Early Qing Beijing as Capital

Timeline

1. 1644Forbidden City and Inner City · BeijingIn June 1644 Dorgon led Qing forces into Beijing, establishing a ruling center based on Ming palaces and city walls. The Shunzhi Emperor then entered the capital and ascended the throne; Beijing formally became the Qing imperial capital, inheriting the Ming structure of palace city, imperial city, and inner and outer cities.
2. 1645–1650Inner and Outer Cities of Beijing · BeijingDuring the Shunzhi reign the Qing court renovated palaces, government offices, and altars in Beijing, established central institutions such as the Six Boards and the Censorate, and arranged Eight Banners garrisons and Manchu city quarters. The capital's functions gradually shifted from the transitional period after the Ming collapse to a long-term political, ritual, and military command center of the Qing.
3. 1648–1650Manchu Garrison District of Beijing's Inner City · BeijingBy around 1650, the banner garrison, patrol, and gate-control systems of Beijing's Inner City had stabilized, and a spatial division between Manchu and Han areas began to take shape. The capital's status as the Qing seat of command over the whole realm was consolidated amid the wars of pacifying the Central Plains.