Author Description

This Book Sets Out The History Of The City Of Beijing, Charting The Course Of Its Development From Its Early Roots Before 2000 B.c.e. To Its Contemporary Position As Capital Of The People's Republic Of China. It Outlines The Establishment Of The Earliest Cities On Or Near The Modern Site In The Years Before 1000 B.c.e., Its Status As A Regional Centre From The Zhou To The Tang Dynasties, And Its Emergence - For The First Time - As Capital Of The Whole Of China After The Mongol Conquest, When It Was Partly Destroyed And Subsequently Rebuilt As The 'great Capital' Of Khubilai Khan.,It Goes On To Consider The City's Assumption Of Its Modern Name 'beijing' Under The Ming Dynasty, Conquest By The Manchus And The Turbulent Period Of Civil War That Followed The Collapse Of The Qing Dynasty In 1911. It Describes The Occupation By The Japanese That Was Followed By A Further Period Of Civil War, Culminating In The Communist Revolution And Beijing's Resumption Of The Role Of Capital Of China In 1949. It Also Relates Beijing's Subsequent Evolution Up To The Present Day, And Examines The Sites Of Particular Interest, In And Around The City, Including Tian'an Men Square, The Forbidden City, Its Temples And Museums, The Great Wall And The Imperial Tombs.,Overall, This Book Offers An Impressive Account Of The Long And Fascinating History Of A City That Is Growing In Prominence As An Urban Centre Of Global Significance.--jacket.