Historical capitals of China

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Historical capitals of China

The Chinese

China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
phrase Four Great Ancient Capitals of China traditionally refers to Beijing

Beijing

Nanjing

is the capital city of China's Jiangsu province of China, and a city with a prominent place in Chinese history and Chinese culture. Nanjing served as the capital of China during several historical periods and is listed as one of the Historical capitals of China....
, Luoyang

Luoyang

Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast....
, and Chang'an

Chang'an

Chang'an is an ancient Capital of more than ten Dynasties in Chinese history in Chinese history. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese....
(Xi'an

Xi'an

Xi'an , is the Capital of the Shaanxi Provinces of China in the People's Republic of China and a sub-provincial city. As one of the oldest cities in Chinese history, Xi'an is one of the Historical capitals of China because it has been the capital of some of the most important Dynasties in Chinese history in Chinese history, including the Zh...
).

After the 1930s as more discoveries were made, other historical capitals were added to the list. The later phrase Seven Ancient Capitals of China included Kaifeng

Kaifeng

Kaifeng , formerly known as Bianliang , Bianjing , Daliang , or simply Liang , is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province of China, People's Republic of China....
(added in the 1920s as the fifth ancient capital), Hangzhou

Hangzhou

is a sub-provincial city located in the Yangtze River Delta in the People's Republic of China, and the capital of Zhejiang Provinces of China....
(the sixth, added in the 1930s), and Anyang

Anyang

Anyang is a prefecture-level city in Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the east, Hebi and Xinxiang to the south, and the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei to its west and north respectively....
(after a proposal by archaeologists in 1988, it became the seventh ancient capital).

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Encyclopedia

The Chinese

China

Beijing

Nanjing

Luoyang

Chang'an

Chang'an is an ancient Capital of more than ten Dynasties in Chinese history in Chinese history. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese....
(Xi'an

Xi'an

Kaifeng

Hangzhou

is a sub-provincial city located in the Yangtze River Delta in the People's Republic of China, and the capital of Zhejiang Provinces of China....
(the sixth, added in the 1930s), and Anyang

Anyang

Zhengzhou

Zhengzhou , formerly called Zhengxian is a prefecture-level city, and the capital of Henan Province , People's Republic of China....
as an eighth, thanks to archaeological finds there.

List of historical capitals of China

In alphabetical order:

Anyang
Anyang

Anyang is a prefecture-level city in Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the east, Hebi and Xinxiang to the south, and the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei to its west and north respectively....
was the capital during the Yin period of the Shang Dynasty
Shang Dynasty

The Shang Dynasty or Yin Dynasty was according to traditional sources the first Dynasties in Chinese history. They ruled in the northeastern region of the area known as "China proper", in the Yellow River valley....
: called Yin (?, pinyin
Pinyin

Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most commonly used Romanization system for Standard Mandarin. Hanyu is the Chinese Language, and pinyin means "phonetics", or more literally, "spelling sound" or "spelled sound"....
: Yin).

Beijing
Beijing

is a metropolis in northern China and the Capital of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the four municipality of China, which are equivalent to province in China's Political divisions of China....
(formerly Romanized as Peking, from Chinese Postal Map Romanization (CPMR); briefly known as Peip'ing in Wade-Giles
Wade-Giles

Wade-Giles , sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization system for the Mandarin Chinese language used in Beijing. It developed from a system produced by Thomas Francis Wade in the mid-19th century, and reached settled form with Herbert Giles' Chinese language-English language dictionary of 1892....
(WG) or Beipíng in pinyin
Pinyin

Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most commonly used Romanization system for Standard Mandarin. Hanyu is the Chinese Language, and pinyin means "phonetics", or more literally, "spelling sound" or "spelled sound"....
(py)) was and has been the capital of various Chinese governments including (sorted chronologically):

State of Yan (Yen in WG) in Spring and Autumn Period

Spring and Autumn Period

The Spring and Autumn Period was a period in Chinese history, which roughly corresponds to the first half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty . Its name comes from the Spring and Autumn Annals, a chronicle of the state of Lu between 722 BC and 481 BC, which tradition associates with Confucius....
(722-481 BC): called Ji (?, pinyin

Pinyin

Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most commonly used Romanization system for Standard Mandarin. Hanyu is the Chinese Language, and pinyin means "phonetics", or more literally, "spelling sound" or "spelled sound"....
: Jì).

Liao Dynasty (907-1125)

Liao Dynasty

The Liao Dynasty , 907-1125, also known as the Khitan Empire , was an empire in East Asia that ruled over the regions of Manchuria, Mongolia, and parts of northern China proper....
, as a secondary capital: called Yanjing (??, pinyin

Pinyin

Yuan Dynasty

The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was both the continuation of the Mongol Empire and the Mongol founded historical state in Mongolia and China, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368....
(1271 to 1368): called Dadu

Khanbaliq

Khanbaliq or Dadu refers to a city which is now Beijing, the current Capital of the People's Republic of China. The city was called Dadu or Tatu , meaning "great capital" or "grand capital" in Chinese language, the name for the capital of the Yuan Dynasty founded by Kublai Khan in China, and was called Daidu by the Mo...
(??, pinyin

Pinyin

Chinese language

Chinese or the Sinitic language is a language family consisting of language mutually unintelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the two branches of Sino-Tibetan languages of languages....
, Daidu (a direct transliteration from Chinese) in Mongolian

Mongolian language

The Mongolian language is the best-known member of the Mongolic languages. It is the language of most residents of Mongolia and of many of the Mongolian residents of Inner Mongolia, totalling about 5.7 million speakers....
. This was reported as "Cambuluc" by Marco Polo

Marco Polo

Marco Polo was a trader and exploration from the Venetian Republic who gained fame for his worldwide travels, recorded in the book Il Milione also known as Oriente Poliano and the Description of the World....
.

Ming Dynasty

Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty , or Empire of the Great Ming , was the ruling Dynasties in Chinese history of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty....
since Yongle Emperor of China (1402/1424-1644): called Jingshi (??,"capital").

Qing Dynasty

Qing Dynasty

Beiyang Government

The Beiyang government or warlord government collectively refers to a series of military regimes that ruled from Beijing from 1912 to 1928 at Zhongnanhai....
of the Republic of China

Republic of China

The Republic of China , also known as Nationalist China is a country in East Asia that has evolved from a single-party state with full global recognition into a multi-party democratic state with Political status of Taiwan....
.

The current capital of the People's Republic of China

People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the List of countries by population in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately a fifth of the world's population....
.

Chengdu
Chengdu

Chengdu , located in southwest People's Republic of China, is the capital of Sichuan provinces of China and a sub-provincial city. Chengdu is also one of the most important economic centers and transportation and communication hubs in Southwestern China....
(WG: Ch'eng-tu) was the capital of the Shu Kingdom during the period of the Three Kingdoms
Three Kingdoms

The Three Kingdoms period is a period in the history of China, part of an era of disunity called the Six Dynasties following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty emperors....
. It was briefly the seat of Chiang's ROC government during the Chinese civil war
Chinese Civil War

The Chinese Civil War or , which lasted from April 1927 to May 1950, was a civil war in China between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party ....
with the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China

The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and the ruling party of the People's Republic of China and the world's largest political party....
.

Chongqing
Chongqing

Chongqing is the largest and most populous of the People's Republic of China's four provinces of China-level municipality of China, and the only one in the less densely populated western region of China....
(CPMR: Chungking) was the provisional capital of the government of Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek

Chiang Kai-shek , Order of the Bath , served as Generalissimo of the Nationalist Government of the Republic of China from 1928 to 1948. He was sometimes referred to simply as "the Generalissimo"....
during World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
(Second Chinese-Japanese War), and was briefly the seat of Chiang's ROC government during the Chinese civil war
Chinese Civil War

The Chinese Civil War or , which lasted from April 1927 to May 1950, was a civil war in China between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party ....
with the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China

The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and the ruling party of the People's Republic of China and the world's largest political party....
.

Datong
Datong

Datong is a city in the northern Shanxi Province in China, and is located a few hundred kilometres west by rail from Beijing with an elevation of 1090 meters....
(WG: Ta-t'ong) was the capital during Northern Wei Dynasty before moving to Luoyang
Luoyang

Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast....
in 493.

Guangzhou
Guangzhou

'Guangzhou' is the Capital and a sub-provincial city of Guangdong Province of China in the northern and southern China part of the People's Republic of China....
(formerly Romanized Canton from CPMR)

Republic of China: it was seat of the National Government before the Northern Expedition, and was briefly the seat of Chiang's ROC government during the Chinese civil war

Chinese Civil War

The Chinese Civil War or , which lasted from April 1927 to May 1950, was a civil war in China between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party ....
with the Communist Party of China

Communist Party of China

The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and the ruling party of the People's Republic of China and the world's largest political party....
.

Hangzhou
Hangzhou

is a sub-provincial city located in the Yangtze River Delta in the People's Republic of China, and the capital of Zhejiang Provinces of China....
(also Hangchou or Hangchow) was the capital of:

The Wuyue Kingdom

Wuyue

Kingdom of Wuyue , 907-978, was a small independent coastal kingdom founded during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms of Chinese history. It was ruled by the Qian family, which remains widespread in the kingdom's former territory....
(904-978), during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was an era of political upheaval in China, beginning in the Tang Dynasty and ending in the Song Dynasty . During this period, five dynasties quickly succeeded one another in the north, and more than 12 independent states were established, mainly in the south....
.

China during the Southern Song Dynasty

Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty was a ruling Chinese dynasty in China between 960–1279 AD; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty....
: called Lin'an (?? Lín'an).

Hao
Hao

Hao may refer to:*H?o, a Chinese style name#H?o *Hao *Hao , ?, Western Zhou capital, near present-day Xi'an, Shaanxi *Hao Mengling, Chinese general...
was the capital during Western Zhou Dynasty, located near present day Xi'an
Xi'an

Xi'an , is the Capital of the Shaanxi Provinces of China in the People's Republic of China and a sub-provincial city. As one of the oldest cities in Chinese history, Xi'an is one of the Historical capitals of China because it has been the capital of some of the most important Dynasties in Chinese history in Chinese history, including the Zh...
.

Kaifeng
Kaifeng

Kaifeng , formerly known as Bianliang , Bianjing , Daliang , or simply Liang , is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province of China, People's Republic of China....
was the capital of various Chinese governments including (sorted chronologically):

Later Liang Dynasty

The Later Liang was one of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China. It was founded by Taizu of Later Liang, posthumously known as Taizu of Later Liang, after he forced the last emperor of the Tang dynasty to abdicate in his favour ....
during the Period of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.

Later Jin Dynasty

Later Jin Dynasty (Five Dynasties)

Note that there are four periods of Chinese history using the name "Jin" The Later J?n was one of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China....
during the Period of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.

Later Han Dynasty

Later Han Dynasty

The Later Han Dynasty could refer to two dynasties in China:*The Eastern Han Dynasty *Later Han Dynasty , a dynasty in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period ...
during the Period of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.

Later Zhou Dynasty

Later Zhou Dynasty

The Later Zhou Dynasty was the last a succession of five dynasties that controlled most of northern China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, which lasted from 907 to 960 and bridged the gap between the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty....
during the Period of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.

Northern Song Dynasty: called Dongjing (?? Dongjing).

Luoyang
Luoyang

Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast....
was the capital of various Chinese governments including (sorted chronologically):

Eastern Zhou Dynasty

Eastern Han Dynasty

Han Dynasty

The Han Dynasty followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. The Han Dynasty was ruled by the family known as the Liu clan who had peasant origins....
from 25 to 220

Kingdom of Wei during the Three Kingdoms

Three Kingdoms

The Three Kingdoms period is a period in the history of China, part of an era of disunity called the Six Dynasties following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty emperors....
.

Western Jin Dynasty

Jìn Dynasty (265-420)

The J?n Dynasty , one of the Six Dynasties, followed the Three Kingdoms period and preceded the Southern and Northern Dynasties in China. The dynasty was founded by the Sima family ....

Northern Wei Dynasty since 493, moved its capital from Datong.

Later Tang Dynasty

Later Tang Dynasty

The Later Tang Dynasty was a short-lived dynasty that lasted from 923 to 936 one of the five dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period....
during the Period of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.

Nanjing
Nanjing

is the capital city of China's Jiangsu province of China, and a city with a prominent place in Chinese history and Chinese culture. Nanjing served as the capital of China during several historical periods and is listed as one of the Historical capitals of China....
(formerly Romanized Nanking (CPMR) or Nanching in WG) was the capital of various Chinese governments including (sorted chronologically):

all of the Six Dynasties

Six Dynasties

Six Dynasties is a collective noun for six China dynasties during the periods of the Three Kingdoms , Jin Dynasty , and Southern and Northern Dynasties ....
: called Jianye (?? Jiànyè) or Jiankang

Jiankang

Jiankang was the capital city of the Eastern Jin Dynasty . Its walls are extant ruins in the modern prefecture-level city of Nanjing....
(?? Jiànkang). The Six Dynasties are:

Kingdom of Wu during the Three Kingdoms

Three Kingdoms

Liu Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty was first of the four Southern Dynasties in China, followed by the Southern Qi Dynasty.It was founded by Emperor Wu of Liu Song ?? , whose surname together with "Song" forms the most commonly used name for the dynasty, the Liu Song ??....

Southern Qi Dynasty

Liang Dynasty

Liang Dynasty

Liang Dynasty , also known as Southern Liang Dynasty , was the third of Southern dynasties in China, followed by the Chen Dynasty. Western Liang Dynasty , with its capital established at Jiangling in 555 by Emperor Xuan of Western Liang, a grandson of Liang's founder Emperor Wu of Liang, claimed to be the legitimate successor of...

Chen Dynasty

Chen Dynasty

Chen Dynasty was the fourth and the last of the Southern dynasties in China, eventually destroyed by the Sui Dynasty.When the dynasty was founded by Emperor Wu of Chen, it was exceedingly weak, possessing only a small portion of the territory once held by its predecessor Liang Dynasty -- and that portion was devastated by wars that had do...

Ming Dynasty

Ming Dynasty

Beijing

is a metropolis in northern China and the Capital of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the four municipality of China, which are equivalent to province in China's Political divisions of China....
.

Taiping Tianguo (Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace and Prosperity) during the Taiping Rebellion. Known as Tianjing (??,literally 'Heavenly Capital') between 1853 and its fall in 1864.

Republic of China

Republic of China

The Republic of China , also known as Nationalist China is a country in East Asia that has evolved from a single-party state with full global recognition into a multi-party democratic state with Political status of Taiwan....
after the Northern Expedition until the Japanese invasion in 1937 of WWII

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, and after the war until Chiang Kai-Shek

Chiang Kai-shek

Chiang Kai-shek , Order of the Bath , served as Generalissimo of the Nationalist Government of the Republic of China from 1928 to 1948. He was sometimes referred to simply as "the Generalissimo"....
retreated to Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
in 1949.

Wang Jingwei

Wang Jingwei

Wang Jingwei , alternate name Wang Zhaoming , was a Chinese politician. He was initially known as a member of the left wing of the Kuomintang , but he was staunchly anti-Communist, and his politics veered sharply to the right later in his career....
's pro-Japanese collaborationist

Collaborationism

Collaborationism, can describe the treason of cooperation with enemy forces Military occupation one's country. As such it implies Crime deeds in the service of the occupying Power , including complicit with the occupying power in murder, persecutions, pillage, and economy exploitation as well as participation in a puppet government....
government.

Taipei
Taipei

Taipei has been the de facto capital of the Republic of China, commonly known as Taiwan, since the Chinese Civil War in 1949, and the capital of Taiwan since Japanese rule that began in 1895....
has been the de-facto capital of the Republic of China
Republic of China

The Republic of China , also known as Nationalist China is a country in East Asia that has evolved from a single-party state with full global recognition into a multi-party democratic state with Political status of Taiwan....
(Taiwan
Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
) since 1949.

Wuhan
Wuhan

is the capital of Hubei province, and is the most populous city in central People's Republic of China. It lies at the east of Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and Han River ....
was the capital of a leftist Kuomintang
Kuomintang

The Kuomintang of China , also often translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party, is the founding and the ruling party of the Republic of China ....
government led by Wang Jingwei
Wang Jingwei

Wang Jingwei , alternate name Wang Zhaoming , was a Chinese politician. He was initially known as a member of the left wing of the Kuomintang , but he was staunchly anti-Communist, and his politics veered sharply to the right later in his career....
in opposition to Chiang Kaishek during the 1920s.

Xanadu
Xanadu

Xanadu, also spelled Shangdu or Shang-tu and also known as Kaiping , was the summer capital of Kublai Khan's Yuan Dynasty in China, after he decided to move the capital of the Yuan Dynasty to Dadu, present-day Beijing....
(Shangdu) was the summer capital
Summer capital

A summer capital is a city used as an administrative Capital during extended periods of particularly hot summer weather. The term is mostly of relevance in a historical context as political systems with ruling classes that would migrate to a summer capital are less prevalent in modern times....
of Kublai Khan
Kublai Khan

Sorry, no overview for this topic
's empire.

Xi'an
Xi'an

Xi'an , is the Capital of the Shaanxi Provinces of China in the People's Republic of China and a sub-provincial city. As one of the oldest cities in Chinese history, Xi'an is one of the Historical capitals of China because it has been the capital of some of the most important Dynasties in Chinese history in Chinese history, including the Zh...
(WG: Hsi'an; called Chang'an
Chang'an

Chang'an is an ancient Capital of more than ten Dynasties in Chinese history in Chinese history. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese....
in ancient times) was the capital of various Chinese governments including (sorted chronologically):

Western Zhou Dynasty

Zhou Dynasty

The Zhou Dynasty was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in China history?though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou....
, also see Hao

Hao

Hao may refer to:*H?o, a Chinese style name#H?o *Hao *Hao , ?, Western Zhou capital, near present-day Xi'an, Shaanxi *Hao Mengling, Chinese general...
.

State of Qin in Spring and Autumn Period

Spring and Autumn Period

Qin Dynasty

The Qin Dynasty was preceded by the feudal Zhou Dynasty and followed by the Han Dynasty in China. The unification of China in 221 BCE under the Qin Shi Huang marked the beginning of Imperial China, a period which lasted until the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912 CE....
221 BC-207 BC: Xi'an is located near the Qin capital which is called Xianyang

Xianyang

Xianyang is a city in Shaanxi province, near Xi'an. The city site was located a few kilometers to the northwest of present-day Xi'an. It has an area of 10,213 square kilometers and a population of 4,800,000....
(?? Xiányáng).

Western Han Dynasty

Han Dynasty

Xin Dynasty

The Xin Dynasty was a China dynasty which lasted from 9-23 AD. It followed the Western Han Dynasty and preceded the Eastern Han Dynasty.The sole emperor of the Xin Dynasty, Wang Mang , was the nephew of Empress Wang Zhengjun....
from 8 to 23

Eastern Han Dynasty

Western Jin Dynasty

State of Former Zhao, a state in the Sixteen Kingdoms

Sixteen Kingdoms

The Sixteen Kingdoms , or less commonly the Sixteen States, were a collection of numerous short-lived sovereign states in China proper and its neighboring areas from 304 to 439 Common Era after the retreat of the Jin Dynasty to South China and before the establishment of the Northern Dynasties....
period during the Chinese Jin Dynasty (265-420)

Jìn Dynasty (265-420)

Former Qin

The Former Qin was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms in China. Founded by the Fu family of the Di ethnicity, it completed the unification of North China in 376....
from 351 to 394, from the Sixteen Kingdoms

Sixteen Kingdoms

Later Qin

The Later Qin was a state of Qiang people ethnicity of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. Note that the Later Qin is entirely distinct from the ancient Qin Dynasty, the Former Qin, and the Western Qin....
from 384 to 417, from the Sixteen Kingdoms

Sixteen Kingdoms

Sui Dynasty

The Sui Dynasty followed the Southern and Northern Dynasties and preceded the Tang Dynasty in China. It ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes....
from 581 to 618

Tang Dynasty

Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty was an Dynasties in Chinese history preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire....
from 618 to 907

Ye
Ye, China

Ye was an ancient Chinese city located in what is now Linzhang County, Hebei and the neighbouring Anyang County, Henan.Ye was first built in the Spring and Autumn Period by Lord Huan of Qi, and by the time of the Warring States Period the city belonged to the state of Wei ....
was the capital of Eastern Wei Dynasty and Northern Qi Dynasty.

Chronology

Government	Capital	Period
Xia Xia Dynasty The Xia Dynasty of China is the first dynasty to be described in ancient historical records such as Records of the Grand Historian and Bamboo Annals....	Song Song County Song County is a County of Luoyang City, Henan Province, China . It was the first capital of China during the Xia Dynasty....	Gun
	Yangcheng Dengfeng Dengfeng is a county-level city in Zhengzhou, Henan province. In ancient times, it was known as Y?ngch?ng .Dengfeng has an area of 1220 square kilometers and a population of 630,000....	Yu
	Chu	Yi
	Qiongshi Luoyang Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast....	Yi, Hanzhuo
	Zhen	Taikang
	Diqiu Puyang Puyang is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Henan province, China. Located on the northern shore of the Yellow River, it borders Anyang in the west, Xinxiang in the southwest, and the provinces of Shandong and Hebei in the east and north respectively....	Xiang
	Yuan Jiyuan Jiyuan is a sub-prefecture-level city in northwestern Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. It borders the prefecture-level city of Jiaozuo and Luoyang to the east and southwest respectively, as well as the province of Shanxi to the north....	Zhu
	Laoqiu Kaifeng Kaifeng , formerly known as Bianliang , Bianjing , Daliang , or simply Liang , is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province of China, People's Republic of China....	Zhu
	Xihe Anyang Anyang is a prefecture-level city in Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the east, Hebi and Xinxiang to the south, and the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei to its west and north respectively....	Yinjia
	Zhen	Jie
	"Henan"	Jie
Shang Shang Dynasty The Shang Dynasty or Yin Dynasty was according to traditional sources the first Dynasties in Chinese history. They ruled in the northeastern region of the area known as "China proper", in the Yellow River valley....	Bo	Xie
	Fan	Xie
	Dishi	Zhaoming
	Shang	Zhaoming
	Shangqiu	Xiangtu
	Foot of Mount Tai Mount Tai Mount Tai is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an, in Shandong Province of China, China. The tallest peak is Jade Emperor Peak , which is commonly reported as 1545 metres tall, but is described by the Chinese government as 1532.7 metres .... ("???")	Xiangtu
	Shangqiu	Xiangtu
	Yin	Shanghou
	Shangqiu	Yinhou
	Bo ("?"?)	Tang
	Xiao	Zhongding
	Xiang	Hedanjia
	Xing Xingtai Xingtai is a prefecture-level city in southern Hebei province, China. The prefecture-level city of Xingtai, with a total area of 12,486 square kilometers, administers 2 district of China, 2 county-level cities and 15 county of China....	Zuyi
	Bi	Zuyi
	Yan Qufu Qufu is a city in Shandong Province of China, China. It is located at 35Degree 36Minute of arc northern latitude and 117Degree , 02Minute of arc east of Greenwich, about 130 kilometer south of the provincial capital Jinan and 45 km northeast of the sub-provincial city Jining, Shandong....	Nan'geng
	Yin Yinxu Yinxu is the ruins of the last capital of China Shang Dynasty . The capital served 255 years for 12 kings in 8 generations.Rediscovered in 1899 it is one of the oldest and largest archeaological sites in China and is one of the Historical capitals of China and a UNESCO World Heritage Site....	Pan'geng
Zhou Zhou Dynasty The Zhou Dynasty was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in China history?though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou.... (Western)	Zongzhou Xi'an Xi'an , is the Capital of the Shaanxi Provinces of China in the People's Republic of China and a sub-provincial city. As one of the oldest cities in Chinese history, Xi'an is one of the Historical capitals of China because it has been the capital of some of the most important Dynasties in Chinese history in Chinese history, including the Zh... (??, Western capital)	1046 BCE—771 BCE
	Chengzhou Luoyang Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.... (??, Eastern capital)	1046 BCE—771 BCE
Zhou Zhou Dynasty The Zhou Dynasty was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in China history?though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou.... (Eastern)	Chengzhou Luoyang Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast....	770 BCE—367 BCE
	"Henan" (??, capital of the Western Zhou State)	367 BCE—256 BCE
	Gong (?, capital of the Eastern Zhou State)	367 BCE—249 BCE
Qin Qin Dynasty The Qin Dynasty was preceded by the feudal Zhou Dynasty and followed by the Han Dynasty in China. The unification of China in 221 BCE under the Qin Shi Huang marked the beginning of Imperial China, a period which lasted until the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912 CE....	Xiquanqiu Tianshui Tianshui is the second largest city in Gansu province in northwest China. Its population is approximately 3,500,000.Tianshui lies along the route of the ancient Northern Silk Road, through which much of trade occurred between China and the west....
	Pingyang Baoji Baoji is a prefecture-level city in southwest Shaanxi, China. It has a population of 3,670,000 according to the 2001 Chinese census, making it the 25th largest city in China, and a surface area of 18172 km?....	—677 BCE
	Yong Fengxiang County Fengxiang County is a county in Baoji, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China....	677 BCE—
	Jingyang Jingyang County Jingyang County is a county of Xianyang, Shaanxi, China....	—383 BCE
	Liyang Fuping County, Shaanxi Fuping County is a county in Weinan City, Shaanxi Province of China.It's located in center of Shaanxi Province.Area: 1233 km2; Population: 750,000; Postal Code: 711700...	383 BCE—250 BCE
	Xianyang Xianyang Xianyang is a city in Shaanxi province, near Xi'an. The city site was located a few kilometers to the northwest of present-day Xi'an. It has an area of 10,213 square kilometers and a population of 4,800,000....	350 BCE—207 BCE
Han Han Dynasty The Han Dynasty followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. The Han Dynasty was ruled by the family known as the Liu clan who had peasant origins.... (Western)	Luoyang Luoyang Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast....	202 BCE
	Liyang Liyang Liyang is a county-level city within Changzhou of Jiangsu province, in China. Population: 292,482 ....	202 BCE—200 BCE
	Chang'an Chang'an Chang'an is an ancient Capital of more than ten Dynasties in Chinese history in Chinese history. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese....	200 BCE—8 BCE
Xin Xin Dynasty The Xin Dynasty was a China dynasty which lasted from 9-23 AD. It followed the Western Han Dynasty and preceded the Eastern Han Dynasty.The sole emperor of the Xin Dynasty, Wang Mang , was the nephew of Empress Wang Zhengjun....	Chang'an Chang'an Chang'an is an ancient Capital of more than ten Dynasties in Chinese history in Chinese history. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese....	8 CE—23 CE
Han Han Dynasty The Han Dynasty followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. The Han Dynasty was ruled by the family known as the Liu clan who had peasant origins.... (Eastern)	Luoyang Luoyang Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast....	25—190
	Chang'an Chang'an Chang'an is an ancient Capital of more than ten Dynasties in Chinese history in Chinese history. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese....	191—195
	Xu Xuchang Xuchang is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the northwest, Kaifeng to the northeast, Zhoukou to the east, Luohe to the southeast, and Pingdingshan to the southwest....	196—220
Wei Cao Wei Cao Wei was one of the empires that competed for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period. With the capital at Lu?y?ng, the empire was established by Cao Pi in 220, based upon the foundations that his father Cao Cao laid.... (Three Kingdoms Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms period is a period in the history of China, part of an era of disunity called the Six Dynasties following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty emperors.... )	Luoyang Luoyang Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast....	220—265
Han Shu Han Shu Han , sometimes known as the Kingdom of Shu was one of the Three Kingdoms competing for control of China after the fall of the Han Dynasty, based on areas around Sichuan which was then known as Shu .... (Three Kingdoms Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms period is a period in the history of China, part of an era of disunity called the Six Dynasties following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty emperors.... )	Chengdu Chengdu Chengdu , located in southwest People's Republic of China, is the capital of Sichuan provinces of China and a sub-provincial city. Chengdu is also one of the most important economic centers and transportation and communication hubs in Southwestern China....	221—263
Wu Eastern Wu Eastern Wu , also known as Sun Wu , was one of the Three Kingdoms competing for control of China after the fall of the Han Dynasty in the Jiangnan region of China.... (Three Kingdoms Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms period is a period in the history of China, part of an era of disunity called the Six Dynasties following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty emperors.... )	Jianye Jiankang Jiankang was the capital city of the Eastern Jin Dynasty . Its walls are extant ruins in the modern prefecture-level city of Nanjing....	227—279
Jin (Western)	Luoyang Luoyang Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast....	265—313
Jin (Western)	Chang'an Chang'an Chang'an is an ancient Capital of more than ten Dynasties in Chinese history in Chinese history. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese....	313—316
Jin (Eastern)	Jiankang Jiankang Jiankang was the capital city of the Eastern Jin Dynasty . Its walls are extant ruins in the modern prefecture-level city of Nanjing....	317—420
Wei Northern Wei The Northern Wei Dynasty , also known as the Tuoba Wei , Later Wei , or Yuan Wei , was "part of an era of political turbulence and intense social and cultural change".... (Northern dynasties Northern dynasties The Northern Dynasties included Northern Wei Dynasty, Eastern Wei Dynasty, Western Wei Dynasty, Northern Qi Dynasty, Northern Zhou Dynasty.... )	Pingcheng Datong Datong is a city in the northern Shanxi Province in China, and is located a few hundred kilometres west by rail from Beijing with an elevation of 1090 meters....	386—493
	Luoyang Luoyang Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast....	493—534
	Ye Ye, China Ye was an ancient Chinese city located in what is now Linzhang County, Hebei and the neighbouring Anyang County, Henan.Ye was first built in the Spring and Autumn Period by Lord Huan of Qi, and by the time of the Warring States Period the city belonged to the state of Wei .... (?, capital of the Eastern Wei State Eastern Wei The Eastern Wei Dynasty followed the disintegration of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and ruled northern China from 534 to 550.In 534 Gao Huan, the potentate of the eastern half of what was Northern Wei territory following the disintegration of the Northern Wei dynasty installed Yuan Shanjian a descendant of the Northern Wei as ruler of Easter... )	534—550
	Chang'an Chang'an Chang'an is an ancient Capital of more than ten Dynasties in Chinese history in Chinese history. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese.... (??, capital of the Western Wei State Western Wei The Western W?i Dynasty followed the disintegration of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and ruled northern China from 535 to 556.After the Northern Wei emperor Yuan Xiu was killed by the Xianbei general Yuwen Tai, Yuan Baoju was installed as emperor of Western Wei while Yuwen Tai would remain as the virtual ruler.... )	535—557
Qi Northern Qi The Northern Qi Dynasty was one of the Northern dynasties of Chinese history and ruled northern China from 550 to 577. It was the successor state of the Xianbei state of Eastern Wei, as Eastern Wei's paramount general Gao Huan was succeeded by his sons Gao Cheng and Emperor Wenxuan of Northern Qi, who took the throne from Emperor Xiaojing o... (Northern dynasties Northern dynasties The Northern Dynasties included Northern Wei Dynasty, Eastern Wei Dynasty, Western Wei Dynasty, Northern Qi Dynasty, Northern Zhou Dynasty.... )	Ye Ye, China Ye was an ancient Chinese city located in what is now Linzhang County, Hebei and the neighbouring Anyang County, Henan.Ye was first built in the Spring and Autumn Period by Lord Huan of Qi, and by the time of the Warring States Period the city belonged to the state of Wei ....	550—577
Zhou Northern Zhou The Northern Zhou Dynasty followed the Western Wei Dynasty, and ruled northern China from 557 to 581. It was followed by the Sui Dynasty.Northern Zhou's basis of power was established by Yuwen Tai, who was paramount general of Western Wei, following the split of Northern Wei into Western Wei and Eastern Wei in 535.... (Northern dynasties Northern dynasties The Northern Dynasties included Northern Wei Dynasty, Eastern Wei Dynasty, Western Wei Dynasty, Northern Qi Dynasty, Northern Zhou Dynasty.... )	Chang'an Chang'an Chang'an is an ancient Capital of more than ten Dynasties in Chinese history in Chinese history. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese....	556—581
Song Liu Song Dynasty The Song Dynasty was first of the four Southern Dynasties in China, followed by the Southern Qi Dynasty.It was founded by Emperor Wu of Liu Song ?? , whose surname together with "Song" forms the most commonly used name for the dynasty, the Liu Song ??.... (Southern dynasties Southern dynasties The Southern dynasties ?? comprise the Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang Dynasty and Chen Dynasty, whose capital were largely all at Jiankang , and Emperor Yuan of Liang, as well as the later Western Liang emperors , also set their capital at Jiangling, and Xiao Zhuang, who is considered by some historians to be a Liang Dynasty emperor, had his... )	Jiankang Jiankang Jiankang was the capital city of the Eastern Jin Dynasty . Its walls are extant ruins in the modern prefecture-level city of Nanjing....	420—479
Qi Southern Qi The Southern Qi Dynasty ?? was the second of the Southern dynasties in China, followed by the Liang Dynasty. During its 23-year history, the dynasty was largely filled with instability, as after the death of the capable Emperor Gao of Southern Qi and Emperor Wu of Southern Qi, Emperor Wu's grandson Xiao Zhaoye was assassinated by Emperor W... (Southern dynasties Southern dynasties The Southern dynasties ?? comprise the Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang Dynasty and Chen Dynasty, whose capital were largely all at Jiankang , and Emperor Yuan of Liang, as well as the later Western Liang emperors , also set their capital at Jiangling, and Xiao Zhuang, who is considered by some historians to be a Liang Dynasty emperor, had his... )	Jiankang Jiankang Jiankang was the capital city of the Eastern Jin Dynasty . Its walls are extant ruins in the modern prefecture-level city of Nanjing....	479—502
Liang Liang Dynasty Liang Dynasty , also known as Southern Liang Dynasty , was the third of Southern dynasties in China, followed by the Chen Dynasty. Western Liang Dynasty , with its capital established at Jiangling in 555 by Emperor Xuan of Western Liang, a grandson of Liang's founder Emperor Wu of Liang, claimed to be the legitimate successor of... (Southern dynasties Southern dynasties The Southern dynasties ?? comprise the Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang Dynasty and Chen Dynasty, whose capital were largely all at Jiankang , and Emperor Yuan of Liang, as well as the later Western Liang emperors , also set their capital at Jiangling, and Xiao Zhuang, who is considered by some historians to be a Liang Dynasty emperor, had his... )	Jiankang Jiankang Jiankang was the capital city of the Eastern Jin Dynasty . Its walls are extant ruins in the modern prefecture-level city of Nanjing....	502—557
Chen Chen Dynasty Chen Dynasty was the fourth and the last of the Southern dynasties in China, eventually destroyed by the Sui Dynasty.When the dynasty was founded by Emperor Wu of Chen, it was exceedingly weak, possessing only a small portion of the territory once held by its predecessor Liang Dynasty -- and that portion was devastated by wars that had do... (Southern dynasties Southern dynasties The Southern dynasties ?? comprise the Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang Dynasty and Chen Dynasty, whose capital were largely all at Jiankang , and Emperor Yuan of Liang, as well as the later Western Liang emperors , also set their capital at Jiangling, and Xiao Zhuang, who is considered by some historians to be a Liang Dynasty emperor, had his... )	Jiankang Jiankang Jiankang was the capital city of the Eastern Jin Dynasty . Its walls are extant ruins in the modern prefecture-level city of Nanjing....	557—589
Sui Sui Dynasty The Sui Dynasty followed the Southern and Northern Dynasties and preceded the Tang Dynasty in China. It ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes....	Dongdu Luoyang Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast....	581—618
	Daxing Chang'an Chang'an is an ancient Capital of more than ten Dynasties in Chinese history in Chinese history. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese.... (??, auxiliary capital)	581—618
Tang Tang Dynasty The Tang Dynasty was an Dynasties in Chinese history preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire....	Chang'an Chang'an Chang'an is an ancient Capital of more than ten Dynasties in Chinese history in Chinese history. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese....	618—690
Zhou Wu Zetian Wu Zetian , personal name Wu Zhao , often referred to as Tian Hou during Tang Dynasty and Empress Consort Wu in later times, was the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Emperor of China....	Chang'an Chang'an Chang'an is an ancient Capital of more than ten Dynasties in Chinese history in Chinese history. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese....	690—705
Tang Tang Dynasty The Tang Dynasty was an Dynasties in Chinese history preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire....	Chang'an Chang'an Chang'an is an ancient Capital of more than ten Dynasties in Chinese history in Chinese history. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese....	705—904
	Luoyang Luoyang Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast....	904—907
Liang Later Liang Dynasty The Later Liang was one of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China. It was founded by Taizu of Later Liang, posthumously known as Taizu of Later Liang, after he forced the last emperor of the Tang dynasty to abdicate in his favour .... (Five dynasties Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was an era of political upheaval in China, beginning in the Tang Dynasty and ending in the Song Dynasty . During this period, five dynasties quickly succeeded one another in the north, and more than 12 independent states were established, mainly in the south.... )	Dongdu Kaifeng Kaifeng , formerly known as Bianliang , Bianjing , Daliang , or simply Liang , is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province of China, People's Republic of China....	907—923
Tang Later Tang Dynasty The Later Tang Dynasty was a short-lived dynasty that lasted from 923 to 936 one of the five dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period.... (Five dynasties Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was an era of political upheaval in China, beginning in the Tang Dynasty and ending in the Song Dynasty . During this period, five dynasties quickly succeeded one another in the north, and more than 12 independent states were established, mainly in the south.... )	Dongdu Luoyang Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of China, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast....	923—936
Jin Later Jin Dynasty (Five Dynasties) Note that there are four periods of Chinese history using the name "Jin" The Later J?n was one of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China.... (Five dynasties Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was an era of political upheaval in China, beginning in the Tang Dynasty and ending in the Song Dynasty . During this period, five dynasties quickly succeeded one another in the north, and more than 12 independent states were established, mainly in the south.... )	Dongjing Kaifeng Kaifeng , formerly known as Bianliang , Bianjing , Daliang , or simply Liang , is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province of China, People's Republic of China....	936—947
Han Later Han Dynasty (Five Dynasties) The Later Han Dynasty was founded in 947. It was the fourth of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period and the third consecutive Shatuo Turks dynasty.... (Five dynasties Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was an era of political upheaval in China, beginning in the Tang Dynasty and ending in the Song Dynasty . During this period, five dynasties quickly succeeded one another in the north, and more than 12 independent states were established, mainly in the south.... )	Dongjing Kaifeng Kaifeng , formerly known as Bianliang , Bianjing , Daliang , or simply Liang , is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province of China, People's Republic of China....	947—950
Zhou Later Zhou Dynasty The Later Zhou Dynasty was the last a succession of five dynasties that controlled most of northern China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, which lasted from 907 to 960 and bridged the gap between the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty.... (Five dynasties Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was an era of political upheaval in China, beginning in the Tang Dynasty and ending in the Song Dynasty . During this period, five dynasties quickly succeeded one another in the north, and more than 12 independent states were established, mainly in the south.... )	Dongjing Kaifeng Kaifeng , formerly known as Bianliang , Bianjing , Daliang , or simply Liang , is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province of China, People's Republic of China....	951—960
Song Song Dynasty The Song Dynasty was a ruling Chinese dynasty in China between 960–1279 AD; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty.... (Northern)	Dongjing Kaifeng Kaifeng , formerly known as Bianliang , Bianjing , Daliang , or simply Liang , is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province of China, People's Republic of China....	960—1127
Song Song Dynasty The Song Dynasty was a ruling Chinese dynasty in China between 960–1279 AD; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty.... (Southern)	Lin'an Hangzhou is a sub-provincial city located in the Yangtze River Delta in the People's Republic of China, and the capital of Zhejiang Provinces of China....	1127—1279
Liao, Empire of the Khitan Liao Dynasty The Liao Dynasty , 907-1125, also known as the Khitan Empire , was an empire in East Asia that ruled over the regions of Manchuria, Mongolia, and parts of northern China proper....	Shangjing	907—1120
	Nanjing	1122—1123
	Tokmok Tokmok Tokmok is a city of about 60,654 in northern Kyrgyzstan, east of the country's capital of Bishkek. Its geographical location is ; its altitude is 816 m above sea level....	1134—1218
Jin	Shangjing	1115—1153
	Zhongdu	1153—1214
	Nanjing Kaifeng Kaifeng , formerly known as Bianliang , Bianjing , Daliang , or simply Liang , is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province of China, People's Republic of China....	1214—1234
Western Xia Western Xia The Western Xia Dynasty or the Tangut Empire was a state that existed from 1038 up to 1227 in what are now the northwestern provinces of China of Gansu, Shaanxi, and Ningxia....	Xingqing Yinchuan Yinchuan is the Capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China, and former capital of the Western Xia Empire of the Tanguts....	1038—1227
Yuan Yuan Dynasty The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was both the continuation of the Mongol Empire and the Mongol founded historical state in Mongolia and China, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368....	Karakorum Karakorum Karakorum was the capital of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century, although for only about 30 years. Its ruins lie in the northwestern corner of the ?v?rkhangai Province of Mongolia, near today's town of Kharkhorin, and adjacent to the Erdene Zuu monastery....	March 1260 — May 1264
	Shangdu Xanadu Xanadu, also spelled Shangdu or Shang-tu and also known as Kaiping , was the summer capital of Kublai Khan's Yuan Dynasty in China, after he decided to move the capital of the Yuan Dynasty to Dadu, present-day Beijing....	May 1264 — 1276
	Dadu Khanbaliq Khanbaliq or Dadu refers to a city which is now Beijing, the current Capital of the People's Republic of China. The city was called Dadu or Tatu , meaning "great capital" or "grand capital" in Chinese language, the name for the capital of the Yuan Dynasty founded by Kublai Khan in China, and was called Daidu by the Mo...	1276 — August 1368
	Shangdu Xanadu Xanadu, also spelled Shangdu or Shang-tu and also known as Kaiping , was the summer capital of Kublai Khan's Yuan Dynasty in China, after he decided to move the capital of the Yuan Dynasty to Dadu, present-day Beijing....	August 1368 — 1369
	Yingchang	1369 — 1370
	Karakorum Karakorum Karakorum was the capital of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century, although for only about 30 years. Its ruins lie in the northwestern corner of the ?v?rkhangai Province of Mongolia, near today's town of Kharkhorin, and adjacent to the Erdene Zuu monastery....	1370 — 1388
Ming Ming Dynasty The Ming Dynasty , or Empire of the Great Ming , was the ruling Dynasties in Chinese history of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty....	Nanjing Nanjing is the capital city of China's Jiangsu province of China, and a city with a prominent place in Chinese history and Chinese culture. Nanjing served as the capital of China during several historical periods and is listed as one of the Historical capitals of China....	23 January 1368 — 2 February 1421
	Beijing Beijing is a metropolis in northern China and the Capital of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the four municipality of China, which are equivalent to province in China's Political divisions of China....	2 February 1421 — 25 April 1644
	Nanjing Nanjing is the capital city of China's Jiangsu province of China, and a city with a prominent place in Chinese history and Chinese culture. Nanjing served as the capital of China during several historical periods and is listed as one of the Historical capitals of China....	1644 — 1645
	Fuzhou Fuzhou is the capital and the largest prefecture-level city of Fujian Provinces of China, People's Republic of China. It is also referred to as Rongcheng which means "city of banyan trees" and Mindong ...	1645 — 1646
	Zhaoqing Zhaoqing Zhaoqing is a prefecture-level city of Guangdong Political divisions of China in southern China....	1646 — 25 April 1662
Later Jin Qing Dynasty The Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, followed the Ming Dynasty in History of China, and was the last ruling Chinese Dynasties of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 ....	Feiala	1587 — 1603
	Hetuala	1603 — 1619
	Jiefan	1619 — September 1620
	Sarhu	September 1620 — April 1621
	Dongjing Liaoyang Liaoyang is a city in China, Liaoning province, located in the middle of the heavily polluted Liaodong Peninsula. The city is situated on the T'ai-tzu River with a current population of 1,820,000....	April 1621 — 11 April 1625
	Shengjing Shenyang Shenyang , or Mukden , is a sub-provincial city and capital city of Liaoning Provinces of China in Northeast China.Along with its nearby cities, Shenyang is an important industrial center in China, and the transportation and commercial centre of China's northeastern region....	11 April 1625 — 1636
Qing Qing Dynasty The Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, followed the Ming Dynasty in History of China, and was the last ruling Chinese Dynasties of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 ....	Shengjing Shenyang Shenyang , or Mukden , is a sub-provincial city and capital city of Liaoning Provinces of China in Northeast China.Along with its nearby cities, Shenyang is an important industrial center in China, and the transportation and commercial centre of China's northeastern region....	1636 — 20 September 1644
	Beijing Beijing is a metropolis in northern China and the Capital of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the four municipality of China, which are equivalent to province in China's Political divisions of China....	20 September 1644 — 12 February 1912
Republic of China Republic of China The Republic of China , also known as Nationalist China is a country in East Asia that has evolved from a single-party state with full global recognition into a multi-party democratic state with Political status of Taiwan....	Nanjing Nanjing is the capital city of China's Jiangsu province of China, and a city with a prominent place in Chinese history and Chinese culture. Nanjing served as the capital of China during several historical periods and is listed as one of the Historical capitals of China....	1 January 1912 — 2 April 1912 (Provisional Government)
	Beijing Beijing is a metropolis in northern China and the Capital of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the four municipality of China, which are equivalent to province in China's Political divisions of China....	2 April 1912 — 30 May 1928 (Beiyang Government Beiyang Government The Beiyang government or warlord government collectively refers to a series of military regimes that ruled from Beijing from 1912 to 1928 at Zhongnanhai.... )
	Fengtian Shenyang Shenyang , or Mukden , is a sub-provincial city and capital city of Liaoning Provinces of China in Northeast China.Along with its nearby cities, Shenyang is an important industrial center in China, and the transportation and commercial centre of China's northeastern region....	30 May 1928 — 29 December 1928 (Beiyang Government Beiyang Government The Beiyang government or warlord government collectively refers to a series of military regimes that ruled from Beijing from 1912 to 1928 at Zhongnanhai.... )
	Guangzhou Guangzhou 'Guangzhou' is the Capital and a sub-provincial city of Guangdong Province of China in the northern and southern China part of the People's Republic of China....	1 July 1925 — 21 February 1927 (Guangzhou Nationalist Government)
	Wuhan Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, and is the most populous city in central People's Republic of China. It lies at the east of Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and Han River ....	21 February 1927 — 19 August 1927 (Wuhan Nationalist Government)
	Nanjing Nanjing is the capital city of China's Jiangsu province of China, and a city with a prominent place in Chinese history and Chinese culture. Nanjing served as the capital of China during several historical periods and is listed as one of the Historical capitals of China....	18 April 1927 — 20 November 1937 (the Nanjing decade Nanjing decade The Nanjing decade was the decade from 1927 to 1937 in the history of the Republic of China. It began when Kuomintang Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek took the city from Zhili clique warlord era Sun Chuanfang halfway through the Northern Expedition in 1927.... )
	Beiping Beijing is a metropolis in northern China and the Capital of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the four municipality of China, which are equivalent to province in China's Political divisions of China....	9 September 1930 — 23 September 1930 (Beiping Nationalist Government)
	Taiyuan Taiyuan Taiyuan is a prefecture-level city and the capital of Shanxi province, People's Republic of China. In 2004, the city had a population of 3.4 million....	23 September 1930 — 4 November 1930 (Beiping Nationalist Government)
	Guangzhou Guangzhou 'Guangzhou' is the Capital and a sub-provincial city of Guangdong Province of China in the northern and southern China part of the People's Republic of China....	28 May 1931 — 22 December 1931 (Guangzhou Nationalist Government)
	Chongqing Chongqing Chongqing is the largest and most populous of the People's Republic of China's four provinces of China-level municipality of China, and the only one in the less densely populated western region of China....	21 November 1937 — 5 May 1946 (during the Second Sino-Japanese War Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was the largest Asian war in the twentieth century. From 1937 to 1941, it was fought between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan.... )
	Nanjing Nanjing is the capital city of China's Jiangsu province of China, and a city with a prominent place in Chinese history and Chinese culture. Nanjing served as the capital of China during several historical periods and is listed as one of the Historical capitals of China....	30 March 1940 — 10 August 1945 (Wang Jingwei Government Wang Jingwei Government The Wang Jingwei Government was a government under the leadership of Wang Jingwei in the Republic of China, set up by the Empire of Japan in March 1940.... )
	Nanjing Nanjing is the capital city of China's Jiangsu province of China, and a city with a prominent place in Chinese history and Chinese culture. Nanjing served as the capital of China during several historical periods and is listed as one of the Historical capitals of China....	5 May 1946 — 23 April 1949
	Guangzhou Guangzhou 'Guangzhou' is the Capital and a sub-provincial city of Guangdong Province of China in the northern and southern China part of the People's Republic of China....	23 April 1949 — 14 October 1949 (during the Chinese Civil War Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War or , which lasted from April 1927 to May 1950, was a civil war in China between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party .... )
	Chongqing Chongqing Chongqing is the largest and most populous of the People's Republic of China's four provinces of China-level municipality of China, and the only one in the less densely populated western region of China....	14 October 1949 — 30 November 1949 (during the Chinese Civil War Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War or , which lasted from April 1927 to May 1950, was a civil war in China between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party .... )
	Chengdu Chengdu Chengdu , located in southwest People's Republic of China, is the capital of Sichuan provinces of China and a sub-provincial city. Chengdu is also one of the most important economic centers and transportation and communication hubs in Southwestern China....	30 November 1949 — 27 December 1949 (during the Chinese Civil War Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War or , which lasted from April 1927 to May 1950, was a civil war in China between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party .... )
	Xichang Xichang Xichang is the capital of the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, in Sichuan, China. Population : 126,700....	27 December 1949 — 27 March 1950 (during the Chinese Civil War Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War or , which lasted from April 1927 to May 1950, was a civil war in China between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party .... )
	Taipei Taipei Taipei has been the de facto capital of the Republic of China, commonly known as Taiwan, since the Chinese Civil War in 1949, and the capital of Taiwan since Japanese rule that began in 1895....	10 December 1949 — Present
People's Republic of China People's Republic of China The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the List of countries by population in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately a fifth of the world's population....	Beijing Beijing is a metropolis in northern China and the Capital of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the four municipality of China, which are equivalent to province in China's Political divisions of China....	10 October 1949 — Present

Controversy

Choosing the capital of China has always been a matter of politics over logistics. Historians have questioned why Beijing should have ever been chosen as a capital at all, even in the present day. Throughout most of China's history, the geography of the far northeastern corner of the country, with its long, harsh winters with limited agricultural possibilities, has posed serious water and food supply problems. Even with the water supply now coming from the Yangtze River

Yangtze River

The Yangtze River, or Chang Jiang , is the longest river in China and Asia, and the List of rivers by length in the world, after the Nile in Africa and the Amazon River in South America....
--an accomplishment that has required major construction due to the river's great distance from the area--these problems remain unresolved. Furthermore, Beijing's location near China's northern frontier has also posed historical strategic military disadvantages. Had the capital of the Ming Dynasty

Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty , or Empire of the Great Ming , was the ruling Dynasties in Chinese history of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty....
not been located there in the 17th century, the Manchu

Manchu

The Manchu people are a Tungusic peoples who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the seventeenth century, with the help of Ming rebels , they conquered the Ming Dynasty and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until its abolition in 1911 after the Xinhai Revolution, which established Republic of China in its place....
could not have attacked it so easily, taking over and establishing the last Chinese dynasty

Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, followed the Ming Dynasty in History of China, and was the last ruling Chinese Dynasties of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 ....
. China's main food source has always been in the southern region of the country. Therefore, due to its smaller distance from the main food & water sources, the "preferred" or "logical" capital city has commonly been thought to be Nanjing.

Historical capitals of China

List of historical capitals of China

Chronology

Controversy

See also