Jicheng Memorial Column

Jicheng Memorial Column

A commemorative landmark marking the founding of Beijing. Located in Binhe Park on the west bank of the moat north of Guang’anmen (on the central axis of the Liao and Jin dynasties' palace city), it covers an area of 200 square meters. In 1995, the Xuanwu District Committee and District People’s Government decided to erect the Jicheng Memorial Column to commemorate the 3,040th anniversary of Beijing’s founding. It was completed in December of the same year. The Jicheng Memorial Column was designed by Wang Shiren, a researcher at the Beijing Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau and an expert in ancient architecture. The entire structure is made of granite, standing 8.5 meters tall with a 1.5-meter base, built atop a square platform. The column is rectangular with rounded corners, its design inspired by the oldest surviving Han dynasty tomb stele style in Beijing—simple and solemn, symbolizing the long history of Beijing and the Xuanwu area. The upper front of the column bears an inscription: “Here marks the origin of Beijing’s urban core.”

Its time was the Zhou dynasty

Its name was Jicheng.

The full text of "Record of Beijing’s Founding": The founding of Beijing was here, and its name was Jicheng. The "Book of Rites · Record of Music" records Confucius teaching his disciples: “When King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang, before even alighting from his chariot, he enfeoffed the descendants of the Yellow Emperor at Jicheng.” The "Records of the Grand Historian · House of Yan Shao Gong" states: “When King Wu of Zhou destroyed King Zhou of Shang, he enfeoffed Shao Gong at Northern Yan.” Yan was located about a hundred li southwest of Jicheng. During the Spring and Autumn period, Yan annexed Jicheng and moved its capital to Jicheng. The core area of Jicheng was in what is now Xuanwu District, near the northern edge of the North China Plain, serving as a hub connecting the Central Plains and the northern frontier.

The origin of the name Jicheng comes from Jiqiu. The Northern Wei dynasty’s Li Daoyuan wrote in the "Commentary on the Water Classic": “Now, in the northwest corner of the city lies Jiqiu; the town is named after this mound, just as Qufu is named for its mound in Lu, and Yingqiu in Qi.” This is supported by the same text’s description of Jicheng’s rivers and lakes, with its central location corresponding to the area around present-day Guang’anmen inside and outside Xuanwu District.

The boundaries of Jicheng were first recorded in the "Records of Commanderies and States" cited in the "Taiping Yulan," a text no later than the Tang dynasty. It describes Jicheng as being “nine li from north to south and seven li from east to west,” forming a rectangle. There is verifiable evidence that the southwestern walls were along the course of the former Lotus River, and the eastern wall enclosed the Tang dynasty’s Temple of Compassionate Loyalty, today’s Fayuan Temple.

From the Tang through the Liao dynasties, when the Five Capitals system was first established, Jicheng served as the Southern Capital, effectively a secondary capital. The Tianning Temple Pagoda seen today was a major structure in the city at the time. The Jin dynasty later expanded the city to the east, west, and south, renamed it Zhongdu, and marked the official beginning of Beijing as a capital. Unfortunately, its palaces and gardens have long vanished, with only the Fish Pond remaining—a site now known as Youth Lake in Xuanwu District.

During the transition from the Jin to the Yuan dynasty, Dadu was built northeast of Zhongdu. In the early Ming dynasty, the northern part of Dadu was reduced and renamed Beiping; later, the southern wall was extended and it became known as Beijing. By the mid-Ming period, the outer city was added, incorporating the eastern part of ancient Jicheng into the city. Through the Ming and Qing dynasties, this laid the foundation for the planning and construction of our nation’s capital.

In summary, today’s Beijing originated from Jicheng, with the center of Jicheng located in Xuanwu District. This place carries forward the past and ushers in the future, with a long and continuous heritage. This stone is erected in memory, never to be forgotten. It commemorates the 3,040th anniversary of Beijing’s founding.