Peking is a very ancient city. It was the captial of the Kingdom of China for 3000 years: for over 800 years it served as the capital of the Republic of China. The history of the city reflects the history of the nation through a long period of time, during which the people have secured more and more freedom. About the city there is a wall sixty feet in height. The gates in that wall were formerly locked at night, as was the custom in other walled cities of Asia and Europe. The wall about Peking has now been broken, and a modern railroad comes into the city. Its population is 1,200,000.