Home Guangming Insights China World Culture Nature Life Sci & Tech Infographic Video
On April 17
On April 17, the short video series entitled "Overlooking Beijing–A City's Wisdom for Development" was released officially. Jointly launched by the Information Office of the Beijing Municipal Government and GMW.cn, the series analyzes data from multiple satellites to study Beijing's forest coverage, annual PM 2.5 concentration, and water quality of the Miyun Reservoir as well as other multi-spectral information on the ground surface. Consisting of visual images, data charts, and texts, it strings together a magnificent painting scroll of Beijing in the new era.
    Beijing Through Satellite Lens
    A picturesque and magnificent painting scroll of Beijing strung together with satellite images.
      Overlooking Beijing｜Welcome to the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center

      Beijing Municipal Administrative Center

      China National Botanical Garden

      Beijing of lights

      Olympic Forest Park

      Three Hills and Five Gardens

      Beijing E-Town

      Miyun Reservoir

      Zhongguancun National Innovation Demonstration Zone

      Fengtai Railway Station

      Tianzhu Comprehensive Bonded Zone

      "Snow Dragon" (National Sliding Centre)

      Beijing Central Business District

      798 Art District

      Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal

      Beijing Central Axis

      Beijing Fin-Tech Service Demonstration Zone

      Big Air Shougang

      The Beijing section of the Great Wall

      Yanqi Lake Convention Center

      Beijing Daxing International Airport
      Overlooking Beijing｜Welcome to the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center
      Beijing’s Tongzhou is decorated by forest parks with a well-connected transportation network. After several years of accelerated construction, the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center has taken a new shape. From blueprint to new skylines, how did the Center emerge within such a short period of time? Let’s take a bird’s view from high above, and find out the “growth path” of this futuristic city in the new era.
      Overlooking Beijing｜Each being has its home
      Today marks the first anniversary of the opening of the China National Botanical Garden. As a member of the garden, the Amorphophallus Titanum (Krubi) blossomed in groups here, researchers even took the trouble to find it a mate out of dozens of candidates globally, helping the flower to settle down in Beijing. So, Beijing is a place where even flowers can have dreams. As one of the world’s most biodiverse metropolises, what new and old friends have been attracted to Beijing’s blue sky and green spaces? Let’s go check it out.
      Overlooking Beijing｜Beijing of lights
      Through the lens of satellites, we can overlook Beijing at night from high above. The twinkling and glowing lights are the breath and pulse of the city, but where have the glowing lights of Beijing extended to over the past ten years? Let’s buckle up, and get on an exploring trip into this “Galaxy on Earth”.
      Overlooking Beijing｜A Trip to Beijing with the Bustard
      With a short beak, a big head, and a cocked tail, the Great Bustard runs like an ostrich. As a species under Grade-I protection in China, the Great Bustard has become a regular visitor to Beijing in recent years. As of the end of 2022, the forest coverage and urban greenery coverage in Beijing had reached 44.8% and 49.3% respectively, making green the bright backdrop color of Beijing’s high-quality development. What does the green corridor of the Beijing-Chongli Expressway look like today? And what animals are attracted to the Wenyu River Park? Let’s follow the wings of the Great Bustard and find out from above.
      Overlooking Beijing｜Three Hills and Five Gardens - The Glittering Scene of a City
      In the northwest corner of Beijing, the three mountains and five gardens, known as the “Forbidden City of Gardens”, are adding radiance and beauty to each other as they are interconnected. Together, they present the Chinese poetic aesthetics of “mountains winding along lakes decorated by greenery”. It’s a breathtaking painting scroll of man-nature symbiosis drawn with the palette of nature. Nobody, in the past or at present, could resist such stunning and picturesque scenery. What are the new changes in the three mountains and five gardens today? Let’s watch from above such oriental beauty and how it interacts with the rest of the world.
      Overlooking Beijing｜See innovative Beijing from a Corner of the City
      As the birthplace of 1/3 of the national standards for intelligent manufacturing, Beijing E-Town creates 30% of Beijing’s industrial value added. It is also the iconic district that produces autonomous vehicles with related services. Though accounting for only 0.35% of Beijing’s land area, Beijing E-Town is the epitome of the capital city’s rapidly growing high-tech industry. With such a small area of land, how did it empower China’s manufacturing industry and push Beijing to the forefront of the global industrial chain? Let’s take a look at the “Innovative Beijing” from high above the ground.
      Overlooking Beijing｜The Water-nourished Capital
      “A narrow stream winds along pavilions, with willow branches cascading down on both sides”. Today, the crystal-clear Liangshui River has become the epitome of Beijing’s water environment and ecological improvement, after reviving the scene written by Shao Jingbang, a Ming Dynasty poet. From “thriving by river” to “living with water”, how do all the five major rivers in Beijing flow into the sea? How has the Miyun Reservoir nourished the capital city? Today, let’s hold our breath for the beautiful scenery of water in Beijing from high above.
      Overlooking Beijing｜This is the story between me and the city
      Everything is connected in this digital era. From the procedures of satellite launches to the intelligent brains of artificial intelligence, from the sensors of autonomous driving to the mechanical arms of surgical robots ......When a line of code is typed into a computer, technological innovation has become the gene that powers the drastic changes of this time-honored city. How has Beijing boosted its standing on the global arena with independently developed and innovative technologies? Let’s hear the story of Beijing’s development codes from high above.
      Overlooking Beijing｜Beijing on the Rails
      The rail-transit network is just like the blood vessels of a city. At first Beijing had only one straight line and one circular line, but now its rail-transit network is like a colorful circuit board, creating a gigantic underground space in the city. The line connecting to the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center is cutting the city into two halves, and there are lines that bring residents to the suburbs as well. The rail-transit network has created an “one-hour life circle” for people in Beijing and changed people’s perception about time and space. When commuting via Beijing’s subway, have you ever noticed the sculptures engraved on the columns at the Fengtai Station? Have you felt the stylish central axis element along Subway Line 8? Let’s start our journey today and explore the parallel universe of Beijing beneath your feet.
      Overlooking Beijing｜Deciphering High-level Opening-up in Beijing
      In recent years, Beijing’s continuously expanding “circle of friends” has created a magnetic field – The three major platforms, namely the CIFTIS (China International Forum for Trade in Services), the Zhongguancun Forum and the Financial Street Forum, are leading the trend of the entire world; The “dual airports + double airport economy zones” model, represented by the Tianzhu Comprehensive Bonded Area, has facilitated cross-border trade with much greater convenience. Beijing’s bright “score sheet” is a microcosm of the drastic economic development of a large country in the new era. So what is the “growth code” for Beijing’s high-level openness to the outside world? Let’s analyze it from a satellite perspective.
      Overlooking Beijing｜Together for a Shared Future
      The green development concept behind the Yanqing Olympic Park has become a rich ecological asset for Beijing; the unique industrial legacy of the Shougang Park has made the former steel plant known across the world; and the Ice Cube, which was renovated from the former National Aquatics Center, has helped bring 300 million people to winter sports. In the “post-Winter Olympics” era, how will Beijing continue its efforts of transforming Olympic legacies into dividends that benefit long-term development and enhance people’s well-being? Let’s find out through the lens of satellites high above.
      Overlooking Beijing｜Decode the New Beijing Style
      Wandering about in the Forbidden City, climbing on the Great Wall, traveling into Beijing’s iconic Hutongs, or enjoying a Peking Opera, whether you want to get up close and personal with the “international feel” of the city, or get immersed in its cultural atmosphere with time-honored brand shops, or the trendy part of Beijing that attracts all the young people, come and visit Beijing’s flagship stores because they offer surprises that you can’t miss. But today, let’s first take a look at the new Beijing Style from the lens of satellites, and get a sense of how a new consumer group is quickly emerging in Beijing.
      Overlooking Beijing｜"Authentically Beijing" Cultural Space
      When old factory buildings are transformed into art galleries and when culturally creative products merge with technology, Beijing’s cultural industry parks exude an eye-catching quality as they attract a great number of talents. Here, you can feel the infinite creativity and rich imagination of Beijing in the past, at present and even in the future. With every passing day, the cultural industry and the ancient city are integrated further. Let’s find out how life spins around in the most iconic cultural parks in Beijing from high above, through the lens of satellites roaming on the earth orbit.
      Overlooking Beijing｜The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal that Runs Forever
      Looking down from above, we can see what makes the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal so special — the 1,794-kilometre-long man-made canal running north-south is such a rarely-seen world project as it spans some 10 degrees of latitude on the surface of the earth, bridges China’s five major water systems, and links more than a dozen cities along its route with water flowing for more than 2,500 years. What shining cultural landmarks have been linked to the Grand Canal in Beijing in recent years? How has the canal brought new vitality to the capital city? Let’s explore the never-ending Grand Canal through the eyes of a satellite!
      Overlooking Beijing｜A 3000-year-old Construction Drawing
      In Beijing, a city with a history of more than 3,000 years, an axis that has been extending for more than 700 years has strung together in the city’s cultural heritages. Mr. Liang Sicheng once praised Beijing’s central axis as “the longest and greatest north-south central axis among all cities in the world, which laid the foundation for the layout of the entire city”. So how did the old city of Beijing form a symmetrical layout? How has the central axis changed in the new era? Today, let’s explore this “3,000-year-old construction drawing” from high above, through the lens of satellites.
      Overlooking Beijing｜A City's Addition and Subtraction
      What happens when “addition and subtraction” is applied to a city? Perhaps the old wholesale market is transformed into a FinTech center or the old hutong residents are given a modern life. By restricting the sheer size growth while enhancing development quality, expanding green coverage, and embracing urban renewal, the “subtraction” has led to the “increase” of quality development, hence the thousand-year-old capital has taken on a new look. On the new starting point, how will Beijing answer the “question of the times” and scale up the scene of vitality of a great capital? Let’s explore the development wisdom of the city with satellite images.
      Overlooking Beijing｜The "Beijing Blue"
      From the “APEC Blue” that has been a hit among friends who use Wechat to the “Winter Olympics Blue” that astonished the world, from the low PM2.5 concentration of 1 microgram per cubic metre during the 20th Party Congress to the decade-low level of PM2.5 concentration in 2022 – these are epitome of Beijing’s 10-year effort to improve air quality. Do you know why the blue sky in Beijing is hailed by the United Nations Environment Programme as the “Beijing Miracle”? Let’s take a look from above at the “Beijing Blue” that has become the new normal!
      Overlooking Beijing｜Great Love for the Great Wall
      Beijing is a place aggregated with cultures of the Great Wall. The 520.77 km of brick wall has witnessed the vicissitudes of this thousand-year-old capital city. From the “100 Great Wall Conservation Projects” to the first “Great Wall Restoration Practice Base”, from the application of new technologies such as smart sensors to the launch of the “Cloud Tour of the Great Wall” -- How does Beijing bring the Great Wall out of history books and the mountains, and bring it closer to the ordinary people? Today, let’s explore, from high above, this magnificent architectural wonder and unparalleled historical and cultural phenomenon in human history!
      Overlooking Beijing｜Hear the Voices in Beijing
      Overlooking Beijing｜Beijing Daxing International Arport - A Phoenix Ushering in the Future
      46 kilometers south of the Tiananmen Square, and along Beijing’s central axis, a giant phoenix is about to take off with her wide wings – this is the Beijing Daxing International Airport, with a 1.43-million m2 terminal building that reduces CO₂ emissions by 22,000 tons per year, and an integrated air-ground transportation hub. How was this world-class super project built? How will it contribute to the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region? Let’s take a look at the “steel phoenix” from high above, through the lens of the satellite!

      About Us　　Contact Us　

      Copyright by Guangming Daily. All rights reserved.