The capital of the Yuan Dynasty was Khanbaliq, also known as Dadu or modern Beijing. Khanbaliq was the capital of the Yuan Dynasty from 1271 to 1368, and it was one of the largest and most cosmopolitan cities in the medieval world. The city was founded by Kublai Khan, who chose the site for his capital in 1264, and it was built on the site of the earlier city of Zhongdu, which had been the capital of the Jurchen Jin Dynasty.
Khanbaliq was a major center of trade, culture, and administration, and it was a major symbol of the cosmopolitanism of the Yuan Dynasty. The city was a major destination for merchants, missionaries, and other travelers, and it was a major node in the trade routes that connected China to the rest of Eurasia.
The Founding of Khanbaliq
The founding of Khanbaliq was a major political event, and it marked the establishment of the Yuan capital at the site of modern Beijing. The city was designed as a rectangular grid, with the imperial palace at the center, and it was surrounded by a high wall. The city was connected to the rest of the empire by the yam postal system, and it was a major node in the trade routes that connected China to the rest of Eurasia.
The city was built on a grand scale, and it was one of the largest cities in the medieval world. The city was home to perhaps one million people, and it was a major center of trade, manufacturing, and culture. The city was a major center of the Chinese, Mongol, Tibetan, and Persian cultures, and it was a major symbol of the cosmopolitanism of the Yuan Dynasty.
Shangdu — The Summer Capital
The Yuan Dynasty also maintained a summer capital at Shangdu, also known as Xanadu, which was located in Inner Mongolia, about 200 km north of Khanbaliq. Shangdu was a major summer residence, and it was a major center of the imperial hunting and entertainment. Shangdu was famous for its luxurious palaces, its beautiful gardens, and its vast hunting grounds.
Shangdu was built by Kublai Khan in 1256, and it served as the summer capital of the Yuan Dynasty until 1368. The city was described in great detail by Marco Polo, who visited the city in the 1270s and 1280s, and it became the model for the mythical city of Xanadu in European literature. The most famous reference to Shangdu is the poem “Kubla Khan” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which was inspired by Marco Polo’s description of the city.
The Architecture of Khanbaliq
The architecture of Khanbaliq was a major synthesis of Chinese, Tibetan, and Persian architectural traditions. The imperial palace, called the Daming Palace, was a massive complex that included a number of major buildings, including the throne hall, the residential halls, and the religious buildings. The palace was built in a style that combined Chinese and Mongol elements, and it was a major symbol of the Yuan imperial power.
The city also included a number of major religious buildings, including Buddhist monasteries, Taoist temples, Muslim mosques, and Christian churches. The most famous of the religious buildings was the White Stupa, a Buddhist monument that was built in 1279 and that was one of the largest Buddhist monuments in the world at the time.
The Fall of Khanbaliq
The fall of Khanbaliq in 1368 was a major event in the history of the Yuan Dynasty. The fall was triggered by the Red Turban Rebellion, which began in the 1350s and which eventually brought the Ming Dynasty to power. The last Yuan emperor, Toghon Temür, fled to Mongolia in 1368, and the city was occupied by the Ming forces.
The fall of Khanbaliq marked the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. The city was eventually taken over by the Ming, who renamed it Beiping (“Northern Peace”) and who used it as a secondary capital. The city was later renamed Beijing (“Northern Capital”) by the Yongle Emperor, who moved the Ming capital there in 1421.
The Legacy of Khanbaliq
The legacy of Khanbaliq is visible in the modern city of Beijing. The city has been a major capital for more than 700 years, and the city has been the site of some of the most important events in the history of China. The city is also a major symbol of the cultural and political continuity of China, and the city is a major tourist destination.
The legacy of Khanbaliq is also visible in the modern world. The most obvious is in the modern Chinese state, where Khanbaliq is remembered as one of the major capitals in the history of the country. The other examples include the modern Mongolian state, where Khanbaliq is remembered as a major cultural and political center of the Mongol world.
Sources
- Morris Rossabi, Khubilai Khan: His Life and Times (Berkeley, 1988).
- John W. Chaffee, Banners and the Borderlands in Yuan China (Cambridge, 2012).
- David Morgan, The Mongols (2nd ed., Oxford, 2007).