[FOCUS](9)CHINA-BEIJING-COSMOPOLITAN CITY-FEATURE

2008-07-17 (080717) -- BEIJING, July 17, 2008 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on July 16, 2008 shows the ancient buildings among modern ones in downtown Beijing, China. Beijing has an over 3,000-year history, of which 800 years as the capital. Rich in history, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, and the Great Hall of People coexist. Otherwise, part of old city walls have been replaced by modern ring roads, and many of the old residential districts of alleys and courtyard houses have been turned into office buildings and shopping malls. Beijing, a dynamic cosmopolitan city where the old and the new intermingle, has attracted visitors from all over the world. (Xinhua/Wang Song) (axy/lhn) Foto / Xinhua / SCANPIX / kod 70445 ref: ***BETALBILD***