Beijing is the capital of the People’s Republic of China . It is also commonly referred to as Peking. With a metropolitan population of over 22,000,000, Beijing is one of the largest cities in the world. It is China’s centre in terms of culture, politics, and education.
Beijing is comprised of four central districts, four districts just outside of the centre of the city, and four suburban districts. Xicheng, Dongcheng, Xuanwu, and Chongwen are the four central districts.
Dongcheng District is home to three of Beijing’s most notable landmarks – Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and Beijing Central Station.
The Chongwen District is home to the Temple of Heaven, a popular tourist attraction.
Beijing Capital International Airport (Airport code PEK) is just over 30 kilometres outside of the centre of Beijing. The airport serves over 70 airlines flying regularly scheduled routes. Three airlines – Air China, China Southern Airlines, and Hainan Airlines – have hubs at Beijing Capital International Airport.
The airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. Each year over 65,000,000 passengers travel through Beijing Capital International Airport on almost 500,000 flights. Only Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (Airport code ATL) has higher passenger traffic each year.
Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and Hainan Airlines fly to the most destinations of all of the carriers at Beijing Capital International Airport. Air China flies the most frequently, followed by China Southern Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, China Eastern, and All Nippon Airways.