Lesson video

Hello, my name's Mr. March and I'm here today to teach you all about Beijing, a global city.

So grab everything that you need for today's lesson and let's get going.

Now, by the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to use images to investigate the geography of Beijing and explain why Beijing is called a global city.

There are five key terms for today's lesson.

Those are: stereotype, infrastructure, global city, megacity, and economy.

Stereotype refers to a set idea that people might have about a person, place, or thing, but which is often not true.

Infrastructure refers to all the basic systems in a country such as transport and power supply.

Global city refers to a city that is a major centre for trade and communication with other places around the world.

Megacity refers to a city that has a population of more than 10 million people/ And economy refers to the way money in a particular area is made and spent.

There are two learning cycles for today's lesson.

I'm gonna start with the first learning cycle, which is: what can images tell us about Beijing? The first thing to say is that Beijing is China's capital city and is one of the country's largest cities.

It is also a really important global city as well.

Now I have a question for you.

What sources of information could we use to find out about Beijing? For example, what different places could we look for different types of information about Beijing? You may like to pause the video here whilst you consider your own answer to that question or even perhaps have a discussion with someone near you.

Now we can use a wide range of different sources of information to find out more about Beijing.

For example, we can use atlases to really try and understand its location and position in the world.

We can use books to find out other pieces of information.

We can use climate data to find out about its rainfall and its temperature.

We can use a globe to understand Beijing's position in the wider context of the world.

We can use images really to try and get perhaps a firsthand view of what life is like on the streets, perhaps, in Beijing.

We can use the internet to find out more up-to-date, recent pieces of information about Beijing.

We can use maps and GIS once again to use different layers perhaps within GIS to understand more geographical information.

And finally, we can get information from other people, perhaps firsthand accounts, perhaps opinion-based information as well from people who are residing within Beijing or perhaps who have visited Beijing.

So as you can see in front of you, there are a wide range of sources of information available to us.

Images are just one source of information for finding out about Beijing, and they give us a huge amount of clues about its altitude, its climate, its geology, so for example, rock type, the landscape there, it's vegetation, so it's plant life, and also water.

So we can really understand the physical geography of Beijing by looking at imagery.

In terms of the human geography there, we can understand the urban landscape of Beijing.

We can understand its buildings, what type of industry is found there, its infrastructure, by which I mean it's communication network as well as its transport network as well.

We can understand perhaps the type of jobs which we'd find there.

What land is being used for there? Is it industrial? Is it residential? Is it commercial? We can understand as well perhaps the level of development in Beijing.

Is it wealthy? Is it poor? Are some areas wealthy? Are some areas poor? And also we can look at its population density.

Are some areas more densely populated? Are some areas more sparsely populated? So we can really, really use imagery for a lot of different reasons.

Images, though, need to be used wisely because they can reinforce stereotypes about what a people or a place is like.

Some images might portray a place in a particular way and not show the diversity of it.

For example, the camera may be angled in such a direction and it portrays an image in a certain way, which reinforces a stereotype.

Stereotypes can sometimes result in people misunderstanding places, particularly if they have never been there before.

So we need to use a diverse selection of images to help us build up a more accurate picture of what a place, and in this case, Beijing is like.

So now let's use a little bit of imagery.

It says "What geography can you see in this image of Beijing?" And Aisha says that she would like you to "Look for a clue about both the physical and human geography." Now, you may like to pause the video here whilst you study that photograph and try to identify different features of physical and human geography that you can see in the image.

Or you could even have a discussion with someone near you.

So analysing that image, what can we see? Well, in terms of the human geography, we can see many high-rise buildings.

In terms of the physical geography, we can see the relief of the land, the shape of the land, and it looks very flat, which certainly supports the construction of those many high-rise buildings.

We can see land use as well.

We can see a mixture of commercial land use as well as residential land use too.

It seems to be very densely populated since it's very built up.

But we do still see some green spaces.

We see evidence of traffic as well, quite densely congested traffic too.

And we also see the infrastructure, the road network there as well, which seems to be very well developed.

We also can see a high population density.

There seems to be a lot of people living in this area of the photograph that we can see.

So this image then is very, very useful.

But remember it's just a snapshot of one particular place in a very, very large city.

So we don't know how accurate it actually is.

So what we need to remember is that whilst imagery can be very, very useful, it needs to be supported by a range of different images as well.

To help us build up a broad picture of what life is like within a particular city.

It's time now for a learning check and it says, "Sam and Lucas are having a discussion.

Who do you think is correct?" So what you need to do then is pause the video here whilst you read through Sam and then Lucas' statements and then decide who you think is correct.

And the correct answer was Lucas.

And Lucas said that, "Using a selection of different images can help us to build up a better understanding of what Beijing is like." And he's absolutely correct.

We need to get away from stereotypes and the best way to achieve that is by using a selection of different images.

So really well done if you were able to select Lucas's answer.

Now, what images would you select to represent the place where you live? You may like to pause the video here whilst you consider your own answer to that question.

Right, now to our two practise questions for the first learning cycle.

And it says, "Look at this image of Beijing and list what clues you can see about the physical and human geography." The second practise question says, "Repeat the activity for as many of these images as you can." So what I'd like you to do then is pause the video whilst you attempt these two practise questions.

Best of luck.

And in terms of feedback, then, these are what you may have spotted in your answer.

Beginning with the first picture then, we can see many high rise buildings, some of them look very tall.

Commercial and residential land use seems to be possible in this image.

We can see evidence of perhaps a river.

We can see evidence as well of green spaces as well as a road network.

And finally, a high population density too.

For the second picture, then you may have included the fact that we can see a Chinese flag.

We can see snow and cold temperatures, thereby indicating perhaps a winter or temperate climate.

We can see infrastructure with the telephone and electricity wires.

We can see a quieter road as well so therefore perhaps is it residential land use? The third picture, then, we can see evidence of a busy road network.

We can see cycleways and bicycles-for-hire potentially, many high rise buildings.

These may be commercial for offices or perhaps residential for people to live in.

And people's clothing suggests that it's warm at this time of year.

The fourth image then we can see evidence about old buildings.

It might be a temple or a palace, it might be a tourist attraction, and we can see evidence of green spaces as well.

Finally, the last image we can see perhaps evidence of a shopping centre.

We don't know.

It is certainly a modern building and perhaps it's in part of a wealthy part of the city as well.

So really, really well done if you were able to include anything like what I've written there in the past few photographs.

Really well done.

Now, as Jun says, "Remember that Beijing is a huge city." It comprises almost 22 million people.

And these images that we've looked at really do only tell us a little bit about the story about what this place is like.

Now, as Izzy also says, "Perhaps you could try and search online for some more photographs to see what else you can find out about the geography of Beijing." Right, now to our second and final learning cycle.

And this one is, "Why is Beijing called a global city?" Well, Beijing is the capital city of China, and it's located, as you can see on the map in front of you, on the eastern coast of China.

It is also one of the country's largest cities.

Beijing is one of the most populous cities in China.

It has one of the highest populations in China.

It is also one of the largest cities in the world because, "Around 22 million people live in Beijing," as Sam says.

Global cities are really well-connected cities that are recognised as being of global importance.

And it really breaks down to four different factors.

We can find major centres for: business, culture, finance, and politics.

As Izzy says, "Global cities are sometimes called world cities." But for the duration of this lesson, we are gonna be calling them global cities.

On the screen in front of you are four really famous global cities.

Can you identify the global cities shown in the photographs? You may like to pause the video here whilst you study those photographs and try to identify the names of those global cities.

So working from left to right there, we can see New York as we are shown, by perhaps the Statue of Liberty there in the foreground.

We can see London as well.

We can see Tokyo, Japan, and finally Sydney, Australia.

Perhaps you were able to identify the Sydney Opera House again in the foreground.

Really, really well done if you're able to identify any of those global cities in front of you.

Now, some global cities are also megacities, and a megacity is any city with more than 10 million people living there.

Beijing then is a great example of a global city as well as a megacity.

It's a megacity because it has more than 10 million people there living there and is also a global city because it's a city of global importance.

It is the capital city of China, it is the home of the government, and therefore it is a global city.

Now, as Jun says, "There are several other mega cities in China, including Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai." And if we divert our attention to the map on the right-hand side for a moment, you can see the location and distribution of those mega cities I've just mentioned.

So a quick learning check, it says, "True or false, global cities are cities with more than 10 million inhabitants." What I'd like you to do then is pause the video here whilst you consider and then select your answer.

And the correct answer was false.

Now, once again, I'd like you to pause the video whilst you consider as to why the statement is false.

And the reason it's false is because global cities are well-connected cities that are recognised as being of global importance.

Megacities are cities with more than 10 million inhabitants.

So not all global cities are megacities, and perhaps not all megacities are global cities.

Beijing is both a global city and a megacity.

So really, really well done if you're able to get those two answers correct.

Beijing has a really, really high population density as evidenced and illustrated through the map that's in front of you.

This map is showing Beijing through its different type of land uses.

And if you look at the legend in the right-hand corner of the screen, you can see that the red indicates built-up areas.

This is where people are living.

So most of the city is covered by those built-up areas.

There are other types of land use too, including trees, water, and crops.

But without doubt, the dominant type of land use is built-up areas.

So Beijing is the capital city of China, and as a result, much of the country's politics takes place there.

There are many government buildings, foreign embassies, and international organisations in this city, and therefore this is one of the reasons what makes Beijing such a global city.

Beijing also has a really well-developed transport network and is well connected by road, rail, and air with other parts of the country and the rest of the world.

In fact, Lucas says that, "China has one of the longest rail networks in the world.

Its high speed trains, also known as bullet trains, can reach speeds of more than 350 kilometres per hour." So another learning check.

It says "True or false, it is difficult to travel from Beijing to other places in China and internationally.

What you need to do then is pause the video here whilst you select your answer.

And the correct answer was false.

Now, once again, I'd like you to pause the video whilst you consider as to why the statement is false.

And the reason it's false is because Beijing actually has a really good transport network and is really well connected by road, rail, and air with other parts of China and much more internationally around the world.

So really, really well done if you were able to get those two answers correct.

Beijing is also a really important financial centre for China, but also internationally.

It makes an important contribution to the country's economy and it is one of the wealthiest cities anywhere in the world.

As Sam says, "Beijing has the highest number of billionaires of any city in China," thereby proving its importance as a global city, but also importance in terms of a national perspective as well.

If we try and break down Beijing's economy, we understand then why so many billionaires live in China because there are many different types of industry found there as well.

So we find construction, we find entertainment, finance and banking, information technology, manufacturing, property, scientific research, and tourism.

All of these different industries play into Beijing's economy, which is what makes it so vibrant and booming.

Beijing is really important as well in terms of its history and culture, and the city is home to many museums and historical sites and millions of tourists, both national tourists from within the country as well as international tourists, visit Beijing each year from parts of China and from rest of the world.

Now, as Izzy said, "Beijing is actually one of the world's oldest cities." It was founded in the year 1045 BC so it is truly one of the world's oldest cities.

Beijing hosts many global conferences, events, and summits, and is one of the few cities to have hosted both the Summer and the Winter Olympics.

Now, whilst it hosted the Winter Olympics in 2022, it hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008, and the stadium in front of you is Beijing's National Stadium.

It's also known as the Birds Nest.

And it was created or built for those 2008 Summer Olympics, which really showcased China's economic strength across the globe.

So a quick learning check.

And it says, "Which of the following statements about Beijing are correct? Select two answers." So what I want you to do then is pause the video here whilst you read through the four options and select your two answers.

And the two correct answers are B and C.

B, It has hosted both the Summer and the Winter Olympics, and C, it is one of the wealthiest cities in the world.

Really, really well done if you were able to select B and C.

Right, now to our one and only practise question for the final learning cycle.

And it says, "Explain why Beijing is called a global city.

Include different reasons in your answer." Now Aisha says, "Think about why the city is important and how it is connected to the rest of the world." So what I want you to do then is pause the video here whilst you attempt this practise question.

Best of luck.

And in terms of feedback, here is a possible answer which you may have included in your own.

It says that, "Beijing is called a global city because of its importance for business, culture, politics, and finance.

Beijing is the capital of China and much of the country's politics takes place there.

The city is well connected by rail, sea, air, and roads with other parts of China and internationally.

Beijing makes a significant contribution to the country's economy.

Many different industries are based here and it is one of the wealthiest cities in the world.

The city is of cultural importance.

It's one of the oldest cities in the world and is home to many museums and historical sites.

Millions of tourists visit the city each year.

Beijing also regularly hosts international events.

Both the Summer and Winter Olympics have taken place there." So really, really well done if you were able to include anything like that in your own answer.

In terms of a learning summary, then, this is what we need to know from today's lesson.

Beijing is a global city, and a global city is a well-connected city.

This means that there are good transport and financial links across the world.

Now, why is a Beijing a global city? First of all, it's the capital city of China.

It's a major centre for finance and industry.

Millions of tourists visit each and every single year.

It's hosting many global events, conferences, and summits.

It has a rich history and culture.

And finally, it has a population of around 22 million people, which defines it as not only a global city, but also a megacity.

So really, really well done during today's lesson.

It was a pleasure teaching you and I will see you again on the next lesson.

Goodbye.