Beijing is a fast-growing and dynamic city that, while courting foreign businesses and visitors, still maintains a strong grip on its rich cultural heritage. Beijing is an ultra-modern metropolis with endless high-rise buildings, shopping malls, countless restaurants and a large number of international hotels – all connected by an intricate freeway system ... More> crisscrossing the city. All the same, the modern buildings overshadow traditional dwellings, parks, numerous world-renowned architectural treasures and yellow-tiled temples. Beijing has a monsoon-influenced climate with hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. The best time to visit is in September and October, a period known as the 'Golden Autumn'. With a population of 12 million and growing, Beijing is no dwarf compared to other worldwide travel destinations and it features a long list of impressive attractions that include the Great Wall of China, several palaces and Tiananmen Square.