Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1215
The Mongols, under Genghis Khan, break through the Great Wall at several points and sack
Zhōngdū, razing it to the ground and slaughtering its inhabitants.
1264
The first Yuan emperor, Kublai Khan, sets about rebuilding the city his grandfather destroyed.
1272
Kublai Khan renames the city Dàdū, or 'Great Capital', and officially unveils it as the capital of the
Yuan dynasty. Běijīng is, for the first time, the capital of China.
1286
The Grand Canal is extended to Běijīng. It gradually becomes a major artery for the transport of
grain, salt and other commodities between north and south China.
1368
Zhu Yuanzhang takes Dàdū and levels its palaces, renaming the city Běipíng ('Northern Peace')
and establishing the Ming dynasty. The last Khan flees to Xanadu (Shàngdū).
1368-1644
The great city walls are reshaped and the Great Wall is rebuilt and clad with bricks, while the ba-
sic layout of modern Běijīng is established. Běijīng becomes the world's largest city.
1403-21
Emperor Yongle moves the capital south to Nánjīng ('Southern Capital'), where the imperial
palace is built. Běijīng is reinstated as capital in 1421 when the Forbidden City is completed
(1406-20).
1420
The Temple of Heaven is built at the same time as the Forbidden City. The Gate of Heavenly
Peace is completed and is called Chengtianmen, only to be burned down after a lightning strike in
1457.
1465
The Gate of Heavenly Peace is rebuilt but is again torched by peasant rebels in 1644 prior to the
arrival of Manchu soldiers. The reconstruction of the gate is completed in 1651.
