London is Europe's largest city, spreading across an area of more than 620 square miles from its core on the River Thames. Ethnically it's also Europe's most diverse metropolis: around two hundred languages are spoken within its confines, and more than thirty percent of the population is made up of first, second and third generation immigrants. Despite Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish devolution, London still dominates the national horizon, this is where the country's news and money are made, it's where the central government resides and, as far as its inhabitants are concerned, provincial life begins beyond the circuit of the city's orbital motorway.

ID：107112098-00017 London Eye　　   Picture Sources：ccnpic.com Gao Yanzhi

London has three main central business districts: the City of London, the West End in Westminster and Canary Wharf in Docklands. The City of London is the largest financial and business district in Europe.

London is one of the world's major business, political and cultural centres. It is a leader in international finance, politics, communications, entertainment, fashion and the arts and has considerable influence worldwide. It is widely regarded as one of the world's major global cities, and has been an important settlement for nearly 2000 years.

ID：109371-00036 Buckingham Palace　　   Picture Sources：ccnpic.com Ma Wencong

London has an extremely cosmopolitan population, drawing from a diverse range of peoples, cultures and religions, speaking over 300 different languages. Residents of London are referred to as Londoners.

London, the capital of Great Britain, is also one of the world's capitals of finance, fashion, arts and entertainment. You could spend days just shopping in London, too, mixing with the upper classes in the tiara triangle around Harrods, or sampling the offbeat weekend markets of Portobello Road, Camden and Greenwich. The music, clubbing and gay/lesbian scenes are second to none, and mainstream arts are no less exciting, with regular opportunities to catch brilliant theatre companies, dance troupes, exhibitions and opera. Restaurants, these days, are an attraction, too. London is now on a par with its European rivals, and offers a range from three-star Michelin establishments to low-cost, high-quality Chinese restaurants and Indian curry houses. Meanwhile, the city's pubs have heaps of atmosphere, especially away from the centre, and an exploration of the farther-flung communities is essential to get the complete picture of this dynamic metropolis.

ID：109371-00037 Houses of Parliament, Big Ben tower　　Picture Sources：ccnpic.com Ma Wencong

The city is an international transport hub and a major tourist destination, counting iconic landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace amongst its many attractions, along with famous institutions such as the British Museum and the National Gallery.

If you live fringe of the London suburbs, easily reach central London in less than half an hour by train and a further journey using the underground railway, docklands light railway or a london bus can take me anywhere in the capital city or the surrounding area. You can be enjoyed on a day out, including attractions, gardens, palaces, museums and historical buildings.

ID：107839-00207 British Museum　　   Picture Sources：ccnpic.com Song Wenzhou

ID：111376-00314 London scenery　　   Picture Sources：ccnpic.com Niu Jingtao

A great advantage of a day out in London is that you are not so affected by the weather, you can always find an attraction like a museum or art gallery even in winter, especially if accompanied by a hot meal in one of the hundreds of snack bars and restaurants.

London, the capital, draws increasing numbers of visitors, not only to the well documented attractions of the West End with its theatres, cinemas, shopping streets, restaurants, hotels and nightclubs, but to its historic treasures such as Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace. In addition, London has the vast green spaces of Hampstead Heath, Hyde and Richmond parks; vibrant street markets in Camden, Brick Lane or Portobello Road and many distinctive old pubs.

ID：112810-00008 London scenery　　   Picture Sources：ccnpic.com Zong Yuan

London's traditional sights Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, St Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London continue to draw in millions of tourists every year. Monuments from the capital's more glorious past are everywhere to be seen, from medieval banqueting halls and the great churches of Christopher Wren to the eclectic Victorian architecture of the triumphalist British Empire. There is also much enjoyment to be had from the city's quiet Georgian squares, the narrow alleyways of the City of London, the riverside walks, and the quirks of what is still identifiably a collection of villages. And even London's traffic problems are offset by surprisingly large expanses of greenery: Hyde Park, Green Park and St James's Park are all within a few minutes' walk of the West End, while, further afield, you can enjoy the more expansive countryside of Hampstead Heath and Richmond Park. (CCNPIC Tony Xie)