Beijing Replaces Nanjing as Capital

1420

The Yongle Emperor formally declared Beijing the northern capital, relegating Nanjing to secondary status. Grain barges streamed up the Grand Canal to feed a city of a million in the face of the Mongol steppe. The Ming center of gravity had swung permanently north, toward its most dangerous frontier. The relocation required renovating the Grand Canal to carry millions of shi of tribute rice, rivaling the Forbidden City's own construction.