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Visible Features A Beijing, China story

Cities
  1. Beijing, China
  2. Visible Features
Description

Beijing traditionally consisted of the square, walled Inner City and the rectangular, walled Outer City to its south. The walls no longer stand, but in their place the Second Ring Road now outlines the Inner City, and canals outline the Outer City. These and the outer Third Ring and Fourth Ring Roads are partly visible in the Landsat images.

The Capital Airport is the large runway complex northeast of the city. A new runway opened in 2007, and that expansion can be seen when comparing the 2000 and 2022 images. In 2000, the Capital Airport handled 21.7 million passengers. In 2011, it handled over 77 million passengers. In only 10 years, it moved from the 42nd busiest airport in the world to the 2nd busiest.

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Location

June 17, 1977, Landsat 2 (path/row 132/32) — Beijing, China

June 17, 1977, Landsat 2 (path/row 132/32) — Beijing, China

May 2, 1983, Landsat 4 (path/row 123/32) — Beijing, China

May 2, 1983, Landsat 4 (path/row 123/32) — Beijing, China

Apr. 9, 1995, Landsat 5 (path/row 123/32) — Beijing, China

Apr. 9, 1995, Landsat 5 (path/row 123/32) — Beijing, China

May 16, 2000, Landsat 7 (path/row 123/32) — Beijing, China

May 16, 2000, Landsat 7 (path/row 123/32) — Beijing, China

May 21, 2022, Landsat 8 (path/row 123/32) — Beijing, China

May 21, 2022, Landsat 8 (path/row 123/32) — Beijing, China

June 17, 1977, Landsat 2 (path/row 132/32) — Beijing, China
May 2, 1983, Landsat 4 (path/row 123/32) — Beijing, China
Apr. 9, 1995, Landsat 5 (path/row 123/32) — Beijing, China
May 16, 2000, Landsat 7 (path/row 123/32) — Beijing, China
May 21, 2022, Landsat 8 (path/row 123/32) — Beijing, China

Beijing, China Additional Imagery & Stories

Beijing's Growth
Beijing's Growth

Beijing has grown and changed remarkably in the "reform era" since 1979, in its own distinct pattern. U.S. cities, for example, are often shaped like ...

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Fangzhuang
Fangzhuang

One new building project that exemplifies some of these trends is visible southeast of Beijing. Fangzhuang is a new city of 78,000 where in 1984 only ...

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More Details
More Details

Within the Inner City, the moats and walls of the Forbidden City (Imperial Palace Museum) are prominent, with Wu Gate at the southern end. Also within...

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