Xicheng District, well equipped with facilities of life services, is a pleasant place to live.
  The ring roads and urban expressways serving the area make Xicheng one of the most convenient districts when it comes to transportation. Lifestyle compatible facilities and amenities have convinced many to choose Xicheng as a place to buy homes and settle down. The district's basic education is a leader in Beijing, even nationwide. Advanced teaching ideas, rich teaching resources and modern teaching facilities all serve to provide a satisfactory environment for children's growth. Xicheng District's fully developed health-care system and its flourishing culture and sports facilities make it possible for the people living in the district to fully enjoy life despite the pressures and strains of hard work.

  To create a more pleasant environment, the district's administration is continuing to fulfill the strategy of " sustainable development," with strategies that will alleviate pollution, improve the area's water and acoustic quality. The ecology of the district has been improved dramatically, and environmental protection, as an ideal and a reality, will be enhanced.

  Transportation in Xicheng is very convenient. Xichang'an Jie and the West Second Ring Road connect roads in Xicheng and other main roads in Beijing. Xicheng District is also an important transportation hub of Beijing. Xihuan Square, an interchange centre for state railway, urban light-rail, subway and other public transportation vehicles, is a comprehensive solid transportation hub, which mainly focuses on the interchange of rail-transportation, assisted by ground-based public transportation, integrating diverse transportation systems with service functions. Passengers get access to the interchanges, while enjoying the comfort of good services.

  The educational system in Xicheng District is highly developed. It has a life-long educational system featuring schools, pre-schools, technical schools, special education, excurricular programmes for teenager s and other higher learning. The Beijing No. 4 Middle School and some of the district's other schools are famous nationwide.

  Xicheng District abounds in historic sites and relics. There are 18 national and municipal museums in the district, along with 103 historical and cultural sites. The new Capital Museum, which opened in 2005, displays thousands of items from Beijing's colourful history; most of them are on view to the Chinese and world public for the first time in history.

  The China Science and Technology Museum is the sole comprehensive science and technology museum in China. Its exhibitions focus on using a combination of science, knowledge and interest to highlight scientific theories and technological applications. The museum encourages its audience to view and use real scientific products. It popularizes scientific knowledge, while encouraging the public to embrace the scientific method, thinking and spirit. In addition to its practical activities, the museum arranges lectures popularizing scientific knowledge.

  Xicheng District is rich in health-care resources. The Peking University First Hospital, The People's Hospital of Peking University, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital and Beijing Children's Hospital are some of the well-known hospitals in Beijing, which are equipped with top-level medical experts and facilities. On average, for every one thousand people in Xicheng, there are 6.7 doctors, a world standard.

  Caring for elderly people and the disabled is an important element in developing and maintaining a harmonious society. To improve service levels and capabilities, the civil servants of Xicheng District have invited teachers from the school of special education to teach them sign-language so that they can communicate with the deaf in the district and serve them better.

  Xicheng District was cited as a "National Civilized District" in 2005. It has more than 80 venues offering large-scale cultural activities, which provide good conditions for colourful cultural activities in the district.

  The Shichahai Sports School is a national base for training sportsmen and women. It has been named a base of national reserve sportsmen. It offers training courses in the martial arts, gymnastics, volleyball, table tennis, badminton, weight-lifting, tae kwon do and boxing. It has produced world champions, including the worldfamed gymnasts, Teng Haibin and Ma Yanhong; champions of table tennis, Wang Tao and Zhang Yining; tae kwon do Olympic gold-medallist, Luo Wei; Jet Li, a famous film star and martial arts champion; Liu Qinghua, martial arts champion of the Asian Games; Xie Jun, women's world chess champion and Dong Jiong, a champion of badminton.

  Even during the Qing Dynasty, Xicheng District was a residential area for most citizens. These days, residents enjoy modern lives filled with tennis, swimming, hip-hop music, extreme spor ts and other contemporary activities, but they can also adhere to the lifestyles of old Beijing such as ballroom dancing, feeding and listening to songbirds or playing taiji or yangge. Today's Xicheng stands at the intersection of the past and the contemporary, the eastern and western cultures.

  The 29th Olympic Game is a dream for Beijing residents, and the people of Xicheng District are looking forward to the 2008 Olympic Games with unprecedented enthusiasm.