BEIJING, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's capital is hosting the 2008 Olympic Games from Aug. 8-24 and the Paralympic Games from Sept. 6-17.

    Some basic facts about the capital:

    STATUS: Beijing is recognized as the political, educational and cultural center of China while Shanghai and Hong Kong predominate in economic fields.

    GOVERNMENT: The municipal government includes the mayor, vice mayor and bureaus focusing on law, public security, the economy and other affairs. Additionally, as the capital of China, Beijing houses all the important national government and political institutions, including the National People's Congress.

    EDUCATION: Beijing has 82 colleges and universities, including several universities of international stature as Qinghua University and Beijing University. A total of 22,940 international students came to Beijing to study in 2006.

    CULTURE: There are 25 public libraries and 329 mass art stations and cultural centers. There were 59 cinemas that gave 280,000 shows in 2006. Annually, about 113,232 books are published in Beijing.

    ECONOMY: In 2007, Beijing's GDP was 900.62 billion yuan (132.4 billion U.S. dollars), a year-on-year growth of 12.3 percent. Its GDP per capita was 56,044 yuan, up 8.9 percent from the previous year.

    HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION: In 2006, the city reported average household consumption of 16,770 yuan per person, including 18,508 yuan for urban households and 7,655 yuan for rural households.

    BEIJING CBD: The Central Business District in the eastern Guomao area houses corporate regional headquarters, shopping precincts and high-end housing.