Capital of the most populous nation on earth, Beijing ( ?? ) means ' Northern capital ' in Chinese and has been the dynastic capital since the 13th century as the seat of power of the  Yuan ( Mongol ) , Ming, Qing dynasties It is believed that Beijing was the largest city in the world from 1425 to 1650 and from 1710 to 1825 .

Now set to hold the 2008 Olympis the city is a sea of construction cranes . The population is close to 14 million and has an expat population of an estimated 60,000 .

The Forbidden City was constructed soon after that (1406-1420), followed by the Temple of Heaven (1420), and numerous other construction projects. Tiananmen, which has become a state symbol of the People's Republic of China and is featured on its emblem, was burned down twice during the Ming Dynasty and the final reconstruction was carried out in 1651.

Following the economic reforms of Deng Xiaoping, the urban area of Beijing has expanded greatly. Formerly within the confines of the 2nd Ring Road and the 3rd Ring Road, the urban area of Beijing is now pushing at the limits of the recently-constructed 5th Ring Road and 6th Ring Road (under construction), with many areas that were formerly farmland now developed residential or commercial districts. A new commercial area has developed in the Guomao area, Wangfujing and Xidan have developed into flourishing shopping districts, while Zhongguancun has become a major center of electronics in China.

Beijing has hot, humid summers and harshly cold, windy, dry winter. Beijing suffers from heavy pollution and poor air quality from industry and traffic.