A trip to the capitals of China - 中國歷代首都之行

ChinaIt is the greatest civilized country in Asia. Although the Chinese civilization has a history of five thousand years, the empire was finally unified in 221 BC, and after a revolution in 1911, the empire era officially ended.

The name of China literally means "the country of the central government"; and the regions outside China, such as the barbarians, barbarians, Rong, Di, etc., "inhabit the partiality of the heavens and the earth," the land of their subjects, called the four barbarians, the so-called " The emperor has a way and guards the Siyi." This view is quite similar to the Roman concept, that the Mediterranean (latin medi, middle terra, earth) is the center of the world.

destination

  • Anyang: The last capital of the Yin and Shang Dynasty.
  • Beijing: It means "the capital of the north". It is the capital of China and the capital of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
  • Nanjing: Means "the capital of the south". The capital of the early Ming Dynasty was also the capital of the Republic of China.
  • Xi'an: Ancient name "Chang'an", the capital of Qin Dynasty, Western Han Dynasty and Tang Dynasty.
  • Luoyang: The capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
  • Kaifeng: The capital of the Northern Song Dynasty.
  • Hangzhou: The capital of the Southern Song Dynasty.
  • Datong: The capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and the accompanying capital of the Liao and Jin dynasties.
  • Great Wall: ListedUNESCO World HeritageList.

Dynasty and Capital

The Forbidden City is the palace of 24 emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties

The age of China's empire spanned at least from 1700 to 1911 BC, and was inherited by many dynasties with different names. Among them, the Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty can be said to be two golden ages in the history of Chinese civilization. In this long history, many cities have acted as capitals of empires and many separatist dynasties;Beijing、NanjingThe capitals representing the north and the south were the capitals of many dynasties. In additionXi'an(Chang'an) was also an important capital before the Tang Dynasty.

  • From 2852 BC to 2205 BC,Sovereigns and Five EmperorsIt is a part of ancient Chinese legends and myths. Before written records appeared, history was passed down through oral narration from generation to generation. These contents were not recorded until later and became ancient historical legends in the literature. There are rich ancient Chinese documents. From the content of ancient history legends, we can understand the general social appearance and development changes of China's primitive age.
  • Liangzhu CultureIs from 3400 to 2250 BC, inTaihuThe last Neolithic culture in the surrounding area. This era has quite advanced civilization in irrigation technology and some cities.
  • LegendXia ChaoRuled the Yellow River from 2100 BC to 1600 BC, although some experts believe that this history is more legendary than other dynasties; however, archaeological evidence from the Erlitou site shows that at least the early Bronze Age civilization has developed during that period stand up.
  • From 1700 to 1027 BCShang Dynasty, Is the first dynasty with a complete historical basis. They only rule the Yellow River, the capital isHenanAnyangnearby. During this period, written Chinese characters began to develop, as evidenced by written records carved by tortoise shells and cow bones.
  • Zhou DynastyFrom 1027 BC to 221 BC, their first capital was in Hokyo (the current cityXi'annearby). After the defeat of the war in 771 BC, he moved to Luoyi (for today’sLuoyang) And continued as the capital of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. The Zhou Dynasty is the oldest dynasty in Chinese history (about 800 years) and the first to expand the empire toYangtzeWatershed andTaihusurrounding area. The central power of the Zhou Dynasty is the king's power, and the Zhou king is the highest authority. Under it, through the feudal system, the patriarchal system, the ritual and music system and other ordinance systems, the relationship with the princes, officials, and the people of the country was maintained. The Zhou Dynasty official system is complicated and unclear, which is an unclear problem. The entire social class can be compared to a sharp cone. From the vertical section, the feudal system with the relationship between the monarch and the ministers is viewed from the top to the bottom, and the patriarchal system with the blood source relationship from the tip to the cone is viewed from the cross section.
  • Between 770 BC and 476 BCSpring and Autumn Period, And from 476 BC to 221 BCWarring States Period. Ancient Chinese philosophers such as Confucius and Laozi were in the Spring and Autumn Period, and most scholars were also in this period, such as Sun Tzu (known as Sun Tzu's Art of War) was in this era. As for Mencius, he is the second famous Confucian thinker after Confucius. He was in the Warring States Period. Although King Zhou was still the nominal ruler of China during this period, it was actually a period of political turmoil, with power dispersed among the feudal princes, and civil wars continued to occur during this period.
  • Qin DynastyEstablished from 221 to 207 BC, Qin Shihuang defeated the six feudal states of the Zhou Dynasty and became the first ruler to unify the territory of China. Therefore, the empire is so complete that Ying Zheng has the first monarch in history to use the title of emperor: Emperor Qin Shi Huang or Qin Shi Huang. Qin Shihuang was the first to introduce a centralized system for the whole country. The capital of the dynasty isXianyang(AtXi'anNearby); and today's famous tourist attraction-"Terracotta Warriors and Horses", was the tomb built for Qin Shihuang at that time. And the English name of China "China", this word may also come from the Indian "Chin" at that time.
  • Han DynastyEstablished from 202 BC to 220 AD, the capital is located in Chang'an (the ancient name of Xi’an in the Western Han Dynasty) and Luoyang (the ancient name of Xi’an in the Eastern Han Dynasty). This isSilk roadThe period of the first trade was also the period of the invention of paper. At that time, the Chinese still had the Han nationality as the largest ethnic group, and the Chinese characters were also called "Chinese characters. Most Chinese believed that the Han Dynasty was the first golden age of Chinese civilization.
  • At the end of the Han Dynasty (Eastern Han Dynasty), due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, local powers were authorized to quell the chaos, which led to the rise of local power. The period when the Han Dynasty split into three countries is what is called todayThree Kingdoms EraThe three countries are Wei, Shu, and Wu. Although the campaign lasted for nearly sixty years, it was a very romantic period in Chinese history. The capitals of the three countries are located inLuoyang(Wei),Chengdu(Shu) and Jianye (Wu, for today’sNanjing）。
  • Jin DynastyIt was established between 265 AD and 420 AD before reunifying China. Until 317 AD, although the Jin Dynasty still existed (this is the Eastern Jin Dynasty), its territory only controlled less than half of the original area. During the reunification period, the capital was Luoyang (Western Jin Dynasty), and later it was Jiankang (Eastern Jin Dynasty, which is today's Nanjing).
  • From 317 AD to 581 AD, China began to split. The capitals of important countries includeDatong、Luoyang、Xi'an、Nanjing、Suzhou。
  • From 581 AD to 618 ADSui Dynasty, China was reunified, and the capital was in Chang'an. And began construction of major public projects such as the Grand Canal, but went bankrupt during the large-scale Koguryo military operation.
  • Tang DynastyEstablished from 618 AD to 907 AD, the capital was located in Chang'an, with the accompanying capitals of Luoyang in the east and Jinyang in the north. This period was the golden age of the development of Chinese poetry and Buddhism. The imperial examination system in the Sui Dynasty, after Wu Zetian came to power, successfully developed officials who were selected based on ability rather than family background. Most modern Chinese believe that the Tang Dynasty is the second golden age of Chinese civilization, and the overseas Chinese streets are usually called Chinatowns.
  • China was divided again for more than 50 years, before it was briefly controlled by a few small countries. Capitals of countries includeFuzhou、Guangzhou、Yangzhou、ChangshaWait.
  • SongEstablished from 960 AD to 1279 AD, it once again integrated most of China. The capital was in Bianliang (Northern Song Dynasty, today isKaifeng); until the northern privet tribe invaded, the Song Dynasty moved the capital to Lin'an (Southern Song Dynasty, today isHangzhou). Despite the weak military, the Song Dynasty reached an unparalleled level of commercial and economic development before the Western Industrial Revolution. A few years after Mongolia’s conquest,Marco PoloDescribe Hangzhou as one of the richest and most beautiful cities on earth.
  • Jin DynastyA country established by the Jurchens, an invader from Manchuria. They ruled northern China from 1115 to 1234, and fought a series of uncertain wars with Song; their capital was Zhongdu (today isBeijing）。
  • Yuan Dynasty(Also known asGreat Yuan Great Mongolia) Was established from 1279 to 1368, during the period of Mongol rule, which made China a greatMongolian Empirea part of. After Genghis Khan defeated the Jin Dynasty established by the Jurchens, his grandson Kublai defeated the Southern Song Dynasty and unified China; the capital of the Yuan Dynasty was the capital (nowBeijing）。Marco PoloOf visits, translated mostly intoCambrac(Cambulac), which meansKhan's Camp。
  • Ming DynastyA country established by the Han people from 1368 to 1644. At first, Yingtian Mansion (now Nanjing) was the capital, and later the capital was moved to Shuntian Mansion (now Beijing). The Ming Dynasty built many famous buildings in Beijing, including the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven. The famous Chinese novels such as "Jin Ping Mei", "Journey to the West", "Water Margin", and "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" are also the works of the Ming Dynasty.
  • Qing DynastyA country established by Manchurian Jurchens from 1644 to 1912. They used Shuntian Mansion (now Beijing) as their capital; however, before it was Shengjing (now Beijing)Shenyang), was the capital at that time, and later turned into the accompanying capital. The famous Chinese novel "A Dream of Red Mansions" is a collection of works from the Qing Dynasty.
  • From 1911 to 1949, fromRepublic of ChinaRule and move the capital backNanjing. After retreating from the mainland in 1949, it controlled several small islands off the coast of Taiwan and Fujian;TaipeiIt is the "temporary capital" of the Republic of China and is now the capital. However, during World War II,ChongqingIt is also the temporary capital.
  • Since the victory of the Communist Party in the Civil War between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in 1949,BeijingalwaysPeople's Republic of Chinas capital.

route

Related

BookTopic entryIt is an outline item and needs more content. It has entry templates, but there is not enough information at this time. Please go forward and help it enrich!