Beijing, which is also known as Peking in English, is one of the cities of the Peoples Republic of China. It has the status of being the capital of China, and is a metropolis located in the northern part of the country. There are four municipalities in the Peoples republic of China, and Beijing in one of them. A municipality in China is the same as a province in the administrative structure of the country. Another status which the city has is being classified as one of the four capitals which are listed as the Four Greatest Ancient Capitals of China. In the north, south, to some extent in the east, and the west, the city shares its border with the Hebei Province. In the south east, the city shares its border with the Tianjin Municipality.

Shanghai is the largest city of the Peoples republic of China, and Beijing is the second largest. The city is a major transportation center, and it consists of a number of motorways, roads, and railways which cross through the city. There are also many international flights which have Beijing as its focal point. While the cities of Hong Kong and Shanghai dominate the Peoples republic of China in the fields of economy, Beijing is known all over the world as the cultural, educational, as well as the political hub of the country. In the year 2008, the Summer Olympics will be held in the city of Beijing.

The city is positioned at the northern tip of the North China Plain, which is shaped in the form of a triangle. The North China Plain is open to the city in the east and the south. The city and the agricultural lands of China are protected from the desert steppes which might take over the land by the mountains in the North West, north, and west.