Studies on the Construction of the Capital City of Beijing During the Ming Dynasty

Author: Li Xieping
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-09-01
Features: This collection of essays by the author is divided into three groups, with the main focus on the historical evolution of Beijing's urban construction during the transition from the Yuan to the Ming dynasties. The first group consists of six articles, which examine the changes in the city walls of the Beijing capital and the Forbidden City based on records from Ming and Qing official histories. The second group also has six articles, building on the first group, to explore the process of Beijing's transition from Dadu (the Yuan capital) to Beiping Prefecture, the seat of the regional government, and its eventual elevation to the capital during the Ming dynasty. The third group includes two articles that, combined with Ming dynasty institutional records, reveal issues related to the planning of imperial palace architecture and the lesser-known internal details of the three reconstructions of the Hall of Supreme Harmony during the Ming dynasty. These articles are distinguished by their rigorous comparison of documents, insightful perspectives, meticulous research, and original contributions. Tang historian Liu Zhiji said: "Those who write history must be able to understand events in detail, express themselves precisely, and infer the whole from a part, to inform the present by the past. Only then can they avoid major errors." (Shitong, Volume 5, "Yin Xi") Whether the author's approach truly achieves "avoiding major errors" is open to discussion; however, I believe that "understanding events in detail and expressing oneself precisely" can aptly describe some of the essays in this collection.
Regarding the historical transformation of Beijing's urban landscape during the Yuan and Ming dynasties, there are numerous significant scholarly works. Representative monographs include, in architectural history, the multi-volume History of Ancient Chinese Architecture, Volume 4: Yuan and Ming Architecture, edited by Pan Guxi, as well as Shan Shiyuan's Chronological Table of Major Events in Ming Architecture and A Study of the Imperial Gardens of Ming Beijing (forthcoming). In local history, there are the ten-volume Comprehensive History of Beijing, edited by Cao Zixi, covering Volumes 5 and 6. Representative articles include Shan Shiyuan's When Was the Yuan Imperial Palace Destroyed?, Four Periods of Beijing's Construction During the Ming Dynasty, The Imperial City of Ming Beijing, and Seven Perspectives on the Forbidden City, as well as Wang Puzi's A Study of the Urban Layout of Yuan Dadu, An Overview of the Urban Planning of Yuan Dadu, and The Prince's Mansion of Yan and the Forbidden City.
Among these works, differing views exist on several important issues. The most significant include: whether the Yuan imperial city was demolished during the Beiping Prefecture period, the exact location of Zhu Di's Prince's Mansion—whether east or west of the Taiye Pool, which "Fengtian Hall" Zhu Di constructed as the "Western Palace" in Beijing before the Forbidden City was built, and the construction dates of Beijing's palace architecture, as well as whether the central axis of Yuan Dadu aligned with that of the Ming Beijing city. These questions are all closely tied to the history of the Forbidden City. They have been discussed before and will continue to be debated in the future. Li Xieping's collection of essays can be seen as an extension and deepening of such discussions.