Beijing The old imperial city of the Mongol, Ming and Manchu emperors is now a modern capital. Contemporary Beijing is home to eleven million people and five million bicycles. Yet its classical monuments remain among the great wonders of the world. At the heart of the city stands the immense Tiananmen Square covering 98 acres. Alongside is the mystical Forbidden City, once closed to all males but the emperor. At the height of imperial power, its golden-roofed palaces were home to concubines, 9,000 ladies in waiting and 100,000 eunuchs. Outside the city is the fabled Great Wall, the largest man-made structure in the world.