Location and functions
Where is Beijing?
- In north China, on the north-west edge of the North China Plain.
- Mountains lie to the north and west; the Bohai Sea is about 150 km to the south-east.
- It has hot rainy summers and cold dry winters (a temperate monsoon climate).
Why is the location good?
- Flat land for building a big city.
- Mountain passes lead north and west; the plain leads south and east.
- Rivers, canals and now rail and air links reach all of China.
Four functions of a capital city
- Government (political centre): the national leaders and offices.
- Culture: museums, theatres, universities, heritage.
- International exchange: embassies, world meetings, an international airport.
- Science and technology innovation: top universities and research centres.
Historic culture
Beijing has been a capital for more than 800 years. Many world-famous places are here.
- The central axis: a straight line about 7.8 km long running north-south through the old city, with gates, palaces and towers placed in balance on it.
- The Forbidden City: the old palace, a huge group of halls.
- The Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and sections of the Great Wall near the city.
- Hutongs: narrow lanes with courtyard houses, which show everyday life in old Beijing.
Many of these are on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Protecting them while the city grows is hard but important.
Urban development
Growth in rings
Beijing started as a small walled city. As more people came, it spread outwards. Ring roads (2nd, 3rd up to 6th) show each stage. The built-up area is now many times bigger than before.
Problems of a big capital
- Crowding and traffic jams.
- Air pollution and water shortage.
- High house prices.
Solutions
- Public transport: a very large metro network.
- Cleaner air: moving heavy factories out, cleaner fuels and cars.
- Sub-centres and new areas: moving some offices and jobs to centres outside the old core (for example Tongzhou) and to new areas around the region, so the centre is less crowded.
- Green belts and parks.
Try it: ring your own city
- In the 3D, move the rings slider from 1 to 6. Note the built-up area number each time. Does it grow twice as fast as the rings?
- Draw your own town as rings on paper: old market in the middle, new colonies as outer rings.
- Where would you put a sub-centre to reduce traffic? Why?
Key formulas and definitions
- Capital: city where the national government sits
- Four functions: government, culture, international exchange, science and technology innovation
- Central axis: the straight north-south line that organised old Beijing
- Ring road: a road that circles the city; each ring marks a stage of growth
- Sub-centre: a new centre outside the old core to share jobs and services
- Area of a circle = π × r² (a ring twice as far out covers four times the area)
Worked examples
1. Name the four functions of Beijing as a capital.
Political (government) centre, cultural centre, centre of international exchange, and centre of science and technology innovation.
2. If a ring road has radius 5 km, about how much area does it enclose? (π ≈ 3.14)
3.14 × 5 × 5 = 78.5 square km.
3. Why build sub-centres?
The old core is crowded. A sub-centre moves some offices, shops and homes outwards, so traffic and crowding in the centre fall.
Common mistakes
- Thinking Beijing is on the coast. It is inland, about 150 km from the sea.
- Thinking the capital only has government offices. It also has culture, world links and science.
- Thinking ring roads are all built at the same time. They were added as the city grew.
- Thinking old buildings must be pulled down for growth. Heritage is protected, and new areas are built beside it.