the capital of China is Beijing, though some may still call it Peking. Peking is rather traditional, and no longer used in China, except for in Peking duck, which originated in Beijing as an imperial food. Beijing is more of a "modern" imperial capital, being China’s seat of power for most of the last 1,000 years, and not featuring much before that. Beijing’s imperial attractions include the Forbidden City (Imperial Palace), the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. For older capitals, see Xi’an, Luoyang, and Nanjing.
Beijing is still seen as the strongest bastion of "communism" in the world today, though Chinese economic policy is ever increasingly capitalist. The era of Mao Zedong’s communist policies is long gone, and while he is still worshipped by some as China’s great leader (Mao’s Mausoleum "mecca" stands by Tian’anmen Square), most have abandoned the ideals he stood for in favor of modernization and development. This typifies the Beijing of today.
Everyone has heard of the Great Wall of China, but did you know it is only an hour (at its closest) from Beijing?