Beijing

American  

[bey-jing] / ˈbeɪˈdʒɪŋ /

(Older Spelling) Peking

noun

Pinyin.

1. a city in and the capital of the People's Republic of China, in the northeastern part, in central Hebei province: traditional capital of China.

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Beijing British  

/ ˈbeɪˈdʒɪŋ /

noun

1. Former English name: Peking.  the capital of the People's Republic of China, in the northeast in Beijing municipality (traditionally in Hebei province); the country's second largest city: dates back to the 12th century _bc ; consists of two central walled cities, the Outer City (containing the commercial quarter) and the Inner City, which contains the Imperial City, within which is the Purple or Forbidden City; many universities. Pop: 10 849 000 (2005 est)

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Beijing Cultural  

1. Capital of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast region of the country. It is the second-largest city of China (after Shanghai) and the political, cultural, financial, educational, and transportation center of the country. The West knew it for many years as Peking.

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Discover More

Site of Tiananmen Square, where communist leaders suppressed a democratic protest in June 1989.

The Forbidden City, within the inner or Tatar City, was the residence of the emperor of China.

In 1949, the Chinese communists declared Beijing the capital of the People's Republic of China.

Example Sentences

Analysts said that suggested Beijing was tacitly accepting Pyongyang's status as a nuclear-armed state.

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

The new leader of the opposition, Cheng Li-wun, has visited Chinese leader Xi Jinping and adopted a much more conciliatory position toward Beijing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

Beijing appears to aim "to offer economic incentives while monitoring North Korea to ensure it does not act against Beijing's interests in the diplomatic and military spheres", Hong said.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

While Beijing holds roughly half of global rare-earth reserves, it controls more than 90% of processing and magnet production, giving it a dominating influence over global supply chains.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

Beijing refuses to allow defectors to make claims for asylum and prevents the office of the U.N.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden