Beijing, as the capital city of China, is the political and cultural center of the country. The city's history can be traced back to the earliest inhabitation by Beijing Man in prehistoric times, 700,000 years ago. Beijing's history as an imperial capital dates from the Spring and Autumn Period (770 B.C. - 476 B.C.). It served as the political and cultural center in the successive dynasties of Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing in China's long history and consequently gave rise to a great number of historical and cultural relics and antiquities. Many visitors from all over the world come to explore the splendid history of both the capital and the country.

Beijing is a major city with the greatest development of the tertiary industry with 62.2% of the total GDP devoting to the tertiary industry.  Local financial revenue of the city totaled 53.4 billion Yuan (approximately 6.43 billion U.S. dollars) and saw an increase of 25.9 % over 2001 and an average of over 20% increase for a consecutive of eight years.  Beijing's local expenditure was 62.83 billion Yuan (approximately 7.57 billion U.S. dollars), which equaled to an increase of 12.4 over the previous year.

Take a Beijing tour is absolutely worthwhile! The Great Wall of China, the grandest ancient military fortification in the world, is a must for every traveler to China. The Forbidden City, a splendid complex of imperial palaces from China's Ming and Qing dynasties in the center of the city, shows the luxurious life of the Chinese emperors. Other imperial structures that are worth visiting include Summer Palace, Beihai Park and Temple of Heaven.