BeijingthrivestodayasthepoliticalandculturalcapitalofChinaaswellasacenterofinternationalactivityandanimportantsocialistbase.
GreatchangeshavetakenplacesincethefoundingofthePeople'sRepublicofChinain1949.Thecitywallsweredemolishedtofacilitatetransportationandallowforgeneralexpansion.By2001,thepopulationexceeded12.5million,andthetotalmunicipalareawasincreasedtoover17,800squarekilometers.Thecityispresentlydividedinto16districts:Dongcheng,Xicheng,Chongwen,Xuanwu,Chaoyang,Haidian,Shijingshan,Fengtai,Shunyi,Changping,Mentougou,Tongzhou,Fangshan,Daxing,HuairouandPinggu.Inadditiontotheseurbandistricts,themunicipalityiscomprisedoftwocounties:MiyunandYanqing.
Plansforfuturedevelopmentretainthesymmetricallayoutoftheoldcityonitsnorth-southaxis,extendingoutintothesuburbandistricts.
FromDingfuzhuangintheeasttoShijingshaninthewestandfromQingheinthenorthtoNanyuaninthesouth,theoverallplancoversanareaof1,000squarekilometers.Atrafficnetworkoffourconcentricbeltways,28radialroads,andundergroundandsuburbanrailwaysarebeingfurtherdevelopedtolinkthecitycenterwithoutlyingareasandsurroundingtowns.
WithTian'anmenatthecenter,officesalong38-kilometer-longChang'anBoulevardwillconcentrateonstate,politicalandeconomicaffairs.TheareasaroundthePalaceMuseum(ImperialPalaceorForbiddenCity)andcitygatesaswellasthelakes--Zhongnanhai,BeihaiandHousanhai--havebeendesignatedlandmarkdistricts.Andwithalooktothefuture,anincreasingnumberofhistorical,culturalandrevolutionarysitesarebeingrenovatedandopenedtothepublic.