Chaoyang District (simplified Chinese: 朝阳区; traditional Chinese: 朝陽區; pinyin: Cháoyáng Qū; lit. "facing the sun") is a district of Beijing, China.

Chaoyang is home to the majority of Beijing's many foreign embassies, the well-known Sanlitun bar street, as well as Beijing's growing CBD. The Olympic Green, built for the 2008 Summer Olympics, is also in Chaoyang. Chaoyang extends west to Chaoyangmen on the eastern 2nd Ring Road, and nearly as far east as the Ximazhuang toll station on the Jingtong Expressway. Within the urban area of Beijing, it occupies 475 square kilometers, making it the largest district, with Haidian second. As of 2005, Chaoyang had a total population of 3,642,000, making it the second most populous in Beijing. The district has jurisdiction over 22 subdistrict offices and 20 area offices. Chaoyang is also home to Silk Street, and many other market areas, shopping malls, and restaurant strips.

Government and infrastructureThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture are headquartered in the district.

EconomyChina National Aviation Holdings Company (parent company of Air China),SOHO China,CITIC Group, Sinopec,and Beijing Capital Airlines have their headquarters in Chaoyang District.

According to Chaoyang's official website, the district "is home to more than 60 percent of the foreign business agencies in Beijing, over 3,000 foreign companies, 167 international news agencies, and two-thirds of the 158 of the global top 500 transnational companies that have invested in Beijing." Some of these are:

ABB Group (China headquarters), Air France, All Nippon Airways, (Beijing Office, Beijing Fortune Building) Halliburton, IBM, KBR, Kerr-McGee China Petroleum Ltd. (Anadarko Petroleum Corporation subsidiary), Korean Air (Hyundai Motor Tower (现代汽车大厦 Xiàndài qìchē dàshà)), Kroll Inc., Lummus Technology, a subsidiary of CB&I, Lufthansa (Beijing Lufthansa Center),[23] Asiana Airlines, Standard & Poor's, Swire Group, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, and Qatar Airways.

The Hong Kong-based company Swire Properties has two locations in Chaoyang.

Embassies

Chaoyang serves as Beijing's diplomatic district. Except for those of Russia and Luxembourg, all foreign embassies to China are located in the district. Chaoyang has three embassy areas in the Sanlitun, Chaoyangmen Wai and Liangmahe neighborhoods.

Developments

Transformers: Dark of the Moon character in BeijingChaoyang District is one of the fastest growing districts in the Beijing Metropolitan Area. There are several subway lines running through the district. The Beijing Capital Airport, although surrounded by the Shunyi District, is an exclave of Chaoyang District. The municipality as well as the Chinese national government spend almost a half million USD per day on developing this district.

Notable areas

Beijing Dongyue Temple

Poly Art Museum (Baoli Yishu Bowuguan)

798 Art Zone

Beijing Capital International Airport

Beijing Central Business District

Bird's Nest

Chaowai

Chaoyang Park

Chaoyangmen

Dabeiyao

Guomao

Olympic Green

Sanlitun

Shifoying

Wangjing

Water Cube

Workers Stadium

Yabao Street