China now has 668 cities, of which 13 have
populations of more than two million each; 24, between one
and two million; 48, between 500,000 and one million; 205,
between 200,000 and 500,000; and 378, less than 200,000.
Beijing Beijing is a municipality
directly under the Central Government and the capital of the
PRC, with an urban population of 7.34 million. It is not
only the nation’s political center, but also its
cultural, scientific and educational center, and a key
transportation hub. Situated on the north edge of the North
China Plain, it is sheltered by chain upon chain of
mountains to the west, north and east. Its southeastern part
is a plain. Beijing’s temperate continental climate
produces four clearly contrasted seasons: a short spring,
rainy and humid summer, long and cold winter, and a very
pleasant autumn.
Beijing emerged as a city as
far back as the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century-770
B.C.), then known as Ji. During the Warring States
Period (475-221 B.C.) it was the capital of the State of
Yan. Ji had ever since remained a city of strategic
importance and a trade center for the north for well over a
thousand years. Then, in the early 10th century, it became
the secondary capital of the Liao Dynasty under the name of
Yanjing. Between 1115 and 1911, it served in succession as
the capital of the Kin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, thus
becoming a storehouse of Chinese culture, and leaving many
superb historical legacies, such as the Tiananmen
Gatetower, the symbol of Beijing as well as of China;
Tiananmen Square, the largest city square in the world; the
former Imperial Palace (the “Forbidden City”),
the largest and best-preserved ancient architectural complex
of the world; the Great Wall at Badaling, one of the
“wonders of the world”; the Temple of Heaven,
the largest of all existing temples in the world, where the
emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshiped Heaven and
prayed for good harvests; the Summer Palace, the largest
imperial garden in the world; the Ming Tombs, the largest
imperial tomb group in the world; and Prince Gong’s
Residence. Of these, the former Imperial Palace, the Great
Wall and the site of the discovery of Peking Man at
Zhoukoudian have been listed as world cultural heritages by
the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization.
The city of Beijing has preserved
the imperial architecture of the Ming Dynasty well. In the
city’s center is the oblong Imperial Palace, which is
surrounded by a 10-odd-meter-tall wall topped with a turret
on each of the four corners and skirted by a moat. Outside
of the Imperial Palace is the original Imperial City’s
vermilion walls, nine km in circumference and having many
symmetrical city gates. In addition, there is also a square
“inner city” 20 km in circumference, and an
oblong “outer city” in the south of the
“inner city.” Hence the city of Beijing is in
the shape of a Chinese character “凸” With
the Forbidden City at the center, there is a central axis
running through it from north to south, on either side of
which are streets, shops and residential houses laid out in
a symmetrical chequerboard pattern. Winding rivers,
beautiful gardens, and ancient and solemn sacrificial altars
and temples are scattered all over the city, adding beauty
to its symmetrical pattern.
As an ancient city,
Beijing is also attractive for its new look. Since 1949,
when Beijing was designated as the capital of the PRC,
tremendous changes have taken place in the city’s
appearance. In the past, Tiananmen Square was an imperial
square forbidden to ordinary people, with vermilion walls on
the eastern and western sides. In the 1950s, the walls were
pulled down, and the square was expanded from 11 ha to 40
ha, where citizens go sightseeing, hold rallies, have
recreational activities and relax. The square is now flanked
by massive modern buildings, including the Great Hall of the
People, where the NPC is held annually, the Museum of
Chinese History, the Museum of the Chinese Revolution, the
Monument to the People’s Heroes and the Chairman Mao
Memorial Hall. North of the square, Chang’an Avenue
has been widened and extended. Today it is the city’s
major west-east artery, lined on either side with towering
new buildings. Since the 1980s, the urban construction of
Beijing has developed at a high speed. Now more than 200
star-rated hotels and several dozen high-class shopping
centers are distributed all over the city. The National
Library of China, the Central TV Center, the World Trade
Center, the International Exhibition Center, the China
Theater, the Beijing West Railway Station and other modern
buildings now tower on the Beijing skyline. The construction
of the ring roads, expressways to the airport and the Great
Wall at Badaling, about 200 flyovers, the new sports city at
the Asian Games Village, and so on, have added a modern
flavor to the old city. If you take a view of the city from
the Wanchun Pavilion at the peak of Jingshan (Prospect
Hill), you will find the “inner city” of Beijing
has been surrounded by towering buildings. The ancient
architectural complexes and the new buildings, which add
radiance and beauty to each other, seem to form a huge new
painting scroll of Beijing.
Shanghai Shanghai,
a city directly under the Central Government, is
China’s largest city, with an urban population of 9.54
million. Advantageously located, Shanghai is
located halfway down China’s mainland coastline, where
the Yangtze River empties into the sea. An important
comprehensive industrial base and harbor, Shanghai plays an
essential role in the national economy. Major industries
include metallurgy, machine-building, shipbuilding,
chemicals, electronics, instruments and meters, textiles and
other light industries, in addition to its highly developed
commerce, banking and ocean-going shipping industry. The
Pudong New Zone, separated from the old city by the Huangpu
River, is now undergoing vigorous development and
construction. Its look changes with each passing day. The
opening and development of the Pudong New Zone is intended
to build it into a modern, multi-functional, export-oriented
district, on a par with the world’s best. This will
lay the foundation for the transformation of Shanghai into
an international economic, banking and trade center, and a
modern international city.
Tianjin
Tianjin, another city directly under the Central
Government, is a major industrial and commercial city in
north China, with an urban population of 5.21 million. About
120 km from Beijing, Tianjin is an important port for
ocean-going and offshore shipping, and foreign trade.
Tianjin’s traditional industries include iron and
steel, machine-building, chemicals, power, textiles,
construction materials, paper-making and foodstuffs, plus
some rising industries such as shipbuilding, automobile
manufacturing, petroleum exploitation and processing, and
the production of tractors, chemical fertilizers,
pesticides, watches, TVs and cameras.
Chongqing Chongqing, also a city
directly under the Central Government, is the largest
industrial and commercial center in southwest China and a
hub of land and water transportation in the upper Yangtze
valley, with an urban population of 6.14 million. Located at
the juncture of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, its city
proper is surrounded by these rivers on three sides and
stands on a mountain, like a peninsula. Hence the name
“Mountain City.” Chongqing is a comprehensive
industrial city, with advanced iron and steel, chemicals,
power, automobile manufacturing, machine-building,
shipbuilding, construction materials, textiles, foodstuffs
and pharmaceuticals industries. As a new centrally
administered city established in 1997, Chongqing is facing
new chances for development. For instance, it is becoming
more and more important in China’s strategy for the
great development of western China, and it is playing a more
and more important role in the development and opening of
the areas along the Yangtze River. Besides, huge market
demands have been formed during the construction of the
Three-Gorge Water Conservancy Pivot Project on the Yangtze
River and migration from the Three-Gorge Reservoir Area.
Guangzhou Guangzhou, the capital of
Guangdong Province, spans the Pearl River. It is the largest
and most important gateway in south China, with an urban
population of 4.17 million. As the oldest trading port in
China, Guangzhou was a foreign trade hub as early as in 200
B.C. The Huangpu Port, where ocean-going ships can anchor,
has navigation lines reaching all continents in the world.
Since 1957, a bi-annual Chinese export commodities fair has
been held here, one in spring and the other in autumn. As an
important entry/exit port for overseas tourists, Guangzhou
boasts a great number of modern hotels.
Xi'an
Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province, is the largest
city in northwest China, with an urban population of 2.72
million. Originally known as Chang’an, Xi’an is
a famous ancient city in China and was the starting point of
the ancient Silk Road. From the 11th century B.C. on, it
served as the capital of a dozen dynasties. Hence
Xi’an boasts a large number of historical sites, such
as the site of the pre-historic Banpo Village, which was a
matrilineal commune, the life-size terracotta horses and
armored warriors excavated from sites near the mausoleum of
Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the Greater and Lesser Wild Goose
pagodas of the Tang Dynasty, and the Stele Forest of the
Song Dynasty, all of which are well known both at home and
abroad. Xi’an now is both a tourist city and one of
the rising industrial bases in China, known for its advanced
machine-building and textiles industries.
Wuhan
Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, consists of
the cities of Wuchang, Hankou and Hanyang, with a total
urban population of 4.28 million. As the largest city in
central China and the hub of land and water transportation
on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, Wuhan has
advanced iron and steel, machine-building, ship-building,
textiles, chemicals and foodstuffs
industries.
Shenyang Shenyang, the
capital of Liaoning Province, is the largest city in
northeast China, with a total urban population of 4.24
million. As a heavy-industrial city, Shenyang takes pride in
its machinery, electrical equipment and heavy-duty machines
industries.
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