Beijing has served as China's imperial capital for roughly eight centuries of its history.

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: While Beijing is synonymous with Chinese power today, it spent millennia as a strategic provincial outpost. From its origins as a settlement for early humans to its transformation into a grand Mongol capital, the city’s evolution reflects the shifting borders and power struggles between nomadic tribes and imperial dynasties.

The history of the Beijing area stretches back to the Paleolithic era. Fossil remains of Homo erectus pekinensis, dating from approximately 770,000 to 230,000 years ago, were discovered at Zhoukoudian, alongside evidence of Upper Cave man from 50,000 years ago. By 3,000 years ago, Neolithic communities had established settlements on the site. The first capital city associated with the location was Ji, established by the kingdom of Yan during the Warring States period (475–256 BC).

For much of the early imperial era, the region functioned as a provincial town, serving as a buffer against nomadic groups like the Xiongnu. Its strategic importance grew as northern nomadic powers, including the Khitans and the Juchen, expanded southward. The Khitans established the Liao kingdom (907–1125) and built a capital on the site, which they named Nanjing. This was later rebuilt and expanded by the Juchen as the Jin capital, Zhongdu, before being destroyed by Mongol forces between 1211 and 1215.

The city’s status as a national political center began under the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. Kublai Khan abandoned the old capital of Karakorum to build Dadu in 1272, a massive, well-planned city that impressed visitors like Marco Polo. Following the collapse of the Mongol dynasty, the Ming emperor Zhu Di officially renamed the city Beijing in 1403 and designated it the imperial capital in 1421. With few interruptions, it has remained the seat of power for successive dynasties and the modern state.

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