Jicheng (Beijing)

Coordinates: 39°53′39″N 116°22′57″E / 39.894262°N 116.382425°E / 39.894262; 116.382425
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Ji
Hanyu Pinyin
Jìchéng
Wade–GilesChi-ch‘êng

Ji or Jicheng was an ancient city in northern China, which has become the longest continuously inhabited section of modern

Five Dynasties. The city then became the southern capital of the Liao dynasty and then main capital of the Jin dynasty (1115–1234). In the 13th century, Kublai Khan built a new capital city for the Yuan dynasty adjacent to Ji to the north. The old city of Ji became a suburb to Dadu. In the Ming dynasty, the old and new cities were merged by Beijing's Ming-era city wall
.

Pre-Imperial history

Ji, marked on the map of the Warring States period, as the capital of the State of Yan.

The

Yan. According to the Book of Rites, King Wu of Zhou was so eager to establish his legitimacy after his battle victory over the Shang that before dismounting from his chariot, he named the descendants of the Yellow Emperor to the State of Ji.[1] The 11th year of the reign of King Wu of Zhou approximates to 1145 BC. The Beijing Municipal Government designates 1045 BC as the first year of the city's history.[2]

At some time in the late

Liangxiang of Fangshan District, known as Zhongdu (中都), or the "Middle Capital"[4] and (4) Xiadu (下都) or the "Lower Capital", a larger settlement south of Linyi, in modern-day Yi County, Hebei Province, that was built in the 300s BC.[5] By the time, the State of Qin
invaded Yan in 226 BC, the capital of Yan was back in Ji.

The city of Ji is believed to be located in the southwestern part of present-day urban Beijing, just south of

Eastern Han dynasty found underneath the walls indicate the walls post-date the tombs.[8] The fact that the other four capitals were buried beneath farmland and the Guang'anmen area is a densely populated section of urban Beijing accounts for the greater difficulty of searching for Ji's ruins. In 2008, city authorities in Beijing announced that archaeological efforts would accompany urban renewal constructions projects in southern Bejiing to search for more artifacts of Ji in the pre-imperial era.[9]

Early Imperial Era

Qin dynasty

Principality of Yan
from Ji.

Han dynasty

Fengtai District
to the west of Ji.

When the Han court began to purge former supporters of Xiang Yu, Zang Tu became fearful and rebelled. Liu Bang as the

Empress Lü Zhi controlled the Han court, and made her nephew Lü Tong as the Prince of Yan.[12] When Empress Lü Zhi's regency ended in 179 BC, Liu Ze became the Prince of Yan and his family ruled Ji for three generations.[12]

In 117 BC,

Fengtai District of Beijing. His grandson Liu Jia was ousted from the principality after Wang Mang's seized the Han throne.[12] During the Wang Mang interregnum, Guangyang Principality became the Guangyou Principality.[12]

During the

Liu Xiu moved Youzhou's prefectural seat from Ji County (in modern-day Tianjin) to the city of Ji. In AD 96, the city of Ji served as the seat of both the Guangyang Commandery and Youzhou.[14]

Near the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, the commander of Fanyang was Liu Yan, better known as the governor of Yizhou Province a few years later. After Liu Yan's reposting, Liu Yu became the commander of Yizhou. His subordinate, Gongsun Zan, eventually attacked Youzhou and killed Liu Yu, becoming the commander of Fanyang.

Wei, Jin and Northern dynasties

Vermillion bird relief sculpture from the early Six Dynasties period (Wei Kingdom or Jin Dynasty)

During the

Yanqing County of Beijing).[15]

The Wei court instituted offices in Youzhou to manage relations with the Wuhuan and Xianbei.[16] To help sustain the troops garrisoned in Youzhou, the governor in AD 250 built the Lilingyan, an irrigation system that greatly improved agricultural output in the plains around Ji.[16]

Ji was demoted to a county seat in the

Jie-led Later Zhao, the Xianbei-led Former Yan and Later Yan
.

In 319 AD,

Ye in southern Hebei.[17]

In 369–70, the

Northern dynasties.[18] Ji became the prefecture capital of Youzhou. This designation continued through the remainder of the Northern dynasties, Eastern Wei, Northern Qi and Northern Zhou
.

Sui and Tang dynasties

Tang era Buddhist sculpture by Li Shourong

During the Sui dynasty, Youzhou became Zhuojun or Zhuo Commandery and Ji remained the capital of the commandery.[19] Emperor Yang of Sui mobilized more than million men and women to build the Grand Canal to Zhuojun, to carry men and materiale for his campaigns against Goguryeo.[20] Outside of Ji, the Linshuo Palace was built in 609 to accommodate the emperor during his trips and to and from Korea.[11] The brutal reign of Emperor Yang brought rebellions against the Sui dynasty. One of these, led by Dou Jiande rose from Zhuojun and besieged Ji in 620 but was defeated by Luo Yi, a Sui general who joined Li Yuan's insurrection against the Sui.[11] Li Yuan founded the Tang dynasty.

During the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE) and Later Jin (936–947 CE), Fanyang was an important military garrison and a commercial hub. To the north of the city lay the military region of Yingzhou (营州) with Daizhou (代州) to the west.[21]

The Tang dynasty reduced the size of a prefecture, as a unit of administration

Ji County (蓟县) still exists today.[23]
In Beijing, the city of Ji gradually became known as Youzhou.

The seat of the government of Youzhou remained in place but took on slightly different names. In 616, the government was called Youzhou Zongguanfu (幽州总管府); in 622, Youzhou Dazongguanfu (幽州大总管府); in 624, Youzhou Dadudufu (幽州大都督府) and in 626, Youzhou Dudufu (幽州都督府).

In 645, Tang Emperor Taizong launched another war against Goguryeo using Ji as the base of forward operating base. He built the Fayuan Temple in the western suburbs to commemorate the war dead.[20]

From 710, the head of the government in Youzhou became a

An–Shi Rebellion, Shi Siming declared himself emperor of the Great Yan dynasty and made Fanyang, Yanjing (燕京) or “the Yan Capital.” After the rebellion was suppressed, the seat of government became Youzhou Lulong Dudufu (幽州卢龙都督府).[24]

Liao dynasty

Under the Liao dynasty (907–1125), the city was renamed Nanjing (南京) and was the southern capital of Liao. It was also called Yanjing. In the following Jin dynasty (1115–1234), the city was called Zhongdu (中都), the central capital of the Jin. After the Mongols took the city, it was renamed Yanjing. After the Mongols razed it, a new city called Dadu was built adjacent to the former Jin capital which was the capital of the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368).[25]

Modern significance

In 2002, the then-

Xuanwu District government erected a commemorative pillar in Binhe Park along the western 2nd Ring Road, just south of the Tianning Temple to mark the location of Jicheng and its importance to the history of Beijing.[26] In 2009, the Beijing Administration for Cultural Heritage made the study and discovery of Ji during the Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn, Warring States, Qin and Han eras a priority in the city's archaeological work.[27]

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ 《礼记•乐记》
  2. ^ (Chinese) 蓟城纪念柱[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ (Chinese) "走进燕国 >> 燕都遗迹 >> 易都—容城南阳遗址、雄县古贤村遗址" Archived 2013-12-31 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2012-12-13
  4. ^ (Chinese) "走进燕国 >> 燕都遗迹 >> 中都——窦店古城" Archived 2013-12-30 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2012-12-13
  5. ^ (Chinese) "走进燕国 >> 燕都遗迹 >> 下都—河北易县燕下都遗址" Archived 2016-04-09 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2012-12-13
  6. ^ a b c d e (Chinese) "走进燕国 >> 燕都遗迹 >> 上都——蓟城" Archived 2016-04-11 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2012-12-13
  7. ^ In 284 BC, the victorious Yan general Yue Yi, having conquered 70 cities of neighboring Qi, wrote to Duke of Yan to report that he had enough booty to fill two palaces and planned to bring home a new tree species to plant on the Hill of Ji, north of the city.
  8. ^ a b (Chinese) "北京建城之始-燕蓟遗迹" 2005-09-01
  9. ^ (Chinese) "考古工作者搜寻蓟城遗址 锁定北京宣南工地(图)" 北京晚报 2008-09-19
  10. ^ BTVU, "三、燕都蓟城 ".
  11. ^ a b c d e f g BTVU, “屏障中原的军事重镇”.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k BTVU, "中央政府与地方势力的较量".
  13. ^ (Chinese) Map of Youzhou during the Western Han Dynasty Accessed 2012-12-19
  14. ^ (Chinese)"北方军事重镇-汉唐经略东北的基地-东汉时期的幽州蓟城" Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage 2005-09-01
  15. ^ (Chinese)"北方军事重镇-汉唐经略东北的基地-民族大融合的魏晋十六国北朝时期" Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage 2005-09-01
  16. ^ a b (Chinese) 魏晋十六国时期的幽州城, 北京城市历史地理 2005-12-30
  17. ^ a b (Chinese) "北京城市行政区划述略" 《北京地方志》 Archived 2022-02-18 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2012-12-19
  18. ^ (Chinese) 北魏太和造像 2009-01-11
  19. ^ (Chinese)"北方军事重镇-汉唐经略东北的基地-隋朝统治下的北京" Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage 2005-09-01
  20. ^ a b BTVU, [media.openedu.com.cn/media_file/netcourse/asx/bjlswh/unit03/htm/01_2.htm "屏障中原的军事重镇"].
  21. ^ According to the Taiwan edition of The Cambridge History of China, vol.3, Tang and Sui, p.219
  22. ^ CASS 1985: 39-40
  23. ^ (Chinese) "古今的‘蓟县’,我今天才大概知道" Archived 2013-01-16 at archive.today 20120-07-07
  24. ^ (Chinese) 试论北京唐代墓志的地方特色" Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage 2005-09-01
  25. ^ Haw, Stephen. Beijing: A Concise History. Routledge, 2007. p. 136.
  26. ^ (Chinese) [xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2003-01/28/content_710812.htm 北京重立建城“纪念柱” 造型与初建相同高9米 Xinhua] 2003-01-28
  27. ^ (Chinese) 后奥运时期首都文博工作的发展分析与探讨 北京文博 2009-08-31

Sources

  • BTVU, 中国历史与文化, 北京广播电视大学 (Beijing Radio Television University), archived from the original on 2015-12-08

39°53′39″N 116°22′57″E / 39.894262°N 116.382425°E / 39.894262; 116.382425