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Shangdu (Kaiping)

Type Object Region China Time 1256–1368

Before his accession, Kublai Khan built Kaiping Prefecture at Jinlianchuan south of the Gobi, later renamed Shangdu, the Yuan summer capital paired w…

Timeline

  1. 1256–1260Jinlianchuan · Inner MongoliaAfter being enfeoffed south of the Gobi, Kublai built a city at Jinlianchuan, initially named Kaiping Prefecture, as a political base linking the steppe heartland with the Han Chinese lands; Liu Bingzhong and others participated in its planning and construction.
  2. 1263–1270Shangdu · Inner MongoliaIn the fourth year of Zhongtong, Kaiping Prefecture was elevated to Shangdu, forming a two-capital system with the later Dadu; each year the emperor traveled to Shangdu at the summer solstice to escape the heat and govern, holding court assemblies, sacrifices, and gatherings of the princes.
  3. 1358–1369Shangdu · Inner MongoliaAmid the late-Yuan wars, Shangdu was repeatedly attacked and plundered; after the Ming army's northern campaign the city was burned, and the Yuan summer capital was abandoned, with its ruins now listed as a World Heritage Site.

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