Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
that the one-child policy was introduced in 1979 to try to stem the unsustainable population
growth. The third generation (1992-2003) was led by Jiang Zemin at its core. The fourth
generation (2003-2013) had Hu Jintao at the helm, with the grand collection of titles of
general secretary of the Communist Party of China, president of the People's Republic of
China, and chairman of the Central Military Commission; Wen Jiabao served as prime min-
ister. China's newly sworn-in group represents the fifth generation, with Xi Jinping as the
general secretary of the Communist Party Central Committee, chairman of the Central Mil-
itary Commission, president of the People's Republic of China, and chairman of the Central
Military Commission, followed by Li Keqiang as the premier of the State Council.
In general, since the time of the second generation, the city of Beijing has prospered and
developed at a mind-boggling pace. In this time there have been many major events that
have signaled its entry onto the world stage. The 2008 Olympics were a tremendous suc-
cess and catapulted the city forward in its international status, and the opening of the T3
Beijing Capital Airport, designed by British architect Norman Foster, at last gave it a ter-
minal worthy of global travel. It may have taken much longer to get to this position than
Mao anticipated, and required slightly more humanistic approaches, but Beijing seems to
now be nearing a relatively level playing field with the West.
Beijing is one for four special kinds of cities in China. Like Shanghai, Tianjin, and
Chongqing, it's a top-tier, freestanding municipality, autonomous in that it doesn't answer
to its surrounding province (in Beijing's case Hebei) but directly to the national govern-
ment. These cities have the same political, jurisdictional, and economic rights as a province.
To try to better manage Beijing and its millions of people, the government has broken
the municipality up into 14 districts (Dongcheng, Xicheng, Chaoyang, Haidian, Fengtai,
Shijingshan, Tongzhou, Shunyi, Changping, Daxing, Mentougou, Fangshan, Pinggu, and
Huairou) and two counties (Miyun and Yanqing). Each of these districts and counties is
led by its own local government and an elected mayor. Overseeing them all is the Beijing
People's Congress, Beijing's top legislative body. Representing the People's Congress is the
mayor of Beijing, the municipality's highest-ranking government official. Since 2012, that
man has been Wang Anshun. As the Beijing mayor, Wang has the same level of power as
the provincial governors, so when it comes to the city's taxes, budgets, and administration
duties, Wang is the man.
