As the capital of the People's Republic of China, Beijing ( Its former English name is Peking ) is the national political and cultural center. It's both an old and a new city--old in its cultural heritage and new as the capital of the country.

The story of Beijing dates back long before

In 1263, just before the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) was founded, Beijing was made by Kublai Khan the Great Capital and a grand metropolitan city which became the center of international cultural exchanges in the Orient. The foundation of the layout of present Beijing was laid in 1404, when the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) decided to move the capital from Nanjing to Beijing and started a large-scale construction. Many of the ancient palace buildings, temple structures and gardens that are still visible today can be traced back to this period or later. 

Weak Ming rulers and corrupt bureaucrats finally doomed the Ming Dynasty. The last Ming emperor hanged himself behind the Imperial Palace and the Qing succeeded the Ming and ruled China in Beijing from 1644 to 1911. 

Following the 1911 revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty, Beijing became the area of important political events, such as the May Fourth Movement. On October 1, 1949, Beijing became the capital of the People's Republic of China, while it has a whole area of 16808 sq km (about 6500 sq mi).

Today's Beijing is mingled with tradition and modernity. While seeking for industrialization, the Government is also carrying out a conservation program to protect the traditional houses in the downtown area to partly maintain Beijing's original outlook. 

The city has many places of historic interest and scenic beauty, including the Forbidden City, the largest and best-preserved ancient architectural complex in the world; the Temple of Heaven, where Ming and Qing emperors performed solemn rituals for bumper harvests; the Summer Palace, the emperors' magnificent garden retreat; the Ming tombs, the stately and majestic mausoleums of 13 Ming Dynasty emperors; and the world-renowned and genuinely inspiring Ba-da-ling section of the Great Wall. 

Large-scale construction since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 has brought great changes to Beijing. Today's Beijing still retains the alluring fascination of an ancient capital, but has added a small forest of skyscrapers and a complete range of municipal facilities, transforming itself into an attractively modern metropolis redolent of history. 

Beijing's city emblem trees are the Chinese Scholartree and the arborvitae. It's city emblem flowers are the China rose and chrysanthemum. Smoking is not allowed in public places such as hospitals, office buildings, theatres, cinemas, museums, planes, and trains.