A short history of Beijing

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More than three thousand years ago,a city,or rather a citadel,appeared near the very site of present-day Beijing.Settlers grouped into tribes,which,in turn,strove their way toward a preliminary statehood.The first recorded city was called 'Ji'.It was later conqured by state called 'Yan',and the city was made the capital of the conqueror.Yet the exact founding date of the city of Ji had been a topic of argumentation among historisans for many years because of the lack of detailed records until it was recently dated 1045BC.In 1995 a series of celebration events were dedicated to commemorating the city's 3,040th anniversary.

Owing to its strategic position,the city of Ji remained crucial as a key point in North China through dynasties.In the course of about 1,000 years from the Empire of Qin(221-209BC) to the Sui and Tang dynasties(581-905AD),it was consecutively a major trading center and a place of strategic importance.Ever since the 10th century,the city had been decided on as the capital of the Liao,Jin,Yuan,Ming and Qing dynasties until 1911.