As the proud capital of modern China, Beijing is fast becoming a popular and fashionable tourist destination.Beijing is not only the modern political, cultural and educational center of China, but holds the biggest collection of ancient sites and relics in the nation. Beijing has been at the center of China and the heart and soul of politics and society for over 5000 years. A world-renowned ancient cultural city, Beijing is a flourishing metropolis, boasting many scenic spots and historical monuments, precious artifacts and world-famous architectural wonders.

Qianmen-Dashalan Business Street Lies in the southern city of Beijing. This is an old walking shopping street that has a long history. There are a lot of famous shops that all have more than one hundred years' history, such as Liubiju sauce and pickle shop, Tongrentang drugstore, Ruifuxiang silk shop, Neiliaansheng shoes shop, Zhangyiyuan tea shop and so on.Wangfujing Business Street lies in Dongcheng District, the center of Beijing. It is a beautiful walking street. Here is the well-known Beijing Department Store, the famous Dong'an Market, the biggest arts and crafts shop in China, the biggest Xinhua Bookstore, the Foreign Languages Bookstore, Lisheng Sports Shop and Medical Appliances Shop. Also, here are some famous old shops, such as Shengxifu hats shop, Tonghesheng shoes shop, New World silk shop, Hengteli watchmaker's shop, Baicaoshenrong drugstore and Jiguge historical relic shop, etc.Xidan Business Street is in Xicheng District, the center of Beijing. Here and Tiananmen Square are 1.5 kilometers apart. It is developed after the found of China. Here is the famous Xidan Market, Xidan Shopping Center and some old shops, such as Shengxifu hats shop and Jingyi glasses shop.

Beijing has an incredible variety of national and international cuisine.International dishes can be found in a range of excellent restaurants including Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, French and Italian.Food includes a variety of sweet and sour dishes, soups and Chinkiang vinegar are central ingredients of Huaiyang cuisine, onions, chilis and garlic are staples of the heavily seasonal Hunan cuisine and preserved foods, especially pickled cabbage, meats and raw vegetables and raw seafood are characteristic of northeastern cuisine which originates in one of China's coldest regions.

The climate in Beijing is of the continental type, with cold and dry winters, due to the Siberian air massses that move southward across the Mongolian Plateau. The summers are hot owing to warm and humid monsoon winds from the southeast bringing Beijing most of its annual precipitation. January is the coldest month and July is the warmest. Winter usually begins towards the end of October.The summer months, June to August, are wet and hot with about 40% of the annual precipitation.

Renminbi (RMB) or Chinese Yuan (CNY) is the currency used in Beijing. These are followed by these denominations: one, two, five, ten, twenty, fifty and a hundred Yuan; one, two and five Jiao; and one, two and five Fen.At present the Bank of China accepts American Express, Dynasty, JCB, Visa, MasterCard, and Diners Club credit cards.