Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
If you find it hard to pin Beijing down into a particular category of culture, don't accuse
yourself of a lack of insight. The city has been in constant flux ever since people set foot
in it. It's had countless name changes and has been ruled under almost as many different
systems. While China's major ethnic group is Han, Beijing has for much of its history been
ruled by other cultures, predominantly those from the north, such as the Mongols and Man-
churians. It has experienced war and peace, has been both built up and razed, was held by
the Japanese, and been attacked by Europeans. The last 50 years have perhaps been some
of the most stable of its entire history, politically and economically.
