Why has Beijing become a famous Feng Shui treasure land?

Why has Beijing become a famous Feng Shui treasure land?
Introduction: As an ancient capital, Beijing has a history of more than 3,000 years. Moreover, many emperors throughout the dynasties chose Beijing as their capital. It is indeed a piece of Feng Shui treasure land. So, why has Beijing become a famous Feng Shui land that people still talk about and study with great relish? Now, let’s follow the editor to learn about it. Mr. Shui Mo’s special feature on Beijing Feng Shui in this issue will take you to appreciate the legend of Beijing.

Beijing: Mountains in the north and plains in the south


As the capital, Beijing has a history of more than 3,000 years. King Wu of Zhou granted the descendants of Yao a fiefdom here. At that time, it was called "Ji Qiu" and later became the capital of the State of Yan. During the Liao Dynasty, Beijing was the secondary capital, called Yanjing or Nanjing. In 1153, the Jin Dynasty moved its capital to Beijing and renamed it Zhongdu, which has since become the political center of the country. During the Yuan Dynasty, Beijing was the capital and was built according to the principle of "court in front, market behind, ancestors on the left and community on the right", which laid the foundation for the scale of Beijing city. In the early Ming Dynasty, the capital was established in Yingtian (now Nanjing). In order to kill the royal aura of the Yuan Dynasty, the palaces of the Yuan Dynasty were demolished and the northern city wall was moved southward. When Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty moved the capital to Beijing, he moved the city's central axis 150 meters eastward in order to reflect the core position of imperial power. All new palaces were built on the central axis, and a Jingshan Mountain was built to the north of the line to suppress the remaining royal aura of the Yuan Dynasty so that the Ming Dynasty would have long-term stability. During the Qing Dynasty, Beijing remained the capital, and the Temple of Earth, the Temple of the Sun, and the Temple of the Moon were built for sacrifices. There is the Temple of Heaven in the south of Beijing, the Temple of Earth in the north, the Temple of the Sun in the east, and the Altar of the Moon in the west, representing the Vermillion Bird in front, the Black Tortoise behind, the Azure Dragon on the left, and the White Tiger on the right.

The reason why Beijing has always been a military stronghold and political center is related to its geographical situation. It is located between the North China Plain, the Mongolian Plateau in the northwest and the Songliao Plain in the northeast. To the northwest is the Yanshan Mountains, to the southwest is the Taihang Mountains, to the south is the North China Plain, and to the east is the Bohai Bay. The Shandong Peninsula and the Liaodong Peninsula surround the Bohai Sea, forming a barrier to protect Beijing. Beijing is surrounded by mountains in the north and controls the plains in the south. It is located between the Beijing Small Plain, the Southern Large Plain and the Northern Mountains, which inevitably attracted the attention of sages of all ages.

Batunan, a Mongolian nobleman in the Yuan Dynasty, strongly recommended Beijing to Kublai Khan. "History of Yuan Dynasty - Baturu" records Batunan's words: "The land of Youyan is where dragons coil and tigers crouch, and the situation is magnificent. It controls the Yangtze River and Huai River in the south and the desert in the north. Moreover, the emperor must reside in the center to receive audiences from all directions. If the king really wants to rule the world, Yan is the only place where he must stay." So Kublai Khan decided to make Yan the capital.

The scholars of the Yuan Dynasty all knew that Beijing’s geographical location was important. Tao Zongyi described Beijing in "Nancun Chuogenglu" as "embracing Taihang Mountain on the right, overlooking the vast ocean on the left, caressing the Central Plains, facing south, resting on Juyong, and paving the way for the north."

In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang conquered Beiping (Beijing) and asked his ministers whether he could build the capital there. The ministers believed that this was the place where the Yuan Dynasty fell and the royal spirit had disappeared, so it was not suitable to build a capital there. Hanlin editor Bao Pin said: The Hu rulers rose from the desert and established their country in Yan. After a hundred years, the energy of the land had been exhausted. Nanjing is the place where the king was founded, so there is no need to change the map.

After Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty drove out Emperor Huidi of the Ming Dynasty in the Jingnan Campaign, he was unwilling to go to Nanjing to be emperor and intended to stay in Beijing. He believed that Beijing was his fiefdom (then called Yanjing), where he could hide and do many things. When the superior likes something, his subordinates must respond to it. His ministers all expressed their agreement. The Ming Shilu: Taizong Shilu records that the ministers submitted a memorial: "I humbly believe that Beijing is the place where the emperor was born. It is backed by Juyong in the north, Taihang in the west, connected to the mountains and the sea in the east, and overlooks the Central Plains. It has thousands of miles of fertile land and mountains and rivers. It is enough to control the four barbarians and rule the world, and become the capital of the emperor for all eternity."

The people of the Ming Dynasty generally believed that establishing the capital in Beijing was a wise move. Volume 1 of the Annals of Shuntian Prefecture compiled during the Wanli reign states: "Yan is surrounded by the vast sea as a pond, and embraces the Taihang Mountains as a fortress. It rests on Juyong and is in the center to control the outside. It is bordered by the Yellow River and Ji River to lift heavy objects and control light objects. The tribute roads from east to west attract tribute from all nations. The various passes in the northwest strengthen the battlements of the nine borders. It has been strong for ten thousand years and has maintained peace for a hundred generations."

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming regime was on the decline and on the verge of collapse. Some Feng Shui masters believe that the blame should be placed on the fact that Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty moved the capital to Beijing. The Ming Dynasty was in Yan for 200 years, during which time Emperor Yingzong was captured, Emperor Wuzong was besieged in Yanghe, and Li Zicheng again besieged the capital. It was truly a time of many disasters and the political situation was always unstable.

Beijing was too close to the northern border, which indeed caused instability to the Ming regime from time to time. However, the reason for the decline of the Ming regime was not geography, but the feudal rulers. If this were not the case, how could the Qing Dynasty have maintained its capital in Beijing for more than 200 years?
Summary: From the above article, we can understand that Beijing has always been an important military stronghold and capital because of its good geographical location, situation, and direction, forming a good feng shui pattern. That is why it has been the capital of successive dynasties and an important political and cultural center.

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