Beijing - The Heart of China

The City:
Beijing" means "Northern Capital" and is a metropolis in Northern China, and the capital of the People's Republic of China. Governed as a municipality under direct administration of the central government, Beijing is divided into 14 urban and suburban districts and two rural counties. The city is recognized as the political, educational, and cultural center of the People's Republic of China. The 2010 census revealed that the total population in Beijing reached 19.6 million.

The Airport:
Beijing's primary airport is the Beijing Capital International Airport, which is about 26 km northeast of city centre. Beijing Capital International Airport is the 2nd busiest airport in the world (after Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport) and the busiest in Asia in 2009. With renovations for the 2008 Olympics, the airport now boasts three terminals, with Terminal 3 being one of the largest in the world, where nearly all international flights arrive at and depart from.

The Climate:
The city's climate is a rather dry, monsoon-influenced humid continental climate, characterised by hot, humid summers due to the East Asian monsoon, and generally cold, windy, dry winters that reflect the influence of the vast Siberian anticyclone. Extremes have ranged from −27.4 to 42.6 °C (-17 to 109 °F).

Taxi
One of the easiest, comfortablest and cheapest ways of travelling around the Chinese Capital is to take a Taxi.
Registered taxis can be found throughout Beijing, a large number of unregistered taxis also exist. As of February 2011, all fares on legal taxis start at 10 Renminbi for the first 3 km and 2.00 Renminbi per additional kilometer, not counting idling fees. You may encounter just one problem: Beijing's taxi drivers do usually not speak English, so please remind to take always a flyer, business card or just a piece of paper with the address of the place you want to be brought to. The address has to be written in Chinese letters and below you can find some useful addresses to download.
 

For more information on China and Beijing visit www.wikipedia.com.