Chapter 8 Chapter 7 A Glimpse of Beijing: The Location of the Capital City

The capital is the place where the ruler controls the country and issues orders. The safety of the capital has a great bearing on the stability of the national political situation.The capital has a large population. Generally speaking, it is not only the national political center, but also the national economic and cultural center, so it has a certain scale.In addition, the capital is also the place where the ruler lives and enjoys and maintains supreme authority.Therefore, the rulers of every dynasty in history attached great importance to the selection and layout of the capital city, and often had to go through repeated weighing and careful planning.

The main conditions considered when the unified dynasty chose the capital are also the factors that must be considered when the divided dynasty and the border regional regimes choose the capital.There are countless examples in this regard. The separatist regimes with southern China as their sphere of influence are all located in Nanjing and Hangzhou in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River because they have many geographical advantages.The lower reaches of the Yangtze River were the areas with the strongest economic strength in the early development of the south. The capital here can easily solve the problem of the supply of grain and other consumer goods.The aristocratic families here have always had great political influence in the southern region, and without their support, it would be difficult to establish a country in the south.Sun Quan established Wuchang as his capital and moved back to Jianye soon after, because the Jiangdong clan opposed moving the capital.The Zhongshan Mountain in Nanjing is a dragon, and the stone mountain is a tiger. It can also take advantage of the surging Yangtze River to prevent the northern army from going south.Hangzhou has the Yangtze River in the front and the Wusong River in the back, so there is the danger of heavy rivers.Although Nanjing and Hangzhou are not located in the center of the South, they have very convenient transportation with other areas in the South.Moreover, since Nanjing crossed the Yangtze River north, it will soon enter the North China Plain, which is also convenient for the Northern Expedition.It can be said that if the south is to be separated, the lower reaches of the Yangtze River is undoubtedly the best area to establish the capital.

In general, in ancient times, the address of the capital was determined based on the following factors: First, the ground should be flat and open.The capital is the largest city in the country, and it is impossible without open fields.Only when buildings are built in relatively flat and open areas can the layout and development of the capital be facilitated, as well as a relatively convenient transportation system and developed agricultural production.Therefore, the famous capitals in ancient my country, especially the five capitals of the unified dynasty, were all located on the plains.Even the capitals of regional regimes with small territorial areas are almost all located on relatively large plains.For example, Taiyuan, Datong, and Linfen in Shanxi are all in relatively flat basins, and Chengdu in Sichuan is located in the hinterland of the main plains of the province.There are only a few capitals built in the mountains, but this is not because the rulers are willing to choose this kind of terrain to build their capitals, but because the terrain in the territory is the same, there are few flat lands, and there is not much room for choice.Even so, this kind of capital is still built in a slightly flatter place within the territory, such as a river valley.

As far as the same capital is concerned, changes in ground conditions will also cause changes in the site of the city.Chang’an, the capital city of the Western Han Dynasty and the Sui and Tang Dynasties, is located in today’s Xi’an City, but the two cities have different sites. The reason for the change is that the Sui and Tang Dynasties wanted to find a more open city site.The city of Chang'an in the Han Dynasty was located in the north of Longshouyuan, bordering the Weihe River in the north.After the Han Dynasty, due to the southward swing of the Weihe River, the North Plain was eroded, and the area of ​​the North Plain shrank.Therefore, when the Daxing City was built in the Sui Dynasty, the site of the city was selected in the South Plains of Longshouyuan, which has a large plain area and is convenient for the development of the capital.

Second, the water source should be sufficient.The capital city is densely populated and requires a lot of domestic water.The palace gardens, ditches and ponds of emperors and generals need trickling green water to beautify and embellish.The location near the water can also provide convenience for irrigation and shipping.Therefore, the source of water has a great influence on the choice of city site.Due to the water source, all the ancient capitals of our country were located beside the big rivers.There are few rivers in the arid area of ​​Northwest China, but the ancient capitals were all located in oases with abundant water sources.In addition, changes in water sources often directly lead to the relocation of capital city sites.The Yuan Dynasty built Dadu and chose to build the city in its northeast suburb instead of the old site of Jinzhong Capital. The reason is that the water source that Jinzhong Capital relies on—the lotus pond water system can no longer meet the requirements of the new capital, so the city site had to be moved to use the new one. Water source - Gaoliang River system.

Third, the traffic should be smooth.To quickly deliver the ruler's orders to all parts of the country, to quickly feed back information from across the country to the capital, and to transport supplies from east to west, north, south, and north to the capital as soon as possible, all of these are inseparable from superior traffic conditions, first of all, a good geographical location.During the Warring States period, the three capitals of the Qin State, Yong, Liyang and Xianyang, were all arranged on the north bank of the Weihe River.Although Weinan also has a road, it is not as important as Weibei.One of the reasons why Beijing developed into the largest city and a famous ancient capital in northern China in ancient times is that it is located at the junction of several roads from the northern part of the Central Plains to the Northeast, the Mongolian Plateau and the Shanxi Plateau, and has a superior geographical location.

In ancient times, using rivers for water transportation was the most convenient mode of transportation, but many capitals lacked navigable rivers around them.For this reason, the imperial court often used huge manpower and material resources to dig canals to make up for the shortage of natural transport capacity.Therefore, in the second year after King Wei Hui moved his capital to Daliang in the Warring States Period, he dug a gap to connect the main waterways between the Yellow River and the Huaihe River.In the same year that Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty built the Eastern Capital, he opened the Ji Canal and the Grand Canal, so that ships could be launched in Luoyang, enter the Yellow River and Huai River, and go straight to the south of the Yangtze River.

Fourth, the surrounding area should be surrounded by mountains and rivers, which is convenient for defense.In order to ensure the safety of the capital, so that it will not be easily captured by the enemy, successive dynasties have required that the area where the capital is located is a dangerous place. The reason why Xi'an has become the ancient capital with the longest history in ancient times is that the Guanzhong area where it is located is surrounded by mountains and rivers. Ease of defense and difficulty of attack is obviously one of the reasons.Not only that, but it is best to have dangers around the capital for the last resistance.The ancient capitals built near Xi'an, Feng and Hao in the Western Zhou Dynasty, Xianyang in the Qin Dynasty, and Chang'an in the Western Han, Northern Dynasties, Sui, and Tang Dynasties all did not cross the Bashui River.Because the main threat of these dynasties came from the east, the Bahe River flowing north-south was undoubtedly a natural barrier.Luoyang, the eastern capital built in the Sui Dynasty, faces Yique in the south, Mang Mountain in the north, Chan Chan River in the east, Jian River in the west, and Luoshui River runs through it. Obviously, the need for defense has been considered in the site selection.

If you don't have the geographical advantage of being surrounded by mountains and rivers, you have to garrison heavy troops around the capital, with the help of the Great Wall of flesh and blood, which will greatly increase the capital's demand for food and supplies from other places.In the early Northern Song Dynasty, the reason why Taizu planned to move the capital to Luoyang or Chang'an was, in his words, "to take advantage of the victory of the mountains and rivers and get rid of redundant soldiers, follow the stories of Zhou (Eastern Zhou) and Han (Western and Eastern Han) to secure the world."He worried that setting the capital in Kaifeng and stationing heavy troops would inevitably greatly increase the burden on the people to transport grain. Long Series, Volume 17) This kind of worry cannot be said to be unreasonable.

Fifth, the local economy should be developed.Since the capital city is the most populous city in the country, it consumes a huge amount of food and daily necessities, and long-distance transportation is so inconvenient in ancient times. If the economy in the area where the capital city is located is developed, the degree of dependence on other places can be reduced.Therefore, the locations of ancient capitals are often economically developed areas.As pointed out in the previous section, before the middle of the Tang Dynasty, my country’s economic center of gravity was in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River in the north, so the capitals of the unified dynasty were located in Chang’an and Luoyang. Later, the economic center of gravity moved southward, forcing the capital to move eastward and southward, first to areas close to the Jianghuai River. Kaifeng, and then simply moved to Nanjing, which is located in the south of the Yangtze River.As far as the overall economic structure of the country is concerned, the capital city needs to be located in or close to the most economically developed area in the country.As far as the sub-level regions are concerned, the location of the capital city should also be an area with a relatively developed economy in the region.During the Warring States Period, the Qin State moved its capital from Liyang to Xianyang, mainly because the area where Liyang is located is full of saline-alkaline marshes, without long-term development and transformation, and the economy is backward. Xianyang is densely populated and developed early, and Zhongnan Mountain is rich in products. , inexhaustible.Although Beijing, the capital of the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, was no longer the economic center of gravity, it was also located in an economically developed area in the north.

Sixth, the mountains and rivers should be beautiful and pleasant.The ancient emperors were full of ambition, drinking sweets and feasting on jade (yanyu dislikes jade), but also indulged in sensuality, dogs and horses, field hunting and recreation.They not only built a large number of palaces, pavilions, ditches and ponds in the city, but also built a large number of palaces and forbidden gardens outside the city.The Huaqing Pool at the foot of Lishan Mountain in Xi'an, the famous tourist attraction in ancient and modern times, the West Lake in Hangzhou, and the western suburbs of Beijing were all places where emperors indulged in entertainment.For this reason, when the rulers of the past dynasties chose the address of the capital, they often required beautiful mountains and rivers and pleasant scenery in the capital and its vicinity.Xie Zhaozhe, a man of the Ming Dynasty, analyzed the reasons why Emperor Gaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty established Hangzhou as his capital in his book "Wuzazu [zuzu]", and even said: "Lin'an, the capital of Emperor Gaozong, is only greedy for the prosperity of the West Lake." The main reason why Emperor Gaozong established Hangzhou as his capital. When selecting the location of the capital, in addition to the above-mentioned natural conditions, it often also depends on the results of divination.The ancients believed that there is an omnipotent dominating power in the universe, and the choice of a capital city is such an important matter that one must consult the opinions of heaven.Before the construction of Luoyi in the Western Zhou Dynasty, the "divination house" was first carried out, that is, to determine whether it was auspicious to establish the capital here through divination. Only after divination could the city site be determined and construction officially started.In the Sui Dynasty, the capital city was originally established in Longshou, which was also divined in advance.Before the start of construction of the new capital, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty issued an edict saying: "Living here now is just an expedient measure, and neither divinatory [shishi] grass or tortoise shells have been used to calculate the divinatory symbols, nor the celestial phenomena, so it cannot be built as the capital. However, Longshouyuan has beautiful mountains and rivers, and everything grows luxuriantly, so it is suitable for establishing a capital after divination." ("Sui Shu·Gao Zu Shang") Just like no gold is pure and no man is perfect, it is also impossible to choose a capital city that is ideal in all aspects.This is not only true of the five major capitals of the unified dynasty, but also the capitals of regional regimes such as Hangzhou, Anyang, and Chengdu.Therefore, the address of the capital can only be determined according to the main contradictions and urgent needs at that time.In addition, the location of the capital is often affected by historical inheritance. People who have lived in an agricultural society where the land has been relocated for a long time are generally unwilling to easily change their familiar living environment, because relocating a family is not an easy task.It is even more difficult for a dynasty to establish a capital in a new place or move the capital to another place.This is not only because it is not easy to choose a city site that is more suitable than the old capital in all aspects, but also because the construction of a new capital requires a lot of manpower and material resources. The important matter of facing the back has to be seriously considered.Moreover, the old capital city has been in operation for many years, and generally has gorgeous palaces, complete living facilities and developed transportation systems, which can be used ready-made.It is for this reason that many ancient capitals in our country last for a long time, often with a history of hundreds of years.