Peking

Beijing is the sprawling capital city of the People’s Republic of China. It is the world’s most populous capital city with over 21 million residents. The majority population of Beijing are Han Chinese. Hui (Chinese Muslims), Manchus, and Mongols are the largest minority groups.

Founded more than 3,000 years ago, the city is a unique mixture of the ancient and the modern. One of the best known structures in Beijing is the massive Tiananmen Square pedestrian plaza, which contains the tomb of Mao Zedong. Adjacent to the Square is the Forbidden City, a collection of palaces and royal buildings that were the political and ritual center of China for more than 500 years.

Contrasting with the history of the Forbidden City, the immense Great Hall of the People is on the West side of Tiananmen Square. With more than 1.85 million square feet covering the equivalent of two city blocks, the Great Hall is the home of the National People’s Congress and government offices.
While there are government-approved churches in Beijing, police carefully monitor the people who attend. Persecution of the underground Christian church has increased since 2019, with many house churches closed and their leaders arrested. The heavy restrictions during Covid also limited the ability of the house churches to function.

Personengruppen: 5 unerreichte Volksgruppen