Beijing, one of the birthplaces of mankind

Roughly 700,000 years ago, pithecanthropus moved into the cave of Zhou Kou Dian (Choukoutien) at the outer limits of south-west Beijing. The Peking Man acquired stone carving knowledge to make tools useful to its survival, a crucial development distinguishing him from previous anthropoids. The discovery of layers of ash 4 to 6 meters thick in Peking Man's caves shows he also mastered fire. This marks the first step towards human civilization.

The ancient city of Yanji, the first city in the Beijing plain (3000 BC to 581)

Beijing's history started ago 3000 years ago, with the arrival of the Yan and the Ji, the first tribes to settle in the plains of Beijing.

Beijing's actual founding goes back to the end of the Shang Dynasty. After the elimination of the Shang by Zhou Wuwang, plots of land were distributed to his vassals, marking the beginning of history in Beijing. According to the first Chinese recounting the establishment of the city, which becomes the capital of the Yan Empire, it was founded in 1045 BC in the village Dong Jia Lin. First established by King Ji, the city bears his name and is situated near Guanganmen, close to the south-west of the Forbidden City.

During the Warring States Period, King Yan removed the king Ji and established his capital in the city of Ji. In 226 BC, Emperor Qin Shihuang seized the city and designated it as one of the 36 counties of his empire. In 250 AD, Ji Liu Jing, Beijing's General, built irrigation canals in order to develop agriculture in the region.

From Zhuo Jun to You Zhou, during the Sui and Tang dynasties (581­-907)

From 581 to 618, Beijing was called Zhuo Jun and had 130,000 inhabitants. In 618, it became You Zhou. Located at the junction of parts of north-east and central China, it acquired a strategic importance from a military point of view, and also becomes a major trading centre. Due to its central position in conflicts, the town was regularly subjected to looting and devastation.

Nanjing, second capital of the Liao (916-1125)

In 916, the Liao dynasty Emperor, from the Khitan ethnic group (Inner Mongolia), took over You Zhou, and renamed it Nanjing and made it his second capital. Vestiges of Nanjing can be seen currently around Bai Yun Guan.

Jin Zhongdu, the political capital of Northern China (1153-1215)

In 1153, King Hai-ling, leader of the ethnic group Nu Zhen (Jurchen), who dominated north China at the time, moves his capital to Beijing, renamed Jin Zhongdu. A luxurious monument, the Jin Palace, is constructed in Jin Zhongdu. There is also the famous Lu Guo Bridge considered one of the chief architectural works from Jin period.

Yuan Dadu, the capital of the Mongolian Empire (1215-1368)

In 1215, Emperor Genghis Khan conquered Jin Zhongdu and renamed it Yanjing. In 1272, Kubilaï Khan, the emperor of the Yuan dynasty, founded the city Dadu. For the first time Beijing becomes the capital of a unified country. The construction of Dadu Yuan marked the establishment of current Beijing, a milestone in the development of the city.

Yuan Dadu is the city that Marco Polo described as "the most beautiful city in the world" in his book. Ever since, Beijing finally replaced the ancient capital cities such as Chang An, Luo Yang, Bian Liang and become the political center of China. The intelligent organization of its streets and its grandiose architecture made it one of the great cities of the time. According to the instructions in the book of Zhou, the streets of Yuan Dadu were established in the form of a chessboard. In 1276, the Beijing Hutongs were created, also according to the ideas of the book. There were only 29 Hutongs at the time, but they have continued to develop ever since in the future.

Beijing in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)

In 1368, the Ming dynasty took power, transferring their capital to Nanjing, and Beijing was renamed Beiping. In 1403, Emperor Yong returned the name and the title of capital to the city. In 1406, the reconstruction of Beijing and the construction of Gu Gong (The Forbidden City) started, ordered by Emperor Yong Le.

The bigger city surrounds the imperial city which itself surrounds the Forbidden City. The latter is the heart of the capital, and the centre of which lies the Huang Ji Palace (now Tai He Palace), where you can see the imperial throne surrounded by dragons. An invisible line passes through the centre of the throne, from the Zhong Gu building in the north to the Qian Men building in the south and then went to Yongdingmen (Gate of eternal stability), this axis is made 8 kilometers long.

This demonstrates well the degree of accuracy attained by Chinese architecture at the time. The city itself respects the rules of symmetry, and all constructions of the city are securely in place on both sides of the vertical axis, even the streets and Hutongs are symmetrical.

The construction of the city ends in 1421, when Ming Chengzu transferred his government. He adds a few new buildings south of the city in 1553, and then divided it into inner and outer city. This is the current configuration of Beijing, covering an area of 62 sq. kilometers, 9 doors in the inner city and 7 doors in the city outside.

Monuments such as Jing Shan, Tian Tan (the Temple of Heaven), the Temple She Ji, Tai Miao (the Temple of the ancestors of the imperial family), the Shan Temple Chuan, Ri Tan (the Temple of the Sun), Yue Tan (the Temple of the Moon), Di Tan (the Temple of the Earth) and more are built at that time. Among these, the most famous is certainly Tian Tan (the Temple of Heaven) with its magnificent architecture and its exceptional acoustics.

Jing Shi (capital) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-­­1911)

In 1644, the Li Zicheng insurgency overthrew the Ming dynasty, and the Manchus took advantage of this opportunity to pass the Great Wall and to seize Beijing and to install thereafter their capital.

Many large gardens were built during the reign of Emperors Kang, Yong and Qian: the Yuan Ming Yuan (Garden of perfect clarity), the Yi He Yuan (Summer Palace), Chang Chun Yuan (Spring Garden), etc... In Yi He Yuan (Summer Palace), there were a wide variety of palaces, gardens and other buildings in classical style, artisans reproduced the architectural styles of gardens from various locations of China.

The palace was looted and destroyed twice during the invasion of Anglo-French troops in 1860 and during the repression of the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. In 1912, the abdication of the last emperor, Pu Yi, closed the era of feudal empires and the history of Beijing as the imperial capital.

Suffering Beiping (1911-1949)

The success of the revolution Xin Hai put an end to domination of the feudal society which lasted nearly 2,000 years. During the three decades (1919-1949), Beijing was still unable to get out of the turmoil: the city was seriously ruined during the division of the empire between warlords.

In 1928, because of civil war, the Kuomintang moved its capital in Nanjing and Beijing retook the name of Beiping. In 1938, the city became an integral part of the Japanese empire during the expansionism of Showa Japan. The city stayed 8 years under Japanese occupation before falling to the hands of the Kuomintang.

During the Republic of China, many Western-style or traditional style buildings were built in Beijing, such as the Beijing Restaurant, Xiehe Hospital, the Beijing library, the Yanjing University, the Furen University.

Carpets, partitions, porcelains and more have all won first prize in the Universal Exhibition of 1903, 1914, 1915. After the war began in 1931, the Chinese began to boycott Japanese products. Thus China's industrial output grew rapidly. Beijing was the largest consumption city at the time and its trade was prosperous. Public transport in Beijing started to develop with the suburban train line in 1916 and the first tramway on December 18, 1924. The public transport company is founded in 1935.

Beijing, capital of People's Republic of China (1949-present)

On the 1^st of October, 1949, Chairman Mao announced the founding of the People's Republic of China, and Beijing is then reborn as a great capital of the world. You could say that the city's history mirrors that of the country. As the capital of several empires and of present China, Beijing is a witness of history, but also a symbol of the current state of China.

This millennial capital shines now more than ever, like the country it represents. It opens to the world and shows its most beautiful attractions. Beijing is modernizing rapidly, while knowing retain the treasures of its history, which makes it an exciting city at the crossroads of history and modernity.

The Summer Olympics will be held in Beijing in 2008. This will be a great opportunity for the world to know a little better the historical Beijing, and the modern Beijing.