Capital Profile

Capital Profile

Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China, the nation's political and economic centre, and also a centre for cultural and international exchange.
In 1153, Beijing became capital of the Jin Dynasty, which ruled northern China from 1115 to 1234. The city was then called Zhong Du, or Central Capital. It was to serve as the national capital of several successive dynasties during an 890-year span, except for a few decades. 
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Beijing has changed a great deal, yet much of the city's traditional architectural style has been preserved. Beijing's successful bid for the 2008 Olympic Games in 2001 gave the People's Government of Beijing Municipality a strong incentive to formulate additional plans for protection of its heritage and environment.
The capital is experiencing the fastest economic growth in its contemporary history, astonishing both local residents and visitors from afar.
Here we'll provide statistical information, by subject, about the capital's social and economic conditions during 2004.

Facts
The Beijing Fact File is a useful and concise factual reference that covers the geography, population, climate and economy of the capital.
Location
Beijing lies in the north of the North China Plain, at 39.6 north latitude and 116.20 east longitude.
Area
Total: 16,807.8 sq.km. Mountains and hills occupy 10,417.5 sq.km, 62 percent of the city's landmass. The municipality governs 16 urban districts and 2 rural counties.
Boundaries 
Beijing borders Tianjin Municipality in the east and Hebei Province on the north, west and south.
Climate 
Temperate semi-humid climate, short spring and autumn, long summer and winter; average temperature: 13 C. Annual rainfall: 539 mm.
Population
15.2 million
Population
Growth Rate: 2.5 percent (2004)
Birth Rate: 6.1 per thousand (2004)
Death Rate: 5.4 per thousand (2004)
Life Expectancy
At Birth: Total population: 79.87 (2004)
Male: 78.24 years (2004)
Female: 81.54 years (2004)
Nationality
Chinese
Noun: Chinese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Chinese
Ethnic Groups 
People of all the 56 ethnic groups in China are found among Beijing residents, including the Han majority and Hui, Manchurian, Mongolian and other minorities.
Religions
Buddhism, Islam, Catholicism, Christianity and Taoism
Chinese citizens enjoy the freedom to believe or not to believe in a religion.
Languages
Standard Chinese or Mandarin (putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect)
Name
The People's Government of Beijing Municipality.
Government
The Beijing Municipal People's Congress is the organ that exercises State power in the area under Beijing municipality's jurisdiction. The People's Government of Beijing Municipality is the executive body of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress and the administrative body exercising State power in the area under jurisdiction of the municipality.
Administrative Divisions
Beijing is one of four municipalities directly under the State Council, the central government. It is divided into 16 districts and 2 counties. Four of the 16 districts, Dongcheng, Xicheng, Chongwen and Xuanwu, are in the downtown area.
GDP
In 2004, Beijing's GDP came to 428.33 billion yuan (US$51.75 billion), an increase of 13.2 percent over the previous year.  
Labour Force
7.04 million (5.34 million urban; 1.7 million rural) (2003)
Unemployment Rate
1.3 percent - 64,600 people (2004)
Industries
Electronics, machine-building, chemical, light-textile and printing industries.
Industrial Added Value
In 2004 Beijing generated 129.02 billion yuan (US$16.13 billion) in industrial added value.
(Source: Beijing Bureau of Statistics April 2005)

Map of Beijing
Administrative Divisions

Huairou District
Yanqing County
Changping District
Haidian District
Mentougou District
Shijingshan District
Xuanwu District
Fengtai District
Fangshan District
Miyun County
Shunyi District
Chaoyang District
Dongcheng District
Pinggu District
Tongzhou District
Chongwen District
Xicheng District
Daxing District

Beijing in brief 
Economy 
In 2004, Beijing's gross domestic product (GDP) was computed at 428.33 billion yuan (US$53.5 billion), up 13.2 percent over the previous year. Economic growth continued at the highest rate since 1995.

WEB LINK: For further information on economic conditions in the capital, the Beijing Investment Guide (2004-05) provides in-depth analysis suitable to businesses new to Beijing. See it at: http://www.btmbeijing.com/contents/en/investment/2004/economic/national

Tourism
Beijing had about 3.155 million tourist arrivals from overseas in 2004, an increase of 70.4 percent over 2003, with foreign exchange revenue generated up by 66.8 percent to reach 26.23 billion yuan (US$3.28 billion). Some 120 million domestic tourist arrivals were recorded the same year, up 36.8 percent, and the year's inbound tourist revenue went up 62.2 percent to reach 114.5 billion yuan (US$14.3 billion).

Environment
Beijing's environmental conservation and control improved in 2004. The city had more than 7,529.3 square kilometres (sq.km) of greened area. The coverage rate of greened land in urban and suburban areas reached 41.8 percent, 0.7 percent higher than the previous year. Air pollution prevention continued with 1,037 coal-fuelled burners renovated. Air quality was rated as good or fair for 229 days in 2004, accounting for 62.5 percent of the days in the year, which was slightly better than 2003.

Employment
The capital had a registered unemployment rate of 1.3 percent in 2004, 0.13 percentage points lower than the previous year. There were 64,600 unemployed people, 5,000 fewer.

Health
In 2004, life expectancy was 78.24 years for men and 81.54 years for women.
Currently there are 459 general hospitals in Beijing, 19 maternity and children誷 hospitals, and 29 disease-prevention/control centres. These are staffed by 112,212 medical and health workers, with an average of 4.21 doctors per 1,000 people. The mortality rate of pregnant women was 15.19 per 100,000 live births for 2004. The infant mortality rate was 4.61per one thousand live births.

WEB LINK: For up-to-date information on international medical services in Beijing see: http://www.btmbeijing.com/contents/en/investment/2004/economic/cultural & http://www.btmbeijing.com/contents/en/investment/2004/appendix