Beijing has a population of over 12 million people, with 9.2 million living in urban areas. Some key facts about Beijing are that the average income is $4,661 USD per year, and there are 74 vehicles per kilometer of city road. Popular places to visit in Beijing include the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace. The Great Wall was constructed over 2,000 years ago and took hundreds of thousands of workers and 10 years to complete. The Forbidden City served as the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties and took over 1 million laborers to construct.

1. A Tour in Pictures Beijing:

3. Population: 12.16 million

4. Urban Population : 9.2 million Floating population: More than 3 million.

5. Ratio of House Price to Income: 22%

6. Nationalities : Han, Hui, Manchu, and Mongolian

7. Average Annual Income in US$: 4,661

8. Average class size (primary school): 14

9. Vehicles Per Km of City Road: 74

10. TV Sets Per 1000 People: 424 Phones Per 1000 People: 299 Mobiles Per 1000 People: 45 Internet Use Per 1000 People: 2.5

11. The Beijing “Metro”

12. Places of Interest

14. The Great Wall began 2,000 years ago during the Qin dynasty (221-207 BC), when China was unified under Emperor Qin Shihuang. It is comprised of separate walls, constructed by independent kingdoms designed to keep out marauding nomads.

15. The effort required hundreds of thousands of workers, many of them political prisoners, and 10 years of hard labour under General Meng Tian to complete.

16. An estimated 180 million cubic metres of rammed earth were used to form the core of the original wall, and legend has it that one of the building materials used was the bodies of deceased workers.

17. Although the wall never fully functioned as an effective line of defense, it did serve as pathway by which men and equipment could be transported across the mountainous terrain.

18. Tiananmen Square

19. Tiananmen Square or the Gate of Heavenly Peace was created by Mao, and is the world’s largest square. It serves as a gathering place and the site of many government offices.

20. The Monument to the People’s Heroes

21. Great Hall of the People

22. This magnificent 5,000 seat banquet room and 10, 000 seat auditorium sits inside the Great Hall of the People and houses the National People’s Congress.

23. Deshenmen Gate

24. Mao’s Mausoleum

25. Military Museum The museum races the genesis of the PLA from 1927 to the present.

26. Bank of China

27. The Forbidden City

28. The Forbidden City is the largest and best-preserved cluster of ancient buildings in China. It once housed the imperial residences of the Ming and Qing dynasties as well as their eunuchs, consorts, concubines, and servants.

29. The basic layout of the city was designed between 1406 and 1420. It is estimated that over one million laborers were used to construct it.

30. Most of the buildings in the Forbidden City are post-18 th century. Fires were often deliberately set by court eunuchs and officials who could gain from the cost of repairs.

32. Tiantan Park: The Temple of Heaven

34. Tiantan was originally used as a vast stage during the Ming and Qing dynasties for solemn rites performed by the Son of Heaven who came here to pray for good harvests, seek divine clearance and atone for the sins of the people.

35. Despite its historical importance and architecture, Tiantan park still functions as a park where people perform taijiquan, dance to western music and people meet to play games.

36. The Lama Temple

37. The Lama Temple was declared a major historical relic in 1949. It survived the Great Cultural Revolution with very few scars.

38. In 1979, the Chinese government spent a lot of money on its repair, and hired many new novices from Inner Mongolia to study Tibetan language and the secret practices of the Gelukpa sect. As a result, it is called “a symbol of religious freedom, national unity and stability in China.”

39. The lamasery includes five main halls, each one taller than the preceding one.

40. The Final Pavilion houses a 18m-high statue of the Maitreya Buddha in his Tibetan form, clothed in yellow satin and said to have been sculpted from a single piece of sandalwood .

41. Beihai Park is one of the best examples of a classical garden found in China. The White Dagoba was erected in 1651 for a visit by the Dalai Lama.

42. The Summer Palace

43. The Summer Palace was originally used as a summer residence for residents of the Forbidden City.

44. Its beautiful waters, gardens, and hills are divided into four sections: court reception, residences, temples, and strolling or sightseeing areas.

45. Anglo-French troops badly damaged several palace buildings during the Second Opium War (1860). Empress Dowager Cixi began restored this marble boat in 1888.

46. The Ming Tombs : 13 of the 16 Ming Emperors are buried at this site located just outside of Beijing.

47. Beijing Zoo

48. shopping and entertainment

49. Wangfujing Shopping District

50. Xidan Shopping and Cultural Center

51. An Street Selling Antique Goods

52. The Silk Market located in an area surrounded by luxury hotels is jam-packed with tourists.

53. This hutong or alley near Qianmen is one of the best places to purchase silk.

54. Peking Opera has a 200 year history and is full of unfolding stories, beautiful paintings, exquisite costumes, graceful gestures and acrobatic fightings.

55. Acrobatics: For 2,000 years, the Chinese have perfected the juggling, contortionism, unicycling, chair-stacking, plate-spinning and other acts that can be seen in a Chinese Acrobatics performance.

56. Worker’s Stadium

58. Please note that in general, it is not correct to take pictures of Buddhas according to Buddhism in China. I found these pictures on the internet because the statues are absolutely amazingly high and interesting to see.