Beijing (/beɪˈdʒɪŋ/, alternatively /beɪˈʒɪŋ/;^[10]  Mandarin pronunciation: [pèi.tɕíŋ] (listen)), formerly romanized as Peking,^[11] is the capital of the People’s Republic of China, the world’s third most populous city proper, and most populous capital city. The city, located in northern China, is governed as a municipality under the direct administration of central government with 16 urban, suburban, and rural districts.^[12] Beijing Municipality is surrounded by Hebei Province with the exception of neighboring Tianjin Municipality to the southeast; together the three divisions form the Jingjinji metropolitan region and the national capital region of China.^[13]

Beijing is an important world capital and global power city, and one of the world’s leading centers for politics, economy and business, finance, education, culture, innovation and technology, architecture, language, and diplomacy. A megacity, Beijing is the second largest Chinese city by urban population after Shanghai and is the nation’s political, cultural, and educational center.^[14] It is home to the headquarters of most of China’s largest state-owned companies and houses the largest number of Fortune Global 500 companies in the world, as well as the world’s four biggest financial institutions.^[15][16] It is also a major hub for the national highway, expressway, railway, and high-speed rail networks. The Beijing Capital International Airport has been the second busiest in the world by passenger traffic since 2010,^[17] and, as of 2016, the city’s subway network is the busiest and second longest in the world.