Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China (zhōng huá rén mín gòng hé guó 中华人民共和国) is the nation's political, cultural, scientific and educational heart as well as a key transportation hub. Beijing has served as the capital of the country for more than 800 years dating back to the Yuan Dynasty. The city has many places of historic interest and scenic beauty, including the Forbidden City -- the largest and best preserved ancient architectural complex in the world; the Temple of Heaven - where Ming and Qing emperors performed solemn rituals for bountiful harvests; the Summer Palace  -- the emperors' magnificent garden retreat; the Ming tombs -- the stately and majestic mausoleums of 13 Ming Dynasty emperors; and the world-renowned and genuinely inspiring Badaling section of the Great Wall. Large-scale construction has brought great changes to Beijing since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 which has added many new attractions to this mysterious old city.

Peking opera (jīng jù京剧) of China is a national treasure with a history of 200 years. In the 55th year of the reign of Emperor Qianlong (Qián long 乾隆) of the Qing Dynasty(1790) ,the four big Huiban opera Troupes entered the capital and combined with Kunqu opera (kūn qǔ 昆曲), Yiyang opera, Hanju opera and Luantan in Beijing's thearetical circle of the time. Through a period of more than half a century of combination and integration of various kinds of opera there evolved the present Peking opera, the biggest kind of opera in China, whose richness of repertoire, great number of artists of performance and of audiences, and profound influence are incomparable in China.