The ancient capital of China: a description, history and interesting facts

The ancient capital of China, an unprepared person can surprise with their number. There were four of them, but in the last century the list was expanded to 7 capitals. We briefly review each of them.

Beijing

The first capital of Ancient China, like everyone else, was located near the mountain range. The first settlements in this area existed from the first millennium BC. E. During the reign of the Zhou dynasty a military fortress was built here. In 1368, the Ming Dynasty was established . For some time the capital was moved to Nanjing, but the emperor Yongle returned the capital of the Ming Dynasty to Beijing. The architecture of modern Beijing is largely the legacy of the rule of the Ming and Qing dynasty. During the reign of the last of them were built the famous Peking gardens, the Old Summer Palace. During the reign of the Ming Dynasty, the Temple of Heaven was built, the Imperial Palace. It was the emperor Yongle who transformed Beijing, making it look like a chessboard.

Nanking

By the way, the capital of Ancient China from the time of the first emperor is Shanghai. However, the scientists did not list this city and Shanghai is not considered one of the historical capitals.

Nanjing is one of the most ancient cities in China. It was the capital of ten dynasties and the Republic of China. Today it is the capital of Jiangsu. Nanjing is well located between the two other capitals of Ancient China - Beijing and Shanghai. In translation, the name Nanking means "Southern capital". The city was founded in the 5th century. Bc. E. It was here that the greatest number of the most dangerous uprisings took place. By the way, it is here that the founder of the Ming dynasty is buried. In 1853, the city became the capital of the Taiping State, ruled by Hong Xiuqian. In 1912, under the pressure of the revolutionaries, the city became the capital of the Republic of China.

To date, Nanjing is a developed center. Every day more and more foreigners come here. The city is replenished with hotels, skyscrapers and luxury shopping centers. Like Shanghai, it turns into a cosmopolitan city.

Changyuan

The list of ancient capitals of China continues with the city of Chang'an, whose name means "long peace". During his time of existence he managed to visit the capital of several states in China. However, to date, in its place is the city of Xian.

The first settlements appeared in the Neolithic times. The capital of Chang'an became during the reign of the Tang Empire. As in Beijing, the building looked like a chessboard. In the middle of the 8th century more than 1 million people lived here, which at that time made the city the largest in the world. During the reign of the Ming Dynasty, the capital was moved to Beijing, and Changyuan was renamed into Xian.

Luoyang

The capital of ancient China, whose history we will now consider, was also one of the most ancient cities. The city of Luoyang was the capital of various Chinese states. The history of the city begins in the XI century. BC. E. It is believed that this is the first metropolitan Chinese city, which was built according to a well-thought-out plan, taking into account cosmological semantics. In the year 770 BC. E. Luoyang became the capital of the Zhou Empire. After that, he was the capital of the Wei kingdom, the Three Kingdoms and the Western Jin dynasty.

The heyday reached during the Sui, Tang and Sun. Luoyang became the cultural capital of Changyang. The construction of the Eastern capital, as it was then called Luoyang, began during the reign of the Sui dynasty. In just 2 years it was possible to build a completely new, transformed city. However, all the buildings were significantly damaged during the end of the Tang era, which was marked by frequent wars. The Luoyang Revival began during the reign of the Yuan and Ming dynasties. Today it is a small, relatively modern province.

Kaifeng

The historical capital of China was supplemented by three more cities. One of them is Kaifeng. He had a huge number of names: Bianlian, Dalyan, Liang, Banjing. The capital city was during the Song Dynasty in the period from 960 to 1127. During the reign of the Han Dynasty, the city was of great military importance. However, soon the kingdom of Wei built its capital on this territory, calling it Dalyan. When the kingdom of Wei was defeated by the Qin kingdom, the city was destroyed and abandoned. During the reign of the Eastern Wei Empire, the city was again named Kaifeng. Many times the city changed its name at the request of the rulers. Kaifeng under different names was the capital of the states of the Later Han, Later Qin, Later Zhou. According to scientists, in the period 1013-1027 the city was the largest in the world.

During its existence, the city was destroyed many times by military intervention or natural disasters. This did not prevent the masters from rebuilding it every time and making it the capital of their state.

Hangzhou

The list of the ancient capitals of China continues to the city of Hangzhou, which today is a province. In ancient times, before the Mongol invasion, the city was called Lin'an. It was the capital during the reign of the Southern Song Dynasty. At that time it was the most populated city in the world. To date, the city is known for its natural beauties, huge tea plantations and Lake Sihu. There are two important historical monuments - the 30-meter Baochu pagoda and the mausoleum of Yue Fei. As before, the city remains a historical center. Every weekend hundreds of Chinese come here to see the famous monuments. In addition, Hangzhou is a powerful industrial center. It is also called the city of a thousand Chinese corporations. A lot of goods are produced here. The international airport provides an opportunity to get from Hangzhou to any major city located in Southeast Asia.

Anyang

To date, the city is a small urban district. Anyang was created after the Qin kingdom united China into a single empire. Under the Sun Empire, the administrative division of Anyan became two-level. In addition, the city became the center of the collection of the authorities of Xiangzhou. At the end of the Sui Empire, it was here that a startling insurrection against the government began. The city was significantly impoverished due to the fact that it became the arena of military operations during the revolt of An Lushan.

In the summer of 1949, after the victory in the civil war, the Communists organized a province, the city of submission of which became Anyang. Over the years, Anyang was a part of various districts and regions. In 1983, the city district of Anyang was established.

Today we learned about the seven ancient capitals of China. The book on history can tell much more, but the history of China is incredibly huge and complex, so investing in the scale of the article is very difficult. However, we learned the most important and most interesting about the historical capitals of China, and also plunged into the historical roots of the cities and learned their current state. In any case, the capital of Ancient China is of great interest not only for researchers, but also for ordinary tourists. China is a mysterious country that fascinates with its diversity and brilliance.