China

Beijing is China’s capital, the seat of the central government since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949, and an imperial capital for much of the past 700 years. Landmarks like the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and the Great Hall of the People underscore its political and historical role. Shanghai is the largest city and financial hub; Guangzhou anchors the Pearl River Delta; Chengdu is the Sichuan capital and panda country—but none is the national capital. Memory tip: Beijing literally means “Northern Capital” (bei = north, jing = capital). Pair it with Nanjing, “Southern Capital,” to remember that Beijing is the nation’s political center in the north.