Beijing
Beijing is the capital city of the People's Republic of China. Its name simply means "Northern Capital" (Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese: 北京; Hanyu Pinyin: Běijīng) as a way to differentiate it from Nanjing, which means "Southern Capital" (Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese: 南京; Hanyu Pinyin: Nánjīng), a former capital. When Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-shek) moved the capital from Beijing to Nanjing in the Republican period, Beijing became Beiping, which means, "Northern Peace" (Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese: 北平; Hanyu Pinyin: Běipíng), to show that it was no longer the capital - there have been many different capitals of China and various Chinese states throughout history, and Beijing has been the capital of the People's Republic since its founding in October 1949.
Beijing was elected the host city for the games of the XXIX Olympiad in 2008. The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games emblem shows a "Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing".
See also
External links
- Beijing 2008
- Embassy People's Republic of China
