What is the capital of China?
Beijing is the capital of China. It has been the capital for most of the last 800 years and is home to the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Temple of Heaven.
Beijing became the capital under the Yuan dynasty of Kublai Khan, who called it Dadu, and later under the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Ming emperors built the Forbidden City, a vast palace complex where emperors lived for nearly 500 years. It is now the Palace Museum.
With more than 21 million people, Beijing is one of the largest cities in the world. Sections of the Great Wall, such as Badaling and Mutianyu, are within a couple of hours' drive. The city hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008 and the Winter Olympics in 2022, the first city to host both.
The largest city
Shanghai, on the east coast, is China's largest city by population and its main financial center. Chongqing has a larger administrative area, but much of it is rural.
Did You Know?
The name Beijing means northern capital. Nanjing, an earlier capital, means southern capital.