History of Beijing

2 min read

Beijing’s beginnings were that of a trading town for the tribes in Shandong and central China as well as the Koreans and Mongols.It grew until it became the capital of the Yan Kingdom during the Warring States Period and eventually became known as Yanjing during the Liao Dynasty.In 1215 AD，Yanjing（Beijing）was destroyed by Genghis Khan with fire and it emerged from the destruction in 1272 as Dadu，which means Great Capital.Dadu，also known as Khanbalik，was the capital for Kublai Khan，Genghis Khan’s grandson.

There was temporary peace from about 1280-1300，during which many foreigners traveled along the Silk Road，but in 1368 Zhu Yuanzhang（Chu Yuan-chang）changed the relatively peaceful era.He was responsible for a revolt that allowed him to overtake Beijing and thus the began of the Ming Dynasty.One of the things he didwas change the city’s name to Beiping，which means Northern Peace，and changed the capital to Nanjing in the South.Thirty years later around 1398-1400，after Zhu’s death，his forth son，Zhu Di took over the throne and moved the capital back toBeijing（changing the name back from Beiping），which means“northern capital.”Beijing developed and flourished during this time，building many of the famous palaces and temples that are still present today.Tiantan and the Forbidden city are two Chinese Literature.

Beijing’s Competitiveness

As the capital city of China，Beijing enjoys exceptional advantages in many respects.It has the fourth-highest overall rate of competitiveness among all the cities on the mainland.Its comprehensive employment growth rate，comprehensive market occupation and comprehensive income level are fairly high，and its comprehensive GDP growth rate and comprehensive environmental and resources cost are satisfactory.

Beijing is home to more top-level universities and scientific research institutions than any other city in the country.Endowed with a long history and a rich cultural tradition，Beijing boasts competitiveness in talent that is next to none in China.It also scores very high marks for its quantity，quality，deployment，demand and education of human resources.

Beijing’s capital competitiveness occupies second place in China.It has convenient fund-raising opportunities，the country’s highest index of financial control capacity，and substantial capital.

Beijing has the strongest competitiveness in science and technology among all Chinese cities，reflected in its superior position in science and technology，

innovation capacity and commercialization of research findings.

Beijing’s structural competitiveness leads the country，with an advanced industrial structure and a complete economic system.

It also has the nation’s second-strongest competitiveness in infrastructure facilities.It has constructed complete internal infrastructure facilities，for the 2008 01ympic Games，Beijing，as the host，will continue to improve its infrastructure facilities.

Speaking of location-based competitiveness，Beijing benefits the most from its political location while also enjoying excellent natural and economic positioning But it scores poorly in the index of resource advantages.In particular，the city is in great need of water.