Dadu (Yuan Dadu)

Timeline

1. 1267–1271Site of the new Dadu city (present-day Beijing) · North ChinaKublai Khan ordered Liu Bingzhong to choose a site northeast of the Jin Zhongdu for a new capital, planning the imperial city, imperial city, and outer city according to Central Plains capital ritual conventions, establishing the basic layout of Yuan Dadu.
2. 1272Dadu · North ChinaKublai Khan moved the political center from Shangdu to Dadu, shifting the core of Yuan rule eastward, and Dadu became the empire's hub of administration, diplomacy, and commerce.
3. 1274–1280Dadu outer city and Tonghui River · North ChinaDadu's outer walls were largely completed, and Guo Shoujing oversaw the Tonghui River project linking Dadu with Tongzhou and the Grand Canal, keeping grain transport northward flowing smoothly as the city's population and commerce grew rapidly.
4. c. 1280–1300Dadu · North ChinaForeign visitors such as Marco Polo described Dadu's prosperity; postal relay stations and sea transport gathered merchants from many countries, making the city the eastern hub of the Eurasian exchange network, with diverse religions and markets coexisting.
5. 1368Dadu · North ChinaMing generals Xu Da and Chang Yuchun led troops to capture Dadu, Emperor Shun of Yuan fled north, and the historical phase of 'Dadu' as the Yuan capital ended; in the early Ming it was rebuilt as Beiping.