Key learning points

1. Beijing is one of the oldest cities in the world with a history dating back around 3000 years.
2. Beijing’s population has increased; more and more land is becoming built up and infrastructure has developed.
3. Beijing’s rapid growth and status as a global city provides a wide range of opportunities.
4. Many large transnational corporations have bases in Beijing.

Keywords

• Urbanisation - the increase in the proportion of people living in towns and cities rather than the countryside

• Infrastructure - all the basic systems in a country, such as transport and power supply

• Services - a service is a system that supplies a public need, for example waste collection

• Global city - a city that is a major centre for trade and communication with other places around the world

• Transnational corporations - large businesses that operate in many different countries globally

Common misconception