| Ji | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 薊 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 蓟 | ||||||||
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| Jicheng | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 薊城 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 蓟城 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Ji [Walled] City | ||||||||
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Ji orJicheng was an ancient city in northern China, which has become the longest continuously inhabited section of modernBeijing. Historical mention of Ji dates to the founding of theZhou dynasty in about 1045 BC. Archaeological finds in southwestern Beijing where Ji was believed to be located date to theSpring and Autumn period (771–476 BC). The city of Ji served as the capital of the ancient states ofJi andYan until the unification of China by theQin dynasty in 221 BC. Thereafter, the city was a prefectural capital forYouzhou through theHan dynasty,Three Kingdoms,Western Jin dynasty,Sixteen Kingdoms,Northern Dynasties, andSui dynasty. With the creation of a Jizhou(蓟州) during theTang dynasty in what is nowTianjin Municipality, the city of Ji took on the name Youzhou. Youzhou was one of theSixteen Prefectures ceded to theKhitans during theFive Dynasties. The city then became thesouthern capital of theLiao dynasty and thenmain capital of theJin dynasty (1115–1234). In the 13th century,Kublai Khan built a new capital city for theYuan dynasty adjacent to Ji to the north. The old city of Ji became a suburb toDadu. In the Ming dynasty, the old and new cities were merged byBeijing's Ming-era city wall.
Thecity-state of Ji was inhabited by the tribe of theYellow Emperor in theShang dynasty, and became one of the founding vassal states of theZhou dynasty. According toSima Qian'sRecords of the Grand Historian,King Wu of Zhou, in the 11th year of his reign, deposedKing Zhou of Shang and conferred titles to nobles within his domain, including the rulers of the city states Ji andYan. According to theBook 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 lateWestern Zhou dynasty or the earlyEastern Zhou dynasty, the neighboring State of Yan conquered Ji and made the city its capital. The Yan state eventually became one of the seven powers of theWarring States period (476–221 BC). The rulers of the Yan built several capitals and moved their seat of power in response to threats from the nomadic tribes from the north and neighboring kingdoms from the south. Ji was referred to historians as Shangdu (上都) or the "Upper Capital." Other Yan capitals include: (1) theLiulihe Site in southernFangshan District ofBeijing, which served as the Yan capital prior to Yan's conquest of Ji, (2) Linyi (临易) in present-dayRongcheng andXiong Counties ofHebei Province to which the seat of Yan moved in 690s BC,[3] (3) the ancient city of Doudian inLiangxiang 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-dayYi County, Hebei Province, that was built in the 300s BC.[5] By the time, theState 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 ofGuang'anmen inXicheng andFengtai Districts.[6] Historical accounts mention a "Hill of Ji" northwest of the city, which would correspond to the large mound at theWhite Cloud Abbey, outside Xibianmen about 4 km north of Guang'anmen.[7] South and west of Guang'anmen, archaeologists have unearthed remnants of concentrated human habitation dating back to at least the 400s BC.[6] In 1956, during the construction of the Yongding River viaduct, 151 ancient wells dating to the Spring and Autumn, Warring States and Han dynasty were discovered.[6] In 1957, a rammed earth platform was found south of Guang'anmen along with tiles used for palace construction.[6] Since then more wells and tiles have been discovered, and the wells are most densely concentrated in south ofXuanwumen and Hepingmen.[6][8] Archaeologists have yet to discover remnants of city walls from the Zhou dynasty that have been found at the other four capitals. In 1974, excavations around the White Cloud Abbey uncovered remnants of city walls but three tombs from theEastern 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 Beijing to search for more artifacts of Ji in the pre-imperial era.[9]
Qin generalWang Jian conquered Ji in 226 BC and theFirst Emperor completed his unification of China in 221 BC. The country was organized into 48commanderies. Ji was the capital of theGuangyang Commandery. To prevent the Warring States from regaining their power, the First Emperor ordered the walls of the old capitals be destroyed and Ji's walls were torn down in 215 BC but later rebuilt.[10] The Qin removed defensive barriers dividing the Warring States, including the southern wall of the Yan, which separated the Beijing Plain from the Central Plain, and built a national roadway network.[11] Ji served as the junction for the roads connecting the Central Plain with Mongolia and Manchuria.[11] The First Emperor visited Ji in 215 BC and, to protect the frontier from theXiongnu, had the Qin Great Wall built north of Ji and fortifiedJuyong Pass.[11] The Qin conscripted men from throughout the country to be garrisoned at the forts north of Ji. In 209 BC, a group of conscripts who were delayed in their march to the north by flooding in central China and faced the penalty of death, rose inrebellion under the leadership ofChen Sheng andWu Guang. The rebellion spread to Ji, whereHan Guang revived the Yan Kingdom. Han Guang sent his subordinateZang Tu to help rebel leaderXiang Yu, who succeeded in capturing the Qin capital at Xianyang in 207 BC. Xiang Yu then divided the country intoEighteen Principalities, appointing Zang Tu as the lord of Ji and Han Guang as the lord of nearby Liaodong. Han Guang refused to cede Ji to Zang Tu, who seized the city and killed Han Guang. Zang Tu then sided withLiu Bang, the lord of Sichuan, in thewar against Xiang Yu. After Liu Bang prevailed and founded theHan dynasty, Zang Tu was appointed thePrince of Yan, and governed thePrincipality of Yan from Ji.
When the Han court began to purge former supporters of Xiang Yu, Zang Tu became fearful and rebelled. Liu Bang as theEmperor Gaozu personally led a campaign against Zang Tu in Ji.[11] Zang Tu was defeated and killed in 206 BC.[11] Emperor Gaozu appointed his childhood friendLu Wan as the Prince of Yan.[12] In 195 BC, he became distrustful of Lu Wan and invaded Ji. Lu Wan fled to theXiongnu in the steppes. To tighten control of the region, the Emperor Gaozu sent his son Liu Jian to Ji as the Prince of Yan.[12] After Liu Jian died in 181 BC, Gaozu's widow, theEmpress 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,Emperor Wu of Han appointed his son Liu Dan as the Prince of Yan.[12] Liu Dan held the title for 38 years.[12] In 106 BC, Emperor Wu of Han organized theWestern Han dynasty into 13 province-sized prefectures, each administered by acishi (刺史) or inspector. The city of Ji was the prefectural seat for Youzhou, which governed roughly the same territory as theState of Yan during theWarring States period.[13] Youzhou was composed of the Shanggu, Zhuo, Guangyang, Bohai, Yuyang, Right Beiping, Liaoxi, Liaodong,Xuantu andLelang Commanderies. After Emperor Wu died, Liu Dan conspired with the Empress Gaichang andSang Hongyang to subvert the throne.[12] When the plot was foiled, Liu Dan was forced to commit suicide in 80 BC and the Principality of Yan was converted toGuangyang Commandery.[12] In 73 BC, Liu Jian's son, Liu Jian was appointed the Prince of Guangyang and the Guangyang Commandery became the Guangyang Principality.[12] Liu Jian's tomb is nowDabaotai Western Han Dynasty Mausoleum inFengtai District of Beijing. His grandson Liu Jia was ousted from the principality afterWang Mang's seized the Han throne.[12] During theWang Mang interregnum, Guangyang Principality became the Guangyou Principality.[12]
During theEastern Han dynasty, Youzhou was as one of 12 prefectures and contained a dozen subordinate commanderies, including the Guangyang Commandery. In AD 24,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 wasLiu 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.
During theThree Kingdoms, theKingdom of Wei controlled ten of the Han dynasty's prefectures including Youzhou and its capital Ji. The Wei Kingdom reorganized and decentralized the governance of commanderies under Youzhou. Guangyang Commandery became the State of Yan (燕国), which had four counties: Ji County, Changping, Jundu and Guangyang County, and was governed from the city of Ji.Fanyang Commandery was governed from Zhuo County.Yuyang Commandery was governed from Yuyuang (in modern-dayHuairou District of Beijing), Shanggu Commandery was governed from Juyong (in modern-dayYanqing County of Beijing).[15]
The Wei court instituted offices in Youzhou to manage relations with theWuhuan andXianbei.[16] To help sustain the troops garrisoned in Youzhou, the governor in AD 250 built theLilingyan, an irrigation system that greatly improved agricultural output in the plains around Ji.[16]
Ji was demoted to a county seat in theWestern Jin dynasty (晋), which made neighboringZhuo County, in present-dayHebei Province, the prefectural capital of Youzhou. In the early 4th century, the Western Jin dynastywas overthrown bysteppe peoples who had settled in northern China and established in a series ofmostly short-lived kingdoms. During the so-calledSixteen Kingdoms period, the city of Ji was successively controlled by theDi-ledFormer Qin, theJie-ledLater Zhao, theXianbei-ledFormer Yan andLater Yan.
In 319 AD,Shi Le, the founder of theLater Zhao Kingdom, captured Ji fromDuan Pidi, a Xianbei chieftain nominally loyal to the Jin dynasty. In 349,Ran Min, anethnic Han general seized control of this kingdom, which he renamedRan Wei in 350. But before he could capture Ji, the city was taken by the Murong Xianbei, led by PrinceMurong Jun who swept down fromManchuria. Murong Jun then defeated Ran Min and extinguished the Ran Wei. In 352, he declared himself emperor and made the city, the capital of theFormer Yan Kingdom.[17] Five years later, the Former Yan's capital was moved further south toYe in southern Hebei.[17]
In 369–70, theFormer Qin, led byFu Jian, aDi, defeated the Former Yan and briefly unified northern China. But after losing theBattle of Feishui in 383, the Former Qin's control crumbled as theLater Yan,Northern Wei and other kingdoms broke away. In 385, the Northern Yan, underMurong Chui and seized Ji from the Former Qin. At around 398, the Former Yan governor of Ji, Gao Hu, surrendered to theNorthern Wei, led by theTuoba clan of the Xianbei, who established the first of theNorthern dynasties.[18] Ji became the prefecture capital of Youzhou. This designation continued through the remainder of the Northern dynasties,Eastern Wei,Northern Qi andNorthern Zhou.
During theSui 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 theGrand Canal to Zhuojun, to carry men and materiale for hiscampaigns 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 byDou Jiande rose from Zhuojun and besieged Ji in 620 but was defeated byLuo Yi, a Sui general who joinedLi Yuan's insurrection against the Sui.[11] Li Yuan founded theTang dynasty.
During theTang dynasty (618–907 CE) andLater 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 administrative division, from a province to a commandery and renamed Zhuojun back to Youzhou, which was one of over 300 Tang Prefectures.[22] With the creation of a separate prefecture called Jizhou (蓟州) in present-dayTianjin in 730, the name Ji was transplanted from Beijing to Tianjin, where aJi 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, TangEmperor Taizong launchedanother war against Goguryeo using Ji as the base of forward operating base. He built theFayuan Temple in the western suburbs to commemorate the war dead.[20]
From 710, the head of the government in Youzhou became ajiedushi, a military regional commander. In 742, Youzhou was renamed Fanyang Commandery (范阳郡). In 759, during theAn–Shi Rebellion,Shi Siming declared himself emperor of theGreat 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]
Under theLiao dynasty (907–1125), the city was renamed Nanjing (南京) and was the southern capital of Liao. It was also called Yanjing. In the followingJin dynasty (1115–1234), the city was called Zhongdu (中都), the central capital of the Jin. After theMongols took the city, it was renamed Yanjing. After the Mongols razed it, a new city calledDadu was built adjacent to the former Jin capital which was the capital of theYuan dynasty (1279–1368).[25]
In 2002, the then-Xuanwu District government erected a commemorative pillar in Binhe Park along the western2nd Ring Road, just south of theTianning 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]
39°53′39″N116°22′57″E / 39.894262°N 116.382425°E /39.894262; 116.382425
