Beijing in the Kangxi Era

Timeline

1. 1661–1669Forbidden City · Forbidden CityAfter the Shunzhi Emperor died, the eight-year-old Xuanye took the throne with the era name Kangxi. In the early years four ministers including Sonin and Oboi served as regents, with the court's center still in Beijing's Forbidden City. The separation of Manchu and Han officials, Eight Banners garrisons, and the concentration of Banner people in the Inner City continued and were reinforced, securing the capital's status as the seat of imperial command.
2. 1669–1670Wuying Hall area, Forbidden City · Forbidden CityIn 1669 the Kangxi Emperor, with young guards, cleverly captured Oboi, ending the powerful minister's autocracy and declaring his personal rule. Personnel and military-political decision-making in the Beijing court returned to the emperor, laying the political foundation for the subsequent pacification of the Three Feudatories and reform of governance, as the capital's affairs entered a new stage of direct imperial control.
3. 1661–1670Inner and outer cities of Beijing · BeijingIn the early Kangxi years Beijing still followed the Ming system of separate administration of inner and outer cities: the Inner City was garrisoned by the Eight Banners with the Imperial City at its center, while the Outer City was populated by Han merchants. The two adjacent counties of Wanping and Daxing managed civil affairs, and grain transport to the capital and temple fairs sustained supplies, while the city's population gradually grew in postwar recovery.