A short history of the city of Beijing.
More than three thousand years ago, a city,
or rather a citadel, appeared near the very site of present-day
Beijing. Settlers grouped into tribes, which, in turn, strove their way toward a preliminary statehood. The first recorded city was called “Ji”. It was later
conquered by state called “Yan”, and the city was made the capital of the
conqueror. Yet the exact founding date of the city of Ji had been a topic of argumentation among
historians for many years because of the lack of detailed records until it was recently dated 1045BC.In 1995 a series of celebration events were dedicated to commemorating the city’s 3,040th anniversary.
Owing to its strategic position, the city of Ji remained crucial as a key point in North China through
dynasties. In the course of about 1,000 years from the Empire of Qin(221-209BC) to the Sui and Tang dynasties(581-905AD),it was consecutively a major trading center and a place of strategic
importance. Ever since the 10th century, the city had been decided on as the capital of the Liao,Jin,Yuan,Ming and Qing dynasties until 1911.
Physical Features of the City of Beijing.
Situated at a location 40 degrees north latitude and 116 degrees east longitude, the city of Beijing is backed by mountainous areas to the north and west and overlooks the North China Plain to the south and east. The city lies at an average elevation of about 43 meters(140 feet) above the sea level, with the Yanshan Mountains the western
one, both of which converge at Nankou Pass.
The city covers an area of 16,800 square kilometers(6,490 square miles),38 percent of which is flat land while the rest is mountainous area. Its highest point,2,303 meters(7,556 feet) above sea level, is found on top of Lingshan, in the district of Mentougou.
The city stands more than 180 kilometers(112 miles) northwest of the Gulf of Bohai.It is divided into 16districts and 2 counties.
Beijing enjoys a moderate continental climate that is typical of the most of the Temperate Zone where the four seasons are distinct.Spring in Beijing is often dry and windy.Summer is usually hot and rainy.Autumn is fine and mild and is the best season of the whole year.Winter is sometimes severely cold with little snow.The amount of precipitation averages about 600-700mm(24-27 inches),with most of the annual total falling from July to August.The frost-free period is 185-200 days.
Rivers and Reservoirs.
There are three rivers running through the North China Plain,the Chaobai River,as well as the Northern Grand Canal.Of the three,Yongding River runs the longest course across the area,where it flows more than 180 kilometers(112 miles) out of its tatal length of 650 kilometers(miles).There are also 83 reservoirs in Beijing area.The best known of them are :the Miyun Reservoir(1960),the Guanting Reservoir(1955),the Huairou Reservoir(1958).
Afforestation and Main Species of Tree in Beijing.
Since 1949 the people of Beijing have initiated and put into effect the plan of an all-round afforestation,planting both evergreen trees and deciduous ones.The most popular trees included in this elaborated plan are the Chinese scholartrees,poplars,willows,and pines.Two species chosen as the representative of the city are the Chinese schlartrees and the oriental arborvitae.The chrysanthemum and the Chinese rose are the city flowers.
Industry and Agriculture.
Beijing used to be a city with a few small factories and handicraft workshops.Now,it boasts a great number of modern industries such as iron and steel,chemicals and petroleum,textile,as well as its traditional arts and crafts,including jade carving and cloisonné.Priority is now given to high-tech industries in line with market demand.Industry is guided by the principles of low consumption of water energy,material and land,low pollution,and development of high added value and high technology.Four key sectors are being actively fostered,information industry,bio-chemicals,and pharmaceuticals,integration of optics,machinery and electronics,and new materials.
Agriculture in Beijing area is typically of two harvests a year.The staple crops are mainly wheat,maize,and rice.Fruits native to the soil of Beijing are apples,pears,peaches,and grapes in addition to watermelons in the summer and persimmons in the autumn.More luscious tropical fruits come generally from the South,such as oranges,bananas and litchis.
Population.
The population of Beijing has grown rapidly since 1949.The Fivth nationalcensus carried out in 2003 found Beijing contains 13,820,400 population.Migrants,particularly seasonal laborers,have been on the rise since the opening policy was put into effect in 1978.At present,Beijing owns a floating poputation of about three million a year.With a huge population over 14 million today,Beijing has become the third largest city in China,next to Chongqing(30 million) and Shanghai(16 milllion)and remains one of the most densely populated cites in the world.
The composition of Beijing’s population consists of 56 nationalities with the Han retaining about 96% of the whole and Muslims,Manchus,and Mongolians being next in sequence.As for the life expectancy,in general,permanent residents of Beijing have attained to the age of 74,about twenty years longer as compared to that of 1949.
The huge population,however,means a serious handicap to the city’s development,so birth control was taken up after serious consideration by the government in 1978.Now,the family planning principle of “one family,one child” has become a basic national policy.
Religion.
The religious practices and folkways of people in Beijing are entirely based on the principle of freedom of worship,where Buddhism,Lamaism,Taoism,Islam,Roman Catholicism,and Protestantism are all prevailing at parity.Monasteries,Taoist temples,mosques,and churches are scattered in the city.Among all these institutions the best knownare Guanghuasi(Temploe of Universal Enlightenment),Guangjisi(Temple of Universal Alms),Yonghegong(Lama temple),Baiyunguan(the Taoist Temple of White Cloud),and the like.
Road and Subway Construction.
Before 1949,there were few thoroughfares in the city of Beijing except in some downtown areas.Most of the streets were muddy roads.There were only 5 buses and 49 tramcars for the whole city.Since the founding of the People’s Republic,priority has been given to road building.The 40-kilometer-long(25-mile-long) Chang’an Avenue(Everlasting Peace Avenue),is the main boulevard running from east to west through the center of the city.The Ring Roads and highways to different directions were built and contributed greatly to the area’s transport capacity.
Education.
Beijing has carried out nine-year compulsory education.Elementary education begins at the age of six,with six years of schooling.Then the pupils go entrance examination.Secondary education is divided into two stages-three years for junior high school and another three years for senior schools.Upon graduation from junior high school,students can choose either senior high schools or different sorts of vocational schools,but a unified entrance examination is required in either case.Students must take part in the national college entrance examination upon graduation from the senior high schools if they desire to pursue higher education.Competition for students to enter colleges is indeed very fierce.The length ofschooling for colleges or universities is generally four years.
Beijing now boasts 65 institutions of higher learning,of which Beijing University and Qinghua university are the most prestigious.There is a total of 3,431 high schools and elementary schools.Besides,Beijing has established 100 colleges for adults at different levels.An exam system for self-taught higher education has been set up so that more adults can be offered a chance to receive higher education.
The government has been implementing the “Project Hope” to assist the children in poverty-striken areas by means of donation.
Medical Cared Insurance.
Beijing’s medical institutions at different levels have been increased from 61 in 1949 to 7,035 in 2003.Apart from the 435 comprehensive hospitals in the urban and rural areas,there are also 22 hospitals practicing traditional Chinese medicine,seven health centers for women and children and four children’s hospitals.There are also research institutions for different kinds of diseases.
With the implementation of China’s reform and opening policy,various insurance systems have come into being.The Chinese People’s Insurance Company,Beijing Branch,was re-established in 1980.Insurance service has entered a new stage for development after 20 years of suspension.Today,insurance companies have been set up in various districts and counties in Beijing.An insurance net has been established throughout the urban and rural areas.There are currently various kinds of insurance services,such as insurance for family properties,life insurance,health insurance,insurance for the aged,insurance for hospitalization and insurance for students’ educational foundation.All these have aroused great interest and concern from Beijing citizens.
Hutong of Beijing.
The word “Hutong”originated from the Mongolian word “huto”,which means water wells.Since nomadic tribes used to live and stay near water wells,they called the small alleys “huto”.
Hutong had its first appearance in Beijing in the Yuan Dynasty(1271-1368).The name was gradually adopted by all the residents of Beijing,and has been handed down to the present.The houses built on each side of Hutong are called Siheyuan(quadrangle),generally rectangular dwelling compounds,in which buildings on four sides.Almost every quadrangle is surrounded by high walls.In fact,Hutong is formed by quadrangles standing side by side along a straight passage.
The width of Hutong was clearly regulated in the Yuan Dynasty and measured by steps. A passage of six steps in width was called a hutong,running directly from east to west.A passage of 24 steps in width was then called a street,which ran from north to south.The whole city,therefore,looked like a chessboard.
With the passage of dynasties,this stipulation,however,did not seem to be so strictly followed in the Ming and Qing dynasty.The meaning of hutong,in a broad sense,included alleys,passages and even small streets.
“There are 360 hutong with names and those without names are as many as hairs on an ox”.This old saying is used to describe the numberless hutong in Beijing.The saying is somewhat exaggerated,but it reflects the fact that Beijing’s hutong are numerours and scattered everywhere.According to historical records,there were altogether 413 hutong and alleys in Beijing in the Yuan Dynasty.The number increased to 1,170 in the Ming,2,077 in the Qing Dynasty and 6,104 in the mid-1980s.If all the hutong were arranged in a line,they would form a new “Great Wall”. |
