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Beijing
Population
The estimated population of Beijing municipality
in 1988 was 9,879,700. In 1992 the estimated
population was 11,020,000, of whom approximately
7 million lived in the dense area of the
city proper. The remainder lived in small
cities, towns, and villages in the surrounding
counties. By 2000 the estimated population
had grown to 13,820,000. The city has
a low birth rate, a low death rate, and
a very low rate of natural population
increase. Most of Beijing’s recent
growth has been by immigration. In the
mid-1990s the city also had more than
1 million transients (visiting workers
on temporary permits or illegal workers)
who were not included in the official
population statistics.
High buildings and large mansions
everywhere in Beijing |
They serve as construction workers, domestic
servants, and in other low-level service
activities. Many transients live in crude
shacks or other temporary shelters, or
rent dormitory space. Because of their
transient status and low income level,
they are often blamed for rising crime
and social unrest.
More than 90 percent of the population
of Beijing are Han Chinese, and the remainder
are Manchus, Mongols, Turkic peoples from
western China, and other minority nationalities
and foreigners. Mandarin Chinese is the
language spoken in and around Beijing.
The dialect of Beijing has become the
standard form of Mandarin, which is the
country’s official spoken language.
Like most other Chinese cities, Beijing
has serious pollution problems. Industrial
and residential waste water disposal is
largely unregulated and the burning of
coal and other polluting materials contributes
to the city’s severe air and water
pollution.
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