Beijing

Capital of China: population, location, elevation, climate and landmarks.

Skyline of Beijing CBD with B-5906 approaching (20211016171955)

Skyline of Beijing CBD with B-5906 approaching (20211016171955): N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Overview

Beijing is the capital of China. About 19.0 million people live in the city proper, making it the 4th largest city of China in our atlas.

It lies at 39.91° N, 116.40° E, about 49 m (161 ft) above sea level, and keeps time on the Asia/Shanghai time zone.

Location

Red dot: Beijing. Green dots: other major cities of China. Map data: Natural Earth.

Climate

Beijing has a continental (hot summer, dry winter) climate (Köppen Dwa). The warmest month is usually Jul, with average highs near 32°C (90°F); the coolest nights come in Jan at about -11°C (12°F). Around 532 mm (21 in) of rain and snow falls in a typical year, most of it in Jul.

1°-11°Jan24°-8°Feb613°-2°Mar922°5°Apr2429°12°May3832°18°Jun8432°21°Jul15131°19°Aug10826°13°Sep6419°5°Oct309°-3°Nov141°-9°Dec2mm

Bars: average daily high and low (°C) for each month; blue columns and figures: average precipitation (mm). Gridded 2001-2025 averages from NASA POWER, so mountain and coastal spots can differ from local station records.

Landmarks and places to see

Forbidden City
Forbidden CityChinese imperial palace in Beijing
Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen SquarePublic square in Beijing, China
Beijing National Stadium
Beijing National StadiumStadium at Beijing, China
National Museum of China
National Museum of ChinaMuseum in Beijing, China
Beijing National Aquatics Center
Beijing National Aquatics CenterSports venue in Olympic Green, Beijing, China
China Media Group Guanghua Road Office Area
China Media Group Guanghua Road Office AreaSkyscraper
National Centre for the Performing Arts
National Centre for the Performing ArtsOpera house in Beijing, China
Beijing National Indoor Stadium
Beijing National Indoor StadiumIndoor multi-purpose arena in Olympic Green, Beijing, China

Popular sights within a few kilometres of the city centre, ranked by how widely they are documented on Wikipedia.

What to eat in ChinaNational dishes, street food, desserts and drinks on Intercontinental Chef.

Nearby major cities

← ChinaAll cities

Sources

Text written by Geographical Effect from these sources.

Photo credits
  • Skyline of Beijing CBD with B-5906 approaching (20211016171955): N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Hall of Supreme Harmony (20241127120000): N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Tian'anmen from the square (20200825114150): N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Beijing National Stadium from the Central Axis (20220905140702): N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • 62684-Beijing-Tiananmen-Square (28609003992): xiquinhosilva, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Watercube night: Jmex60, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Guanghua Road Office Area of CMG (20240907141412): HoweyYuan, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • National Centre for the Performing Arts: xiquinhosilva, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Beijing National Indoor Stadium 2019 2: Arne Müseler, CC BY-SA 3.0 de (Wikimedia Commons)