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Liao Supreme Capital (Shangjing)

Type Object Region Northeast Asia Time 918–1125

Shangjing Lianhuangfu, the Liao dynasty's supreme capital in present-day Bairin Left Banner, Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, built by Liao founder Abaoji.

Timeline

  1. 918–938Shangjing Lianhuangfu · Inner Mongolia Autonomous RegionThe Liao founder built Lianhuangfu north of the Hun River, establishing an imperial city, a Han city, and a felt-tent district, designating it as Shangjing; the city walls imitated Tang models while preserving the Khitan ordo nomadic tradition, becoming a model of the Liao empire's steppe capital.
  2. 1007–1050Shangjing Lianhuangfu · Inner Mongolia Autonomous RegionAfter Emperor Shengzong built Zhongjing Dadingfu, the political center shifted south, but Shangjing remained the site of the imperial ancestral tombs and a seasonal secondary capital; Buddhist halls, markets, and multi-ethnic communities continued within the city, making it the Liao's symbolic capital.
  3. 1051–1060Shangjing Lianhuangfu · Inner Mongolia Autonomous RegionFrom the late reign of Xingzong to the early reign of Daozong, the Liao emperors still regularly toured Shangjing to conduct the four-season nabo camps and perform ancestral sacrifices; after Xingzong's death in 1055, Daozong went to Shangjing to manage the funeral, and city maintenance and monastic activities proceeded as usual, with Shangjing maintaining its status as a secondary capital.

Sources