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Dadu/Beijing (Yuan–Ming transition)

Type Object Region China Time 1267

Kublai Khan began building Dadu in 1267, which became the Yuan capital in 1272, establishing Beijing's spatial pattern as North China's political cen…

Timeline

  1. 1267–1272Yuan Dadu city · BeijingKublai Khan ordered Liu Bingzhong and others to plan and build Dadu, constructing city walls, palaces, and a canal system, establishing the layout of the Yuan imperial capital and making Beijing for the first time the capital of a unified dynasty.
  2. 1368–1420Beiping · BeijingIn the early Ming, Dadu was renamed Beiping; the Hongxi Emperor briefly returned the capital here; the Yongle Emperor carried out large-scale reconstruction of palaces and walls in preparation for making it the capital again.
  3. 1421Beijing · BeijingThe Yongle Emperor formally moved the capital and renamed it Beijing; the Forbidden City was completed, and Beijing once again became the Ming capital, continuing the imperial capital status since Yuan Dadu and influencing the form of later capitals.
  4. 1421Beijing · BeijingAfter the Yongle relocation, Beijing underwent imperial capital construction through the Ming and Qing dynasties and modern urban transformation, continuously evolving on the site of Yuan Dadu and becoming China's long-term political center.

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