Some 690,000 years ago, Peking Man lived at Zhoukoudian, 48 kilometers southwest of Beijing. A small town appeared on the present site of southwestern Beijing in 1045 B. C.

It was named Ji and then changed to Yan. At the beginning of the 10th century, it was the second capital of the Liao Dynasty. From then on, the city had been the capital of the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties until 1911. In the early twenties, Beijing became the cradle of China's new democratic revolution. The May Fourth Movement against imperialism and feudalism began here in 1919. On October 1st, 1949, Chairman Mao proclaimed to the whole world the founding of the People's Republic of China.