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Zhongdu of the Jin Dynasty

Type Object Region China Time 1153–1240

Jin's Zhongdu, the capital after Emperor Shizong's move, lay southwest of modern Beijing as the Jin political, military, and ceremonial center;…

Timeline

  1. 1153–1214Jin Zhongdu · Beijing MunicipalityEmperor Shizong of Jin moved the capital from Shangjing to Yanjing and built Zhongdu; its palaces, walls, and ward-market layout modeled on Song's Bianjing became the core capital of Jin rule over the Central Plains.
  2. 1215Jin Zhongdu · Beijing MunicipalityMongol forces captured Zhongdu, burning its palaces and government offices; Emperor Xuanzong of Jin was forced to move the capital to Nanjing (Kaifeng), and Zhongdu lost its capital status, suffering severe devastation.
  3. 1216–1240Jin Zhongdu · Beijing MunicipalityAfter the capital moved, Zhongdu's population plummeted and its palace city fell into ruin, as Jin's center of rule shifted south. In the 1230s Mongol power consolidated in North China, Zhongdu's site became ruins, and its political significance gave way to Nanjing and other cities.

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