Like other metropolitan cities in the world, Beijing sees many "outsiders" coming in and settling in the city every year. It is a city that has the largest number of non-native people in China.

"Native Beijingers are very kind to people from other provinces. They don't bully them because they aren't native people. The city has a culture that welcomes everyone, including native Beijingers and non-native ones, to compete on a same platform," said Ms. Wang who was originally from Henan. She has worked in Beijing for four years now.

In Beijing, there are many government institutions, research bodies, big companies as well as top-level universities. This creates a multifaceted background where people with different talents and skills can all find a place here. Her generosity has attracted many elite people to come to work here from other places.

Ms. Chen, who was from Fujian in southeast China, works in a foreign-funded company in Beijing. She is now a department manager in the company.

"I spent my college life in Beijing. After graduation, I settled down here and later married my present husband. We definitely wanted to become a part of the city. Now we have established our own family, so we have realized our dream," she said.

With a smile, she said that Beijing could assimilate any "outsiders". She has gradually integrated herself into the local culture in every tiny aspect, from language to lifestyle. And now she is well adapted to the new environment.

One can also sense the city's generosity from the food here. In Beijing, one can see almost every kind of restaurants specializing in a certain flavor: the spicy food famous in Sichuan, the sweet food typical in Shanghai, the light-flavor food popular in Chaozhou, and the slightly salty local food. No matter who you are or where you are from, you can enjoy all kinds of delicious food here.

Popular music bands, pioneering arts, first-class stage dramas, and classic concerts are enjoyed by people from time to time in Beijing, reminding you that Beijing is in essence a cultural city. Many artists in the entertainment circle are from other places, popularly called "Bei Piao" (Beijing's migrants). Many of them experienced a hard time before becoming famous and once they have become celebrities, they mostly enjoy their life here.

The city's generosity has also won praise from writers. A famous writer, Su Shuyang, once said, "Beijing natives are liberal in nature. They are not exclusive to non-natives. Yet they can assimilate non-natives, not by force, but by spirit, by their own culture, by the way they live and smile. In the end, any non-native is willing to become a part of the native culture themselves. "

(Chinanews.cn April 19, 2007)