China once had a number of ancient capitals, among which there are five with national geographical significance, namely Luoyang from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, Chang'an (now Xi'an, Shaanxi) East and West Beijing, and Nanjing and Beijing in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. Among them, Chang'an is the best choice for the east and west of the city, while Beijing is the ideal place for the north and south of the city. This is a basic law in the evolution of the location of ancient capitals in China.
Before analyzing the reasons why Xi'an and Beijing were the best locations for China's ancient capitals, it is necessary to examine China's special geographical environment, including ethnic distribution, economic and military transfers, etc. Geographically, China has formed agricultural areas dominated by the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins in the southeast and nomadic areas dominated by grassland oases in the northwest interior. This geographical difference determined that Chang'an and Beijing were the best choices for the ancient capitals.
In Chinese history, agricultural civilization first developed and prospered in the Yellow River Valley, and gradually formed a regional difference between the Kanto and Kansai regions bounded by Hangu Pass. Over time, however, China's economic center of gravity has gradually shifted from the Yellow River basin to the southeast. This is the economic foundation that led to the transformation of China's political axis from east to west to north and south. At the same time, China's region has become a relatively independent geographical unit, forming the opposition and complementarity between the farming culture of the interior and the nomadic culture of the northwest.
China's interior is dominated by an agrarian economy, rice in the south, and wheat in the north. The northwest frontier is a grassland oasis vegetation, which has developed a nomadic economy and formed a nomadic people who mainly eat meat. Such differences constitute the main theme of juxtaposition and complementarity within the Chinese nation. With the passage of time, China's political axis changed from east to west to north and south, and the main military opponents also changed from the Xiongnu and Turks to the Mongols, Khitans, and Jurchens, and the focus of conflicts and exchanges gradually evolved to the north.
The location of China's ancient capital city reflects the ingenious use of geography by the ancient Chinese people. It can be seen from the "Zhou Li, Examination of the Gongji" that the layout of the ancient capital is mainly the square city, the side three gates, the front and the back city, the left ancestor and the right society, with the characteristics of symmetry of the central axis. This layout embodies the inclusive idea of humanistic pursuit, respect for history, and reverence for ancestors. At the same time, the Chinese are good at taking advantage of the shape of mountains and rivers, choosing the geographical location above Guangchuan and under the mountains to build the capital.
The location of China's ancient capital eventually formed the Chang'an and Beijing eras. As a representative of the Xi'an era, Chang'an is located at the junction of Chinese mainland and the northwest frontier, which has a natural advantage for unifying the Central Plains and controlling the frontier. As a representative of the Beijing era, Beijing can not only take into account the Central Plains, Northeast and Northern Frontiers, but also overlook the ocean, and has an irreplaceable geographical location.
In general, the evolution of the location of ancient Chinese capitals is a reflection of the general trend of Chinese history and geography. Beijing is still the relatively best location for the capital city in modern China, and the requirements for the location of the capital city in the information age are not harsh. As the capital of China, Beijing can not only take care of the inland area, but also face the sea, which is its irreplaceable advantage. Therefore, Beijing remains the political, economic, and cultural center of China, representing the self-confidence and strength of the Chinese nation.