Peking

Gemini

The name "Beijing" (meaning "Northern Capital") was officially coined by the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty in 1403. He selected the name to distinguish it from the southern capital, Nanjing.

The city's name history breaks down into a few specific phases:
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• Official Origin: The name was established by the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty in 1403. The Chinese characters 北 (běi, meaning "north") and 京 (jīng, meaning "capital") were combined to assert the city's status as a primary seat of imperial power.
• Historical Variations (Peking): Early European missionaries (like Jesuit Martino Martini in the 1600s) popularized the spelling "Peking". This spelling was based on older southern Chinese or Nanjing dialects, which were heavily spoken in coastal port cities first visited by traders.
• Modern Spelling (Beijing): The international spelling officially shifted from "Peking" to "Beijing" in 1979 when the Chinese Communist Party requested that the rest of the world adopt its official Pinyin romanization system. (end of AI)

The airport abbreviation is PEK for Peking. So, it's freedom or the opposite. My good friend (United pilot) is En route SFO to PEK. Maybe next time you buy a vehicle, it will be made in America. What a novel thought!