will be Barcelona.
Beijing Zoo
The park was renamed the Beijing Zoo in 1955. The zoo sent staff to study zoo management in the Soviet Union and Poland, and began to trade animals with Eastern Bloc countries - Burma, India, Indonesia, and Japan - to expand its collection. Leading Chinese universities also established a research presence in the zoo to study animal behavior and to breed endangered species.
China Radio International
The English service started on September 11, 1947, transmitting as XNCR from a cave in Shahe in the Taihang Mountains, when China was in the midst of a civil war, to announce newly conquered areas and broadcast a Chinese political and cultural perspective to the world at large. The station moved from the Taihang Mountains to the capital, Peking, when The People's Republic of China was formed in 1949. Its name was changed to Radio Peking on April 10, 1950 and to Radio Beijing in 1983. On January 1, 1993 the name of the station was again changed, this time to China Radio International, in order to avoid any confusion with local Beijing radio broadcasting. Its online broadcasting platform: China International Broadcasting Network (CIBN) was formally established in 2011, as a joint venture of China Radio International, Huawen Media Investment, JinZhengYuan, Youku, Oriental Times Media and Suning Holdings Group.
Beiyang
The term Beiyang (; pinyin: Běiyáng; Wade-Giles: Peiyang; meaning 'Northern Ocean') originated toward the end of the Qing dynasty, and it referred to the coastal areas of Zhili (Traditional Chinese:直隸, Simplified Chinese: 直隶, pinyin: Zhílì) (today's Hebei), Liaoning, and Shandong in northeast China.
Names of Beijing
Beijing Capital International Airport's IATA code is PEK, based on the former spelling Peking.
History of Beijing
During the first one thousand years of Chinese imperial history, Beijing was a provincial city on the northern periphery of China proper. Dynasties with capitals in the Central and Guanzhong Plains used the city to manage trade and military relations with nomadic peoples of the north and northeast.
History of Beijing
In 1403, the Yongle Emperor renamed his home base, Beijing, (北京, or the "Northern Capital") and elevated the city to the status of centrally administered city, on par with Nanjing. For the first time, Beijing took on its modern name, though it was also known as Shuntian Fu (顺天府). From 1403 to 1420, Yongle prepared Beijing to be his new capital with a massive reconstruction program. Some of Beijing's most iconic historical buildings, including the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven, were built for Yongle's capital. The Temples of the Sun, Earth and Moon were later added by the Daoist Jiajing Emperor in 1530.
Herbst in Peking
Herbst in Peking ("Autumn in Beijing") is a band from Germany. It was formed in 1987 in East Berlin by singer and mastermind Rex Joswig and keyboard player Dr Totenhöfer. Completing the band were Alexander Istschenko (guitar), Hans "Tomato" Narva (bass) and Benno Verch (drums). The band was one of Die anderen Bands who openly expressed their social and political criticism in lyrics and music. The name was derived from a book of the same title by French author Boris Vian. Fearing copyright problems they only used the abbreviation "H.I.P." in official correspondence. Their live shows featured a weird mix of Russian, Chinese and Eastern European influenced personality cult. The lyrics were sung partly in German, English and Russian.
Beijing cuisine
Foodservice establishments with names ending with the Chinese character "yuan" (), or "yuan zihao" () did nearly all their business in hosting banquets onsite. Entertainment was not provided on a regular basis, but there were stages built onsite for Beijing opera performers. Instead of being hired by the foodservice establishments like in the previous three categories, performers at foodservice establishments of this category were usually contractors who paid the foodservice establishment to perform and split the earnings according to a certain percentage. Occasionally, foodservice establishments of this category would be called upon to help cater at customers' homes, and like foodservice establishments with names ending with the Chinese character "ting", they could not do the job on their own but had to work with others, never taking the lead as foodservice establishments with names ending with the Chinese character "ting" could.
Beijing (disambiguation)
Beijing may also refer to any of several other "Northern Capitals" in Chinese history including:
Geography of Beijing
Several major rivers, including the Yongding, Chaobai, Juma and Wenyu flow through Beijing Municipality. They originate in the highlands of Hebei and Shanxi, cut through the mountains west and north of the city, and eventually flow into the Hai River, which empties into the Bohai Sea. Over the centuries, hydrologists have channeled rivers through the city into man-made lakes, moats, channels and aqueducts, which provide water to the city and drain its refuse, but no longer threaten Beijing with flooding.
Downtown Beijing has several lakes called "hai" or sea. During the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongol rulers expanded them and built imperial palace of Dadu around them. Subsequent emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties used the lakes as imperial gardens. Today, the three northernmost lakes, "Xihai" (West Sea), "Houhai" (Rear Sea) and "Qianhai" (Front Sea), collectively known as "Shichahai", are lined with bars and cafés and known for nightlife. To their south, "Beihai" (North Sea) is a city park, and "Zhonghai" (Central Sea) and "Nanhai" (South Sea) are part of the Zhongnanhai Compound, residence to China's leaders. This string of lakes used to form the main riverbed of the Yongding River, which now flows to the west. But 1,800 years ago, the Yongding flowed through Jishuitan and downtown Beijing and then into Longtan Lake and on to Tongzhou. A major flood in 295 A.D. devastated part of Beijing, then known as Ji. Just west of Wangfujing, there is still a stretch of Beijing called "Shatan" or Sandy Beach.
Today, an aqueduct draws water from the Yongding through Yuyuantan Park to the western city moat, which empties into Liangshui River south of the city. Another aqueduct draws water from Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace down through the Purple Bamboo Park and into the northern city moat, which also replenishes Shichahai, Beihai and Zhongnanhai. The northern moats are drained by the Ba River, which flows into the Wenyu River. The southern and eastern moats are drained by the Tonghui River, which also flow into the Wenyu.
This network of rivers and aqueducts are fed by reservoirs to the north of the city. The Miyun Reservoir, the largest in the municipality, is created at the confluence of the Chao and Bai Rivers, which forms the Chaobai. The Yongding, before entering the municipality in Mentougou District, is dammed to create the vast Guanting Reservoir of Hebei Province. Despite these reservoirs, the city of Beijing faces chronic water shortages due to water-intensive agriculture, industry, and population growth. Under the South-North Water Transfer Project, the city plans to draw water from the Yangtze River through the Grand Canal, which was built 800 years ago for transportation, but now is being upgraded into a major aqueduct.
Names of Beijing
In Chinese, the abbreviation of Beijing is its second character ("Capital"). This is employed, for example, as the prefix on all Beijing-issued licence plates.
Dancing Beijing
Dancing Beijing is the name of the official emblem of the 2008 Summer Olympics, which took place in Beijing in the People's Republic of China. It was unveiled on 3 August 2003 in a ceremony attended by 2,008 people at Beijing's Temple of Heaven.
Dongdan, Beijing
Dongdan (), literally "Eastern Single" or "Eastern Single Sign Gate" is the name of a crossing on Beijing's Chang'an Avenue and surrounding neighborhood. The name is derived from the single "paifang" or Chinese sign gate that once marked the intersection. In the checkerboard layout of Beijing, the Dongdan intersection in Dongcheng District to the east of the city centre, is balanced by Xidan or the "Western Single" in Xicheng District to the west of city centre. Dongdan and Xidan were traditionally market centers.
China
A more literary or inclusive name, alluding to the "land of Chinese civilization", is "" It developed during the Wei and Jin dynasties as a contraction of "the central state of the Huaxia". Before the PRC's establishment, the proposed name of the country was the "People's Democratic Republic of China" () during the first CPPCC held on 15 June 1949. During the 1950s and 1960s, after the defeat of the Kuomintang in the Chinese Civil War, it was also referred to as "Communist China" or "Red China", to be differentiated from "Nationalist China" or "Free China".
History of Beijing
It is believed that the seat of Ji, called the City of Ji or Jicheng (), was located in the southwestern part of present-day urban Beijing, just south of Guang'anmen in Xicheng and Fengtai Districts. Several historical accounts mention a "Hill of Ji" northwest of the city, which would correspond to the large mound at the White Cloud Abbey, outside Xibianmen about north of Guang'anmen. South and west of Guang'anmen, roof tiles used for palace construction and dense concentrations of wells lined with ceramic ring tiles have been discovered.
Geography of Beijing
Beijing is located in northeastern China at the northern tip of the North China Plain, near the meeting point of the Xishan and Yanshan mountain ranges. The city itself lies on flat land (elevation ) that opens to the east and south. The municipality's outlying districts and counties extend into the mountains that surround the city from the southwest to the northeast. The highest peaks are over .
Beijing Welcomes You
The 5 characters in the original Chinese title of the song ("Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni") were used for the names of the "Fuwa" mascots which symbolized the 2008 Summer Olympics: Bei-Bei: fish, Jing-Jing: giant panda, Huan-Huan: the fire, Ying-Ying: gazelle, and Ni-Ni: swallow.
Beijing Hotel
The hotel complex today operates under three separate names. In April 2005, Raffles Hotels and Resorts Limited signed an agreement with the Beijing Tourism Group (BTG), to re-brand and manage the historic 1917 Block B in the middle and the modern Block E behind it under the Raffles brand. After carrying out renovations and refurbishment, that portion of the complex was re-launched as Raffles Beijing Hotel (S: 北京饭店莱佛士, T: 北京飯店萊佛士, P: "Běijīng Fàndiàn Láifóshì") in 2006. The contract ended in 2016 and those blocks were renamed Beijing Hotel NUO on December 1, 2016. Block C, on the left, is today the Grand Hotel Beijing. The towering Block D, on the right, is today the only remaining wing to use the name Beijing Hotel.
Transcription into Chinese characters
After the three histories had been corrupted, K'ien-lung ordered the same committee to explain the meanings of the new names; and this gave rise to a new work entitled: 遼金元史語解 Liao kin yüan shi yü kai, or "Explanation of words (proper names) found in the histories of the Liao, Kin and Yüan." In this vocabulary, all the names of men, countries, places, mountains, rivers etc.—of the three histories have been systematically arranged, but according to the new spelling. The original spelling of the name however is always given, and the chapters are indicated where the name occurs. This renders the vocabulary very useful for reference, and we may lay aside the fact, that the principal object in view of the learned committee, was the absurd explanation of the meaning of the newly-invented names. I may give a few examples of the sagacity these savants displayed in their etymological commentaries. The city of Derbend (the name means "gate" in Persian), situated on the western shore of the Caspian sea, is mentioned in the Yuan shi, as a city of Persia, and the name is written 打耳班 Da-r-ban. The committee changed the name into 都爾本 Du-r-ben, and explain that durben in Mongol means, "four." The name of Bardaa, a city of Armenia, is rendered in the original Yuan shi by 巴耳打阿 Ba-r-da-a. The committee will have the name to be 巴勒塔哈 Ba-le-t'a-ha, and comment that this name in Manchu means "the neck part of a sable skin." By 别失八里 Bie-shi-ba-li in theuncorrupted Yuan shi, Bishbalik is to be understood. The meaning of this name in Turkish, is " Five cities," and the term 五城 Wu-ch'eng, meaning also "Five cities," occurs repeatedly in the Yuan shi, as a synonym of Bie-shi-ba-li. The committee however transformed the name into 巴實伯里 Ba-shi-bo-li, and state that Ba-shi in the language of the Mohammedans means "head" and bo-li "kidneys."
Beijing
Government officials include the mayor () and vice-mayor. Numerous bureaus focus on law, public security, and other affairs. Additionally, as the capital of China, Beijing houses all of the important national governmental and political institutions, including the National People's Congress.
Beijing Beer
Beijing beer () is a locally produced alcoholic beverage for Beijing, China, by Asahi Breweries. The logo is a graphical representation of the Temple of Heaven with Beijing in Chinese characters (北京) written underneath in a joined up fashion. It is possible to purchase in most convenient stores, particularly 7-Eleven, supermarkets and restaurants although not as widespread as China's two most popular beers, Tsingtao Beer and Yanjing Beer. Draft beer is available in restaurants, while three different types are available in either cans or brown bottles for purchase.Translated restaurant menus can sometimes appear confusing because the "Yanjing" of Yanjing beer, is the old name for Beijing and is sometimes translated as such. So when ordering a "Beijing beer" a customer might not be receiving the Beijing beer produced by Asahi.
Yanqing, Beijing
Yanqing (simplified Chinese: 延庆; traditional Chinese: 延慶; pinyin: Yánqìng) is a city about 75 km north-west of central Beijing, the capital city of China. The area around the city is the Yanqing District, one of the 16 districts of Beijing. It has good communication to the capital, by railway and road, through Badaling.
Beijing
Beijing is an important world capital and global power city, and one of the world's leading centers for politics, economy and business, finance, education, culture, innovation and technology, architecture, language, and diplomacy. A megacity, Beijing is the second largest Chinese city by urban population after Shanghai and is the nation's political, cultural, and educational center. It is home to the headquarters of most of China's largest state-owned companies and houses the largest number of Fortune Global 500 companies in the world, as well as the world's four biggest financial institutions. It is also a major hub for the national highway, expressway, railway, and high-speed rail networks. The Beijing Capital International Airport has been the second busiest in the world by passenger traffic since 2010, and, , the city's subway network is the busiest and second longest in the world.
Beijing Times
The Beijing Times () is a Chinese newspaper published in Beijing that is a part of the People's Daily Group. When it started in 2001 it had 12% of the Beijing newspaper market and its percentage increased afterwards. Tang Wenfang and Shanto Iyengar, authors of "Political Communication China Media", described the paper as one of the "commercialized papers emerging in the early 2000s".
The Peninsula Beijing
The Peninsula Beijing () is a 5-star luxury hotel in Beijing. It was China’s first luxury hotel when it opened as The Palace Hotel in 1989. The Peninsula Hotels, part of the Hong Kong And Shanghai Hotels Group, assumed management of the hotel in 1996 and renamed it The Peninsula Beijing in 2006. In 2017, the hotel completed a USD123 million renovation, becoming an all-suite hotel.
Chinese garden
Marco Polo also described the gardens of the imperial palace in Khabaliq, the Mongol name for the city which eventually became Beijing. He described ramparts, balustrades and pavilions surrounding a deep lake full of fish and with swans and other aquatic birds; whose central feature was a manmade hill one hundred steps high and a thousand steps around, covered with evergreen trees and decorated with green azurite stones.
Beijing
Beijing is home to the headquarters of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), making it an important city for international diplomacy.