Beijing

:Peking is also the name of an asteroid, see 2045 Peking.

History

There were cities in the vicinities of Beijing by the 1st millennium BC, and the capital of the State of Yan (燕), one of the powers of the Warring States Period, was established at Ji (T: 薊 / S: 蓟), near modern Beijing. Ji has often been claimed to be the beginning of Beijing; but in reality Ji had been abandoned no later than the 6th century. The exact location of Ji remains unknown despite much effort in recent decades to identify the site.

Related Topics:
1st millennium BC - State of Yan - Warring States Period - 6th century

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During the Sui and Tang dynasties, only small towns existed in this area. Numerous ancient poets came here to mourn the lost city, as testified by their compositions.

Related Topics:
Sui - Tang

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In 936, the Later Jin Dynasty (936-947) of northern China ceded a large part of its northern frontier, including modern Beijing, to the Khitan Liao Dynasty in the 10th century. In 938 the Liao Dynasty set up a secondary capital in what is now Beijing, and called it Nanjing ("the Southern Capital"). In 1125, the Jurchen Jin Dynasty annexed Liao, and in 1153 moved its capital to Liao's Nanjing, calling it Zhongdu (中都), or "the Central Capital". Zhongdu was situated in what is now the area centred around Tianningsi, slightly to the southwest of central Beijing.

Related Topics:
936 - Later Jin Dynasty - 947 - Khitan - Liao Dynasty - 10th century - 938 - 1125 - Jurchen - Jin Dynasty - 1153 - Tianningsi

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Mongol forces burned Zhongdu to the ground in 1215 and rebuilt its own "Grand Capital", Dadu (大都, Wade-Giles: Ta-tu), to the north of the Jin capital in 1267, which was the true beginning of contemporary Beijing. This site is known as "Cambaluc" in Marco Polo's accounts. Apparently, Kublai Khan, who wanted to become a Chinese emperor, established his capital in Beijing instead of more traditional sites in central China because Beijing was closer to his power base in Mongolia. The decision of the Khan greatly enhanced the status of a city that had been situated on the northern fringe of China proper. Dadu was situated north of modern central Beijing. It centred on what is now the northern stretch of the 2nd Ring Road, and stretched northwards to between the 3rd and 4th Ring Roads. There are remnants of Mongol-era wall still standing.

Related Topics:
1215 - Wade-Giles - 1267 - Marco Polo - China proper - 2nd Ring Road - 3rd - 4th Ring Road

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In 1403, the 3rd Ming emperor Zhu Di (朱棣) moved the Ming capital from Nanjing to Beijing (北京), or "Northern Capital", situated in the north. He also gave it its modern name. Beijing during the Ming Dynasty took its current shape, and the Ming-era city wall served as the walls to the city until modern times, when it was pulled down and the 2nd Ring Road was built in its place.

Related Topics:
1403 - Zhu Di - Nanjing - Ming Dynasty - 2nd Ring Road

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The Forbidden City was constructed soon after that (1406-1420), followed by the Temple of Heaven (1420), and numerous other construction projects. Tian'anmen, which has become a state symbol of the People's Republic of China and is featured on its emblem, was burned down twice during the Ming Dynasty and the final reconstruction was carried out in 1651.

Related Topics:
Forbidden City - 1406 - 1420 - Temple of Heaven - Tian'anmen - People's Republic of China - 1651

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After the Manchus overthrew the Ming Dynasty and established the Qing Dynasty in its place, Beijing remained China's capital throughout the Qing period.

Related Topics:
Manchu - Qing Dynasty

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The Xinhai Revolution of 1911, aimed at replacing Qing rule with a republic, originally intended to establish its capital at Nanjing. After high-ranking Qing official Yuan Shikai forced the abdication of the Qing emperor in Beijing and ensured the success of the revolution, the revolutionaries in Nanjing accepted that Yuan should be the president of the ROC, and that the capital should remain at Beijing.

Related Topics:
Xinhai Revolution - 1911 - Nanjing - Yuan Shikai

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Yuan gradually consolidated power, culminating in his declaration of a Chinese Empire in late 1915 with himself as Emperor. The move was highly unpopular, and Yuan himself died less than a year later, ending his brief reign. China then fell under the control of regional warlords, and the most powerful factions fought frequent wars (The Zhili-Anhui War, the First Zhili-Fengtian War and the Second Zhili-Fengtian War) to take control of the capital at Beijing.

Related Topics:
1915 - Zhili-Anhui War - First Zhili-Fengtian War - Second Zhili-Fengtian War

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Following the success of the Kuomintang's Northern Expedition which pacified the warlords of the north, Nanjing was officially made the capital of the Republic of China in 1928, and Beijing was renamed Beiping ("Northern Peace" or "North Pacified") to emphasize that the warlord government in Beijing was not legitimate.

Related Topics:
Kuomintang - Northern Expedition - 1928

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During the second Sino-Japanese War, Beiping fell to Japan on July 29, 1937. During the occupation, the city was reverted to its former name, Beijing, and made the seat of the North China Executive Committee (T: 華北政務委員會 / S: 华北政务委员会), a puppet state that ruled Japanese-occupied North China. With Japan's surrender in World War II, on August 15, 1945, however, Beijing's name was changed back to Beiping.

Related Topics:
Second Sino-Japanese War - Japan - July 29 - 1937 - North China Executive Committee - Puppet state - North China - World War II - August 15 - 1945

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On January 31, 1949, during the Chinese Civil War, Communist forces entered Beiping without a fight. On October 1 of the same year, the Communist Party of China, under the leadership of Mao Zedong, announced in Tian'anmen the creation of the People's Republic of China in Beijing. Just a few days earlier, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference decided that Beiping would be the capital of the PRC, and that its name be changed back to Beijing.

Related Topics:
January 31 - 1949 - Chinese Civil War - October 1 - Communist Party of China - Mao Zedong - Tian'anmen - People's Republic of China - Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

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At the time of the founding of the People's Republic, Beijing Municipality consisted of just its urban area and immediate suburbs. The urban area was divided into many small districts inside what is now the 2nd Ring Road, with most of the city wall still intact until the 1950s. Since then several surrounding counties have been incorporated into the Municipality, enlarging the limits of Beijing Municipality by many times and giving it its present shape.

Related Topics:
2nd Ring Road - City wall - 1950s - Counties

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Following the economic reforms of Deng Xiaoping, the urban area of Beijing has expanded greatly. Formerly within the confines of the 2nd Ring Road and the 3rd Ring Road, the urban area of Beijing is now pushing at the limits of the recently-constructed 5th Ring Road, with many areas that were formerly farmland now developed residential or commercial neighborhoods. A new commercial area has developed in the Guomao area, Wangfujing and Xidan have developed into flourishing shopping districts, while Zhongguancun has become a major center of electronics in China.

Related Topics:
Economic reforms - Deng Xiaoping - 2nd Ring Road - 3rd Ring Road - 5th Ring Road - Guomao - Wangfujing - Xidan - Zhongguancun

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As the national capital, Beijing has also been the site of political turmoil in recent years. Tiananmen Square, widely regarded as the spiritual center of China, was the site of first the Tiananmen Square protests of 1976 and then the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, which ended in a military crackdown. Tiananmen Square has also been the site of protests by Falun Gong.

Related Topics:
Tiananmen Square - Tiananmen Square protests of 1976 - Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 - Falun Gong

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In recent years, the expansion of Beijing has also brought to the forefront some problems of urbanization, such as heavy traffic, poor air quality, the loss of historic neighborhoods, and significant influx of migrants from poorer regions of the country, especially rural areas.

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Early 2005 saw the approval by government of a plan to finally stop the sprawling development of Beijing in all directions. Development of the Chinese capital would now proceed in two semicircular bands just outside of the city centre (both west and east) instead of being in concentric rings.

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Beijing has been chosen to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, an event that sparked nationalistic pride across China.

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