Jin dynasty moves capital to Yanjing

1151

The Jurchen rulers of North China abandoned their old Manchurian capital and moved their court permanently to Yanjing - the city that would become Beijing. The move signaled a deliberate sinicization of the dynasty and a commitment to ruling as Chinese emperors. The Jin rebuilt the city on a grand scale, constructing palaces, pleasure gardens, and imperial archives that transformed a frontier garrison town into one of Asia's great capitals.