History

Prehistory

Beijing was half a million years in the making. Among its earliest residents were Peking man whose remains, hundreds of thousands of years old, were first excavated in Zhoukoudian in the 1920s. Along with the Sinanthropus pekinensis, or early Homo erectus, discoveries were those of a Homo sapiens sapiens (18,000-11,000 BC) people. Zhoukoudian is now a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List site and scientists from China and around the world are still probing its mysterious past.

Early Unification

According to historical records, present-day Beijing is the site of an ancient city that existed during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). The city, Ji, rose from territorial conflict between the Ji and Yan States, and was situated north of the Guang'anmen Gate near Baiyunguan Temple.

During the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC), the city of Ji became an administrative district. For 10 centuries, to the end of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), it was a strategic military and trade centre and the object of frequent power struggles. The subsequent 200 years saw Beijing under the control of a northern minority.

851 Years as a National Capital

In 1153, Beijing was for the first time designated as China's capital by the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), founded by the ethnic Jurchen group (who later became the Manchu) from Northeast China. The city was called Zhong Du, or Central Capital. Since then, but for a few decades, Beijing has remained the State capital through successive dynasties.

Rise of an Imperial City

In 1260, while Kublai Khan (1215-1294), the grandson of the great Mongol leader, Genghis Khan, was founding the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) in China, he built a new State capital that was to become Beijing. Dadu (Great Capital) was located further northeast than subsequent capitals. Historical records indicate that Dadu was built based on a grid plan, using a North-South central axis and chessboard layout for the entire city.

The succeeding Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) spent 15 years renovating Beijing as its capital. The size and layout of the modern city proper was fixed during this period, as was the city's 7.8-km-long central axis, extending from Yongdingmen (Gate of Eternal Stability) in the south to the Bell and Drum Tower (Gulou) in the north.

The rulers of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), founded by the Manchu, added to Beijing's charm by constructing several large royal gardens in the city's northwest suburbs. These included the Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace) and the Yiheyuan (the Summer Palace).

A City with State Protection

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Beijing has undergone something of a transformation. Nevertheless, much of the city's traditional architectural style has been preserved. The city proper, including the Forbidden City, as well as its watercourses and sites of cultural importance, has remained relatively unchanged.

Beijing is gifted with six UNESCO World Heritage List sites, 40 historical protection zones, and 3,553 other heritage sites under the State's protection.

Beijing's successful bid for the 2008 Olympics in 2001 has strengthened the municipality's heritage protection programme. About 120 million yuan (US$14.46 million) is scheduled to be spent on heritage protection each year between 2003 and 2008.