Architecture
Three styles of architecture predominate in urban Beijing. First, the traditional architecture of imperial China, perhaps best exemplified by the massive Tian’anmen, which remains the PRC’s trademark edifice, the Forbidden City, and the Temple of Heaven. Next there is what is sometimes referred to as the "Sino-Sov" style, built between the 1950s and the 1970s, which tend to be boxy, bland, and poorly made. Finally, there are much more modern architectural forms — most noticeably in the area of the Beijing CBD.
Ethnic group
Over 95% of Beijing’s residents belong to the Han Chinese majority. Other major ethnic minorities include the Manchu, Hui, and Mongol, etc. A Tibetan high school exists for youth of Tibetan ancestry, nearly all of whom have come to Beijing from Tibet expressly for their studies.
A sizable international community exists in Beijing, mostly attracted by the highly growing foreign business and trade sector, and many live in the Beijing urban area’s densely populated northern, northeastern and eastern sections. In recent years there has also been an influx of South Koreans who live in Beijing predominantly for business and study purpose. Many of them live in the Wangjing and Wudaokou areas.
Tourism
Despite the turmoil of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries — including damage caused by European military occupation, the Japanese invasion of WWII and the Cultural Revolution — and the recent intense urbanisation and transformation, including the demolition of hutongs, Beijing still maintains tourist attractions that are rich in history.
Tourist destinations in Beijing include:
The Forbidden City;
Tiananmen Square, which contains the Monument to the Heroes of the People, the Great Hall of the People and National Museum of China ;
The Temple of Heaven (15th cent.);
The Great Wall;
The Summer Palace;
Mausoleum of Mao Zedong;
Historic Hutongs and Siheyuans in many older neighborhoods ;
Ruins of the Old Summer Palace;
Bell Tower and Drum Tower;
Yonghegong (Lama Temple);
The Fragrant Hills (Xiangshan);
The Ming Dynasty Tombs;
Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian
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