Beijing is a world renowned city of history and culture. The Liao Dynasty made Beijing its alternate capital since 938AD. Later, Beijing become the capital city of Jing Dyansty, called Zhongdu, capital of the Yuan Dyansty, known as Dadu, and capital of the Ming and Qing Dyansty. During early Republican period in 1910s it became the capital of Republic of China. In 1928, the capital was moved to Nanjing and Beijing renamed Beiping, a name that held until 1949. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Beijing was once again renamed Beijing, and designated the country’s capital.
In the 50-odd years after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the capital has developed quickly and taken on a new look. Modern buildings rise up one by one like bamboo shoots in the spring after rain. With the successful bid for the summer Olympic Games in 2008 the concept of “Green Olympics, Technology Olympics and Cultural Olympics” will definitely bring large changes to Beijing, and strengthen the friendly communication between China and the other world.
Beijing possesses a strong force in science and technology. The Chinese Academy of Sciences,
Peking University and Tsinghua University are among the world famous scientific research organizations and institutions of higher education. At the same time, Beijing is making efforts to develop its hi-tech industries. The Zhongguancun area, now called China’s Silicon Valley, has gathered a galaxy of talents.