The reasons why Beijing is a Feng Shui treasure land

Introduction: Beijing is the capital of my country. It is one of the first national historical and cultural cities and the city with the largest number of world cultural heritage sites in the world. Its 3,000-year history has given birth to many famous places of interest such as the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Badaling Great Wall, and the Summer Palace. Beijing has been a Feng Shui treasure land since ancient times. What is unique about Beijing that makes it a Feng Shui treasure land? Let’s find out together! Beijing Feng Shui has kept Beijing in a central position throughout history. Let’s take a look at it below.

The north is surrounded by mountains and the south is dominated by plains.

Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It has a history of more than 3,000 years. King Wu of Zhou granted the descendants of Yao a fief here. It was called Ji Qiu at that time and later became the capital of the State of Yan. During the Liao Dynasty, Beijing was the secondary capital and was called Yanjing. 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 north is the Yanshan Mountains, to the northwest is the vast Mongolian and Inner Mongolia Deserts and Gobi Deserts, to the southwest is the remnant of the Taihang Mountains, to the south is the North China Plain, and to the east is the Bohai Bay. The Liaodong Peninsula and the Jiaodong Peninsula surround the Bohai Sea, forming a barrier to protect Beijing. Beijing is backed by mountains to the north and controls plains to the south. It is located between the Beijing Small Plain, the Central Plains and the Huanghuai Plain in the south, and the mountains in the north. It is bound to attract 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.

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. Because Beijing was his fiefdom (then called Yanjing), he hid here and did a lot of business. When the superior likes something, his subordinates must respond to it. His ministers all expressed their agreement.

"Ming Shilu·Taizong Shilu" records that the ministers submitted a memorial: "We humbly believe that Beijing is the place where the emperor was born. It is backed by Juyong in the north, Taihang in the west, and connected to mountains and seas in the east. It overlooks the Central Plains. It has thousands of miles of fertile fields and mountains and rivers. It is enough to control the four barbarians and rule the world, and make it the emperor's eternal capital." People in 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."

Due to rapid industrialization, urbanization and unbalanced development in modern times, the population has gathered to nearly 18 million, and the groundwater level in Beijing is declining at an accelerated rate. The Yongding River has been dry in many years and seasons, and Beijing has become a water-scarce and relatively dry area in northern China. Therefore, Feng Shui is not as good as before.