Beijing History
		Beijing is the birthplace of Chinese Civilization and one of the six ancient capital cities in China. During the last 3000 years it served as a capital for several dynasties. By 586 BC it had grown to be the capital of the Yan Kingdom and was called Ji. At the Beginning of 10th century, it was the second capital of the Liao Dynasty and referred to as Yanjing (capital of Yan). From then on, the city had been the capital of Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties until 1911. Yanjing become the capital of the Jin Dynasty in 1125 and was called Zhongdu (Central Capital). Kublai took Zhongdu in 1272 and ushered in the Yuan Dynasty. Zhongdu was renamed Dadu (Great Capital) and replaced those old cities of Chang'an (Xi'an), Luoyang, and Kaifeng as the political center of the nation. Upon establishing the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Zhu Yuanzhang set up his capital in Nanjing. In 1402 the third Ming emperor, Zhu Di, set about building a new seat of imperial power on the site of the old Yuan capital in Beijing. In 1420 he moved his court from Nanjing to Beijing. In 1644 the Manchus marched into the Ming capital and made it their own. They established their new dynasty the Qing (1644-1912). During the reign of the Qing Beijing was invaded twice by foreign forces. The Anglo-French troops marched in Beijing in 1860 and burnt the Old summer Palace to the ground. The Allied Forces of the Eight Powers invaded Beijing in 1900. In 1911 the Republican uprisings were successful, and the Qing Dynasty ended. In January 1949 People's Liberation Army troops entered Beijing. On October 1 of that year the People's Republic of China was founded. The city was designated the capital of the P. R. China. Since that time it has been the nation's political, economic, and cultural center.