Yanqing, Beijing
Yanqing District, formerly known as Yanqing County before 2015, is a district of the municipality of Beijing located northwest of the city proper of Beijing, 74km away from the city center. The district consists of 3 subdistricts, 11 towns and 4 townships, and borders the Beijing districts of Huairou to the east and Changping to the south as well as the Hebei counties of Huailai to the west and Chicheng to the north. The district hosted the Expo 2019, and hosted alpine skiing, bobsled, luge and skeleton during the 2022 Winter Olympics.
History
In the Tang dynasty, Guichuan County, named after the Gui River, was established and belonged to the Gui Prefecture in Hebei, with a defensive military city. Eventually in 1952, it was reassigned to the Zhangjiakou Special Zone in Hebei Province, and in 1958, it was transferred to Beijing. In November 2015, the State Council of the People's Republic of China approved the adjustment of the administrative divisions of Beijing, and Yanqing County was abolished and established as a district. Yanqing District became sister cities with Dongdaemun District, Seoul, when they established friendly relations in 1997 and signed a cultural and sports exchange agreement and an economic exchange agreement in 2011.Climate
Yanqing District has a monsoon-influenced humid continental climate, a transitional zone between temperate and mid-temperate, semi-arid and semi-humid zones. The higher parts have a unique climate, with cold winters and mild summers, with Yanqing being known as Beijing's "summer capital". The climate is cold in winter and warm in summer, with an average annual temperature of. It has an area of 105 square kilometers in the tropical zone, with abundant shallow geothermal resources. With 2,623.4 hours of sunshine per year, it possesses the most abundant solar energy resources in Beijing. Also, Yanqing's wind resources account for 70% of those in Beijing Municipality.The Yanqing Badaling Great Wall Basin is surrounded by mountains on three sides in the north, south, east, and Guanting Reservoir to the west, namely the Yanhuai Basin. Yanqing is located in the east of the basin, with an average elevation of about. Haituo Mountain, with an elevation of, is the highest peak in the district and the second highest in Beijing Municipality.
Yanqing is surrounded by mountains to the north, east and south, and water to the west, with an average altitude of above sea level, and is predominantly mountainous, with mountains accounting for 70% of the county's area. The forest greening rate of the entire region has reached 74%. In addition, Yanqing is rich in geothermal, solar, wind and other new and renewable energy sources, accounting for 25% of energy consumption, and is one of the first national green energy demonstration counties and a new and renewable energy demonstration area in Beijing.
The highest temperature recorded was on June 10, 1961. Prior to 2016 and the lowest temperature recorded was on January 23, 1973, however, on January 23, 2016, the lowest temperature recorded was, the lowest temperature recorded in Beijing in 30 years. The year with the highest precipitation from June to August was 1964 with, and the year with the lowest was 1965 with. The average annual sunshine in one district of Yanqing County is 2623.4 hours, with an annual sunshine percentage of 60%, the highest sunshine hours and solar radiation in Beijing.
In 2022, the annual average concentration value of PM2.5 in Yanqing District was 27 micrograms per cubic meter, 7 micrograms per cubic meter lower than the urban area of Beijing, ranking first in air quality over other districts in Beijing.
Administrative divisions
There are 3 subdistricts, 11 towns, and 4 townships in the district.Urban area of Yanqing District
The Yanqing District government is located at Rulin Subdistrict. The urban area of Yanqing District is composed of Baiquan Subdistrict, Rulin Subdistrict, Xiangshuiyuan Subdistrict and Yanqing Town, with a population that exceeds 100,000. The urban area has a central business district and exhibition center.List of subdivisions of Yanqing District
| Name | Chinese | Hanyu Pinyin | Population | Area |
| Rulin Subdistrict | 儒林街道 | Rúlín Jiēdào | 125,659 | 14.26 |
| Baiquan Subdistrict | 百泉街道 | Bǎiquán Jiēdào | 125,659 | 6.20 |
| Xiangshuiyuan Subdistrict | 香水园街道 | Xiāngshuǐyuán Jiēdào | 125,659 | 7.45 |
| Yanqing town | 延庆镇 | Yánqìng Zhèn | 125,659 | 47.00 |
| Kangzhuang town | 康庄镇 | Kāngzhuāng Zhèn | 33,487 | 75.00 |
| Badaling town | 八达岭镇 | Bādálǐng Zhèn | 8,094 | 96.00 |
| Yongning town | 永宁镇 | Yǒngníng Zhèn | 24,075 | 158.70 |
| Jiuxian town | 旧县镇 | Jiùxiàn Zhèn | 19,932 | 109.70 |
| Zhangshanying town | 张山营镇 | Zhāngshānyíng Zhèn | 23,769 | 248.00 |
| Sihai town | 四海镇 | Sìhǎi Zhèn | 6,001 | 115.70 |
| Qianjiadian town | 千家店镇 | Qiānjiādiàn Zhèn | 9,463 | 371.00 |
| Shenjiaying town | 沈家营镇 | Shěnjiāyíng Zhèn | 12,021 | 37.30 |
| Dayushu town | 大榆树镇 | Dàyúshù Zhèn | 21,630 | 64.00 |
| Jingzhuang town | 井庄镇 | Jǐngzhuāng Zhèn | 10,646 | 125.70 |
| Dazhuangke Township | 大庄科乡 | Dàzhuāngkē Xiāng | 5,276 | 126.57 |
| Liubinbu Township | 刘斌堡乡 | Liúbīnbǎo Xiāng | 6,088 | 116.20 |
| Xiangying Township | 香营乡 | Xiāngyíng Xiāng | 7,782 | 96.00 |
| Zhenzhuquan Township | 珍珠泉乡 | Zhēnzhūquán Xiāng | 3,503 | 114.00 |
Population
At the end of 2019, there were 145,474 households in Yanqing District. Among them, 70,386 agricultural households. The registered population is 289,093 people. Among them, 14,045 are female permanent residents. The resident population is 35.7, of which 4.5 are permanent migrants, accounting for 12.6% of the resident population. Among the permanent population, the urban population is 21.3, accounting for 59.7% of the permanent population. The permanent population was born at 8.22‰, and the birth rate was 5.84‰. The natural growth rate of the permanent population was 2.38‰.Culture and tourism
The district is rich in historical sites and outdoor attractions.The most visited attraction of Yanqing is Badaling, a restored section of the Great Wall, that is highly popular with tourists. Badaling Remnant and Shuiguan sections of the Great Wall in Yanqing are to the west and east respectively of the highly popular Badaling and receive spillover visitors especially during peak periods.
One of the most popular day-trips for residents of Beijing is the Longqing Gorge located in the village of Gucheng in the district. The scenic area features a canyon filled at the bottom with a reservoir from a nearby man made dam, providing short boat cruises along the dramatic landscape of narrow peaks.
The remnants of a 1,000 year old cliff dwelling community date back to the Tang dynasty are found at Guyaju Ruins near the village of Dongmenying. Archaeologists are uncertain about the origins of Guyaju. One theory holds that the Kumo Xi, a steppe tribe, carved from the rocks the halls and hundreds of dwellings that form a fortress community in the caves.
Another historical attraction is the town of Yongning. The town square tower was restored in the 2000s and there is a Gothic Revival Catholic church from the 19th century.
Commune by the Great Wall is in the district.
The district's language is roughly divided into six regions, but the boundaries of these six dialect regions are fuzzy and uncertain.