Beijing, China's Culture City

Beijing is a city in northern China and the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the four municipalities of the PRC, which are equivalent to provinces in China's administrative structure. Beijing is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China, and has also been known in English as Peking (English pronunciation (info)). The municipality of Beijing borders Hebei Province to the north, west, south, and for a small section in the east, and Tianjin Municipality to the southeast.

Beijing is China's second largest city, after Shanghai. It is a major transportation hub, with dozens of railways, roads and motorways passing through the city. It is also the focal point of many international flights to China. Beijing is recognised as the political, educational, and cultural center of the People's Republic of China, while Shanghai and Hong Kong predominate in economic fields. The city will host the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Beijing or Peking means "northern capital", in line with the common East Asian tradition whereby capital cities are explicitly named as such. Other cities that are similarly named include Nanjing , China, meaning "southern capital"; Tokyo, Japan, and ?ông Kinh (now Hanoi), Vietnam, both meaning "eastern capital"; as well as Kyoto , Japan, and Seoul Korea, both meaning simply "capital".