Nanjing Yingtian Prefecture

Timeline

1. 1421Nanjing palace city · Nanjing CityAfter the Chengzu emperor moved the capital to Beijing, he decreed Nanjing a secondary capital, retaining the palace, offices, and city-wall establishment. Although Yingtian Prefecture lost its status as capital, it remained nominally a secondary seat of government; the imperial tombs and its symbolic significance as the founding capital kept its political status second only to Beijing.
2. 1422–1430Six Ministries Street, Nanjing · Nanjing CityNanjing retained the Six Ministries, the Censorate, the Transmission Office, and other central institutions, known as the 'secondary capital' or 'Nanjing offices,' administering affairs of the southern provinces as well as grain transport and salt administration. During the Hongxi and Xuande reigns the secondary-capital system operated stably, forming a north-south counterpart with the capital.
3. 1421–1430Longjiang, Nanjing · Nanjing CityAfter the move of the capital, Nanjing remained the base for building treasure ships and the anchorage of Zheng He's fleets, while also controlling the collection of Jiangnan grain taxes and the grain transport at the head of the Grand Canal. In 1421 Zheng He's sixth western ocean voyage departed from near Nanjing, demonstrating the secondary capital's continuing importance in maritime and inland waterway transport.