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Programs Offered:
WISE Abroad offers
internships,
and Teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) in
Beijing, China.
    About
China and Beijing
China is one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations,
consisting of states and cultures dating back more than six
millennia. It has the world's longest continuously used written
language systems, and the source of some of the world's greatest
inventions, including paper, the compass, gunpowder and
printing. China's archeological sites and existing diverse
regions and peoples are a living testimony of its rich and
fascinating history and culture.
For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing
the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th
and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest,
major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After
World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an
autocratic socialist system. After 1978, his successor DENG
Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic
development and by 2000 GDP output had quadrupled. For much of
the population, living standards have improved dramatically and
the room for personal choice has expanded.
As the capital of the People's Republic of China, Beijing is the
nation's center of government, economy, culture, and
international activities, as well as serving as a transportation
hub to the entire country. With a population of 11 million
people, Beijing contains 18 districts and counties covering an
area of 10,450 square miles. The suburbs contain: Dongcheng,
Xicheng, Xuanwu, Chongwen, Chaoyang, Haidian, Fengtai, and
Shijingshan. An outer suburban area consists of: Fangshan,
Mengtougou, Changping, Tongxian, Shunyi, Daxing, Huairou, Miyun,
Pinggu, and Yianqing.
Beijing City is an independently administered municipal district
located in the northeastern part of China at an elevation of 143
feet above sea level. Beijing has a continental climate. January
is the coldest month with an average temperature of 24 degrees
Fahrenheit. At an average temperature of 79 degrees Fahrenheit,
July is the warmest.
Beijing has a long history. As
early as 500,000 years ago, ancient "Peking Man" lived at
Zhoukoudian 30 miles southwest of Beijing. King Wu was the first
to declare Beijing the capital city in 1057 B.C. Established in
1045 B.C., Beijing is an ancient cultural city, serving for 800
years as the capital of the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing
dynasties.
Beijing was also known as Peking by the Western world before
1949. In the early nineteen twenties, Beijing became the cradle
of China's new democratic revolution. The May Fourth Movement
against imperialism and feudalism began in 1919. On October 1st,
1949, Chairman Mao announced to the world the founding of the
People's Republic of China.
Beijing is also known as a tourist city for its many places of
interest, including ancient architecture, royal gardens,
mansions, towers, temples, palaces, and modern structures. It is
a gathering place of artists and other talented people.
Location:
Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea,
Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea
and Vietnam
Population
1,321,851,888 (July 2007 est.)
Religion
Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%,
Muslim 1%-2%
note: officially atheist (2002 est.) Language
Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua,
based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese),
Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka
dialects, minority languages Government Type
Communist state
Economy
China's economy during the last quarter
century has changed from a centrally planned system that was
largely closed to international trade to a more market-oriented
economy that has a rapidly growing private sector and is a major
player in the global economy. Reforms started in the late 1970s
with the phasing out of collectivized agriculture, and expanded
to include the gradual liberalization of prices, fiscal
decentralization, increased autonomy for state enterprises, the
foundation of a diversified banking system, the development of
stock markets, the rapid growth of the non-state sector, and the
opening to foreign trade and investment. China has generally
implemented reforms in a gradualist or piecemeal fashion,
including the sale of equity in China's largest state banks to
foreign investors and refinements in foreign exchange and bond
markets in 2005. The restructuring of the economy and resulting
efficiency gains have contributed to a more than tenfold
increase in GDP since 1978. Measured on a purchasing power
parity (PPP) basis, China in 2006 stood as the second-largest
economy in the world after the US, although in per capita terms
the country is still lower middle-income and 130 million Chinese
fall below international poverty lines. Economic development has
generally been more rapid in coastal provinces than in the
interior, and there are large disparities in per capita income
between regions. The government has struggled to: (a) sustain
adequate job growth for tens of millions of workers laid off
from state-owned enterprises, migrants, and new entrants to the
work force; (b) reduce corruption and other economic crimes; and
(c) contain environmental damage and social strife related to
the economy's rapid transformation. From 100 million to 150
million surplus rural workers are adrift between the villages
and the cities, many subsisting through part-time, low-paying
jobs. One demographic consequence of the "one child" policy is
that China is now one of the most rapidly aging countries in the
world. Another long-term threat to growth is the deterioration
in the environment - notably air pollution, soil erosion, and
the steady fall of the water table, especially in the north.
China continues to lose arable land because of erosion and
economic development. China has benefited from a huge expansion
in computer Internet use, with more than 100 million users at
the end of 2005. Foreign investment remains a strong element in
China's remarkable expansion in world trade and has been an
important factor in the growth of urban jobs. In July 2005,
China revalued its currency by 2.1% against the US dollar and
moved to an exchange rate system that references a basket of
currencies. In 2006 China had the largest current account
surplus in the world - nearly $180 billion. More power
generating capacity came on line in 2006 as large scale
investments were completed. Thirteen years in construction at a
cost of $24 billion, the immense Three Gorges Dam across the
Yangtze River was essentially completed in 2006 and will
revolutionize electrification and flood control in the area. The
11th Five-Year Program (2006-10), approved by the National
People's Congress in March 2006, calls for a 20% reduction in
energy consumption per unit of GDP by 2010 and an estimated 45%
increase in GDP by 2010.
NOTE: Please visit the
CIA World FactBook
and Wikepedia for more country facts.
Source: CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia |
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