Quick answerBeijing is the capital of China, with 21,893,095 people inside the city limits in 2020. The wider metropolitan area had about 22.4 million people in 2020. It is best known for the Forbidden City, the Tiananmen Square and the Temple of Heaven. Its official language is Chinese, and its currency is the Chinese yuan.
Beijing is the capital of China, with about 21.9 million people in the municipality and about 22.4 million in the metropolitan area (2020 census). It stands in northern China and is home to the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace.
Key facts
| Country | China |
|---|---|
| Population (city) | 21,893,095 (2020) |
| Population (metro) | 22,366,547 (2020) · Metropolitan area (2020 census) |
| Elevation | 43.5 m above sea level |
| Time zone | Asia/Shanghai |
| Language | Chinese |
| Currency | Chinese yuan (CNY, ¥) |
| Coordinates | 39.90667° N, 116.3975° E |
Overview
Beijing is the capital of China and the country's political and cultural centre. The municipality covers 16,410 square kilometres and had 21,893,095 residents in the 2020 census, while the metropolitan area held 22,366,547 people. The city sits on the North China Plain at the foot of mountains to the west and north, about 43.5 metres above sea level, and it is mostly surrounded by Hebei Province, with the port city of Tianjin to the south-east.
Beijing has been China's capital for most of the past 800 years, and its history stretches back more than 3,000 years. The Forbidden City, built in the early 1400s as the home of the Ming and Qing emperors, stands at its heart, beside Tiananmen Square, and the city holds eight UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and stretches of the Great Wall. Beijing hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics, the first city to host both.
Today Beijing is home to the national government, the headquarters of most of China's largest companies, and universities such as Peking University and Tsinghua University. Its old hutong alleyways and courtyard houses survive beside modern skyscrapers in the central business district, and the city's food ranges from Peking duck to street noodles.
What Beijing is known for
- Forbidden City
- Tiananmen Square
- Temple of Heaven
- Great Wall (nearby)
- Peking duck
- Hutongs
Landmarks
- Forbidden City
- Temple of Heaven
- Summer Palace
- Tiananmen Square
- Great Wall at Badaling
- Ming Tombs
- Beijing National Stadium
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Beijing?
About 21.9 million people live in the Beijing municipality (21,893,095 in the 2020 census). The wider metropolitan area had about 22.4 million people in 2020. That makes Beijing the world's most populous national capital, and China's second-largest city by urban area, after Shanghai.
What is Beijing famous for?
Beijing is famous for the Forbidden City, the palace of China's emperors for almost 500 years, and for Tiananmen Square, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. It is also known for the nearby Great Wall, for Peking duck, and for its hutong alleyways. Beijing hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics.
Where is Beijing located?
Beijing is in northern China, on the North China Plain, inland from the Bohai Sea. It is the capital of China and is mostly surrounded by Hebei Province, with Tianjin to the south-east. Its coordinates are 39.91° N, 116.40° E, and its time zone is China Standard Time.
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Keep exploring
- China — the country Beijing is in
- Shanghai — another city in China
- Guangzhou — another city in China
- Shenzhen — another city in China
- All cities in China
- All countries — the full list
Sources & last updated
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.