The Fusion of Chinese Cultural – Beijing

King Wu was the first to declare Beijing the capital city in 1057 BC. Subsequently, the city has gone by the names of Ji, Zhongdu, Dadu, and finally Beijing when the Ming Dynasty Emperor ChengZu chose the name in 1421. Before 1949, Beijing was known as Peking by the Western world. After 1949, the city's name returned to Beijing, as it is known today.

Beijing is situated at the northern tip of the roughly triangular North China Plain, which opens to the south and east of the city. Beijing has a history of nearly 3,050 years. It was the capital of the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, attracting countless people from afar, and boasting both cultural and material riches. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, a clear, complete layout consisting of four layers of city walls took shape. Beijing was divided into four parts: the Forbidden City, the Imperial City, the Inner City and the Outer City. With different functions and structures, the four parts of the city each formed its own local culture, distinct from, but supplementing one another.

Beijing is a portal between centuries. The modern buildings of Beijing are built on the foundations of other, much older buildings, with histories receding deep into the past. Every step taken echoes the footsteps of others, from other generations, who have walked your same path. You may find that you have crossed a bridge that an old emperor crossed hundreds of years ago. If you walk through the winding hutongs, you might see what they saw, feel what they felt. Peering through centuries, generations, you can get to know the capital, and as you walk it's streets, the ancient city gets to know you too.

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