Jicheng (Beijing): Difference between revisions

'''Ji''' or '''Jicheng''' was an ancient city in northern China, which has become the longest continuously inhabited section of modern [[Beijing]]. Historical mention of Ji dates to the founding of the [[Zhou dynasty]] in about 1045{{nbsp}}BC. Archaeological finds in southwestern Beijing where Ji was believed to be located date to the [[Spring and Autumn period]] (771–476{{nbsp}}BC). The city of Ji served as the capital of the ancient states of [[Ji (state in modern Beijing)|Ji]] and [[Yan (state)|Yan]] until the unification of China by the [[Qin dynasty]] in 221{{nbsp}}BC. Thereafter, the city was a prefectural capital for [[Youzhou]] through the [[Han dynasty]], [[Three Kingdoms]], [[Western Jin dynasty]], [[Sixteen Kingdoms]], [[Northern Dynasties]], and [[Sui dynasty]]. With the creation of a Jizhou {{nowrap|({{lang|zh|蓟州}})}} during the [[Tang dynasty]] in what is now [[Tianjin Municipality]], the city of Ji took on the name Youzhou. Youzhou was one of the [[Sixteen Prefectures]] ceded to the [[Khitan people|Khitans]] during the [[Five Dynasties]]. The city then became the [[Nanjing (Liao dynasty)|southern capital]] of the [[Liao dynasty]] and then [[Zhongdu|main capital]] of the [[Jin dynasty (1115–1234)]]. In the 13th century, [[Kublai Khan]] built a new capital city for the [[Yuan dynasty]] adjacent to Ji to the north. The old city of Ji became a suburb to [[Khanbaliq|Dadu]]. In the Ming dynasty, the old and new cities were merged by [[Beijing city fortifications|Beijing's Ming-era city wall]].

The [[Ji (state in modern Beijing)|city-state of Ji]] was inhabited by the tribe of the [[Yellow Emperor]] in the [[Shang dynasty]], and became one of the founding vassal states of the [[Zhou dynasty]]. According to [[Sima Qian]]'s ''[[Records of the Grand Historian]]'', [[King Wu of Zhou]], in the 11th year of his reign, deposed [[King Zhou of Shang]] and conferred titles to nobles within his domain, including the rulers of the city states Ji and [[State of Yan|Yan]]. According to the ''[[Book of Rites]]'', [[King Wu of Zhou]] was so eager to establish his legitimacy after his battle victory over the Shang that before dismounting from his chariot, he named the descendants of the Yellow Emperor to the State of Ji.<ref>《礼记•乐记》</ref> The 11th year of the reign of King Wu of Zhou approximates to 1145{{nbsp}}BC. The Beijing Municipal Government designates 1045{{nbsp}}BC as the first year of the city's history.<ref>(Chinese) [http://www.visitbeijing.com.cn/jdjq/jdjqtj/msgj/128760.html 蓟城纪念柱]{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

The city of Ji is believed to be located in the southwestern part of present-day urban Beijing, just south of [[Guang'anmen]] in [[Xicheng District|Xicheng]] and [[Fengtai District]]s.<ref name="Shangdu">(Chinese) [http://www.yanduyizhi.com/ydyj2.htm "走进燕国 >> 燕都遗迹 >> 上都——蓟城"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411032206/http://www.yanduyizhi.com/ydyj2.htm |date=2016-04-11 }} Accessed 2012-12-13</ref> Historical accounts mention a "Hill of Ji" northwest of the city, which would correspond to the large mound at the [[White Cloud Abbey]], outside Xibianmen about 4&nbsp;km north of Guang'anmen.<ref>In 284{{nbsp}}BC, the victorious Yan general [[Yue Yi]], having conquered 70 cities of neighboring [[Qi (state)|Qi]], wrote to Duke of Yan to report that he had enough booty to fill two palaces and planned to bring home a new tree species to plant on the Hill of Ji, north of the city.</ref> South and west of Guang'anmen, archaeologists have unearthed remnants of concentrated human habitation dating back to at least the 400s{{nbsp}}BC.<ref name="Shangdu"/> In 1956, during the construction of the Yongding River viaduct, 151 ancient wells dating to the Spring and Autumn, Warring States and Han dynasty were discovered.<ref name="Shangdu"/> In 1957, a rammed earth platform was found south of Guang'anmen along with tiles used for palace construction.<ref name="Shangdu"/> Since then more wells and tiles have been discovered, and the wells are most densely concentrated in south of [[Xuanwumen (Beijing)|Xuanwumen]] and Hepingmen.<ref name="Shangdu"/><ref name="wells"/> Archaeologists have yet to discover remnants of city walls from the Zhou dynasty that have been found at the other four capitals. In 1974, excavations around the White Cloud Abbey uncovered remnants of city walls but three tombs from the [[Eastern Han dynasty]] found underneath the walls indicate the walls post-date the tombs.<ref name="wells">(Chinese) [http://www.bjww.gov.cn/2005/8-4/132425.html "北京建城之始-燕蓟遗迹"] 2005-09-01</ref> The fact that the other four capitals were buried beneath farmland and the Guang'anmen area is a densely populated section of urban Beijing accounts for the greater difficulty of searching for Ji's ruins. In 2008, city authorities in Beijing announced that archaeological efforts would accompany urban renewal constructions projects in southern BejiingBeijing to search for more artifacts of Ji in the pre-imperial era.<ref>(Chinese) [http://news.sohu.com/20080919/n259650551.shtml "考古工作者搜寻蓟城遗址 锁定北京宣南工地(图)" ''北京晚报''] 2008-09-19</ref>

The Tang dynasty reduced the size of a prefecture, as a unit of administration [[History of the administrative divisions of China|administrative division]], from a province to a commandery and renamed Zhuojun back to Youzhou, which was one of over 300 Tang Prefectures.<ref>[[#CASS|CASS 1985]]: 39-40</ref> With the creation of a separate prefecture called Jizhou (蓟州) in present-day [[Tianjin]] in 730, the name Ji was transplanted from Beijing to Tianjin, where a [[Ji County, Tianjin|Ji County]] (蓟县) still exists today.<ref>(Chinese) [http://jixian.52njl.com/farm21.htm "古今的‘蓟县’，我今天才大概知道"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130116093719/http://jixian.52njl.com/farm21.htm |date=2013-01-16 }} 20120-07-07</ref> In Beijing, the city of Ji gradually became known as Youzhou.