Many adjectives have been used to describe Beijing — vast, historic, stately. It is a city of immense romance, a place seemingly built by giants for giants. If your first visit to this magnificent city doesn't stir your blood, you should check your pulse.
Beijing is city of wide, sweeping boulevards, towering new high-rises, Stalinist monoliths and centuries-old dynastic architecture.

The eerie open expanse of Tiananmen Square is arguably the grandest public square on the planet. Without a doubt, seeing its 44 hectares (100 acres) for the first time is a jaw-dropping experience.

The huge portrait of Chairman Mao Zedong that sits at one end of the square, silently gazing out at Beijing's inhabitants, is one of the icons of the 20th Century. Here in the heart of Beijing, you know you are truly in the Middle Kingdom.

Many of the key things that you have come to China to see are here and close at hand. The wonderful imperial relics — the old Imperial Palace, better known as the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven — are amazing. And then there's the Great Wall just up the road.

But don't let the relics fool you into thinking Beijing is a stuffy museum. It is also a great contemporary city. For more than a thousand years, Beijing has been the absolute center of a huge kingdom.

Beijing plays the tune and the rest of China dances. Even the people are different — they walk tall with a pride and a likable arrogance that reflects the seminal position their city has long held in China's political and social history.

The capital is also probably the best place to shop and eat in China. It has the most five star hotels, elegant shopping malls and, so the locals will tell you, the best restaurants in all of China.

It is a truly international city. In Beijing you can dine and drink in whatever style takes your fancy. And the entertainment is diverse and vibrant.

Befitting a large, historic national capital, Beijing has a rich and thriving cultural heritage. Whatever it is — be it opera, film or jazz — it can be found here. It is, of course, also a huge, sprawling, noisy city ... but Beijing's pros far outweigh its cons.