Sitting at about sea level in the northeast section of the country, the city of Beijing is the capital of China. Beijing is not too far from the eastern coast of China and the East China Seas. It is about five-hundred and seventy miles south of the country of Mongolia and six-hundred miles east of Seoul, South Korea across the Bo Hai Gulf of the Yellow Sea. Shanghai is about six-hundred and fifty miles south of Beijing. The capital city has had many names down through the centuries. There were several dynasties and as many names such as Dadu, Ji ChengZu and Zhongdu. Beijing was occupied for a time by the famous Mongol warlord Kublai Khan and was visited by Marco Polo. This continuously reinvented city was best known to the western world by the name Peking. As stated below, Peking is the name most associated name with Beijing although, Beijing was the name most given the city by Chinese emperors. The city was first named the capital in 1057 BC. But it wasn't until the Ming Dynasty that the name Beijing was used for the city. As mentioned above, many people remember the capital of China as Peking.

Peking(Beijing), China is most famous for the Peking Man who was found just south of the city. The ancient fossil bones were over a half-million years old. The people of the village called Zhoukoudian, reported to scientists back in the early 20th century that they had discovered Dragon Bones. These "Dragon Bones" turned out to be the most important discovery of anthropology in those times. The fossils of Peking man proved the existence of human settlement in Asia. This was the first time any evidence of prehistoric life had been discovered outside of Europe and Africa. The Peking Man site located in Zhoukoudian about 20 miles south of Beijing, is open all year and is known as Dragon Bones Hill by the local people. There are guided tours available and there is a fee.

Beijing is in the temperate climate zone. There is a cold winter season and the daytime temperatures can drop below freezing. The fall and spring months are pleasant and not usually too extreme in afternoon temperatures. The summer months can be quite hot and difficult if you are prone to distress in extreme heat. If traveling through this area, it is wise to bring layers of clothing so you can adjust your dress throughout the day and into the evening hours as the temperature fluctuates and becomes cooler. Keep in mind that higher elevations will be cooler even in the warmer summer months.

The city proper and suburbs within Beijing is a large area encompassing over six-thousand, five-hundred square miles. The Grand Canal has been a constantly traveled source for trade and commerce to Beijing by way of a man-made water system that was created centuries ago. This impressive construction afforded the only way for long travel and import transportation to northern areas to take place. Boats tied to the docks were loaded with goods that provided trade with other areas in China and beyond where merchants could get their goods to the Grand Canal. The city of Beijing also has many rivers and beautiful lakes and parks to visit. There are approximately fourteen million people living within Beijing. Today, Beijing is a bustling city with the ancient architecture of the emperors being combined with the modern high-tech futuristic buildings going up in anticipation of the 2008 Olympics, home of China's biggest sports star, Liu Xiang.