Qing Dynasty Establishes Its Capital at Beijing

Timeline

1. 1644Beijing · North ChinaAfter the Qing army occupied Beijing, Dorgon and the princes and ministers agreed to make Beijing the capital, inheriting the Ming palaces and administrative framework, replacing Shenyang (Mukden) as the secondary capital, and establishing the strategic direction of ruling the Central Plains.
2. 1644Beijing · North ChinaThe Qing restored central agencies such as the Six Ministries in Beijing, issued pacification edicts to attract Ming scholar-officials, and used slogans such as "avenging the Chongzhen Emperor" to win popular support, laying the political and social foundation for the capital.
3. 1644Hall of Supreme Harmony, Forbidden City · BeijingThe Shunzhi Emperor held his accession ceremony in Beijing, adopted the era name Shunzhi, and made Beijing the imperial capital, formally establishing the Qing's legitimacy as a unified dynasty there.
4. 1644Beijing · North ChinaAfter fixing the capital at Beijing, the Qing deployed military operations from the capital to pacify the south and northwest; the political significance of establishing the capital consolidated with national unification, inaugurating nearly three centuries of Qing rule.