Beijing is the capital city of the People’s Republic of China and one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities. Its name literally means 'Northern Capital' — 北 (Běi) meaning 'north' and 京 (jīng) meaning 'capital' or 'metropolis'. This name was first officially adopted in 1421 during the Ming Dynasty, distinguishing it from Nanjing ('Southern Capital') to the south.

Beijing serves as China’s political, cultural, and educational center, home to landmarks like the Forbidden City, Tian’anmen Square, and the Great Wall. It’s commonly used as a proper noun with no article in English, and in Chinese, it functions as a standalone place name — never modified by measure words unless specifying administrative units (e.g., 北京市, Běijīng Shì, 'Beijing Municipality'). Unlike generic nouns, 北京 is always capitalized in English and never pluralized or used as a verb.