With a magnetic draw due largely in part to it's captivating juxtaposition of an imperial past alongside a starkly modern future, Beijing has confidently remained China's cultural citadel.  Relics like the Forbidden City, the world's oldest and largest ancient palace, the Summer Palace, the Great Wall, and the Temple of Heaven, exist in harmony with the woven steel of the Olympic Stadium, the glowing Water Cube, and the energetic 798 contemporary art colony and Hutongs. The city serves as a living, breathing example of China's eager yearning to advance as one of the world's economic superpowers while balancing the delicate strength of its rich history.

The past thirty years have thrust Beijing into a territory of modernization previously unknown, and with great ambition and collective energy the city has forged a new trail of development.  As the cultural, political, and academic epicenter of one of the world's most ancient sustained civilizations, Beijing has welcomed an overwhelming increase in foreign travelers enticed by intrigue and fascination, with open arms.

For foreign travelers the allure of Beijing lies greatly within elements of China's imperial history. Countless sites of historical and architectural interest include the Forbidden City, the world's most preserved and extensive palace complex, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, and the ever-inspiring Badaling Great Wall, the most preserved and intact section of this world famous masterpiece.

As the enduring capital of China for over 800 years, Beijing is the country's Northern stronghold, second in population only to Shanghai. Recognition of Beijing as the core of the country is so prevalent that the whole of China runs on the one time zone observed by the Peoples Republic of China, Beijing Time, also known as China Standard Time. The city also functions as the main transportation hub connecting the country through an extensive system of city express routes, National highways, numerous railways, and a state of the art international airport. 

The urban area of Beijing occupies the south-central area of the municipality and shares a similar latitude with Philadelphia and Madrid, although its winters are a bit drier than Philadelphia’s and considerably colder than Madrid’s.  Designed with a central core, Beijing extends uniformly in a series of concentric Ring Roads deliberately radiating outward from the Forbidden City, a literal and figurative symbol that China’s imperial past is the heart of  the city. 

While concerns of air quality and increasing traffic levels have plagued Beijing in recent years, several measures have been implemented to relieve the environmental strains on the city.  Extensive expansions of the subways and bus routes have drastically improved the city’s public transportation system, while regulations concerning vehicle usage and an investment in the world’s largest fleet of electrically fueled busses has significantly reduced harmful air levels.  The relocation of factories to less urban areas and closer observations of construction practices has also aided in the improvement of Beijing’s air quality.  Other less controllable factors affecting air quality include the occasional spring dust storm and humid summers sometimes making for hazy skies over the busy streets of  Beijing.

A rapidly flourishing interest in Beijing as one of the world’s most popular travel destinations was amplified in recent years as the city prepared to host the 29th Olympic games.  The world’s gaze intensely focused on Beijing as world-renowned international architects and China’s finest cast of creative characters joined forces to orchestrate a spectacularly significant event.   The games embodied the true spirit of China’s progressive leap towards modernization in sanctimonious unity with its treasured cultural past under the slogan, “One World, One Dream,” welcoming the world to share in its exciting journey forward.

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