Ruins of the Jin Zhongdu

Ruins of the Jin Zhongdu

The ruins of Jin Zhongdu are a cultural tourism attraction.

The ruins of Jin Zhongdu are located in Yulin Residential Area, outside You’anmen in Fengtai District, Beijing. During this period, Zhongdu served as the capital of the Jin Dynasty for over 60 years and marks the beginning of Beijing’s history as an imperial capital. The city of Zhongdu had a circumference of over 37 li, was nearly square in shape, and its site largely corresponds to the western part of present-day Xuanwu District. The northern city wall lay within the southern boundary of today’s Xicheng District, about 1 li from Fuxingmen Avenue. The general location of the Jin Zhongdu ruins is as follows: starting from You’anmen and following the city moat westward to Fenghuangzui Village marks the southwestern corner of Zhongdu; Huangtingzi outside Fuxingmen is the northwest corner; Cuihua Street inside Xuanwumen is the northeast corner; and Silutong outside the Yongdingmen Gap is the southeast corner. The city had twelve gates: Shiren, Xuanyao, Yangchun, Jingfeng, Fengyi, Duanli, Lizé, Haohua, Zhangyi, Huicheng, Tongxuan, and Chongzhi. Within the current administrative area of Lugouqiao Township in Fengtai District, there still remain three sections of the western and southern city walls: 1) At Fenghuangzui Village in Sanluju, there is the southwestern corner of the city wall, with remnants about 3 meters high extending for approximately 100 meters. The water channel to the south of the wall is believed to be a remnant of the Jin Dynasty’s moat. This is the largest remaining section of the Jin Zhongdu ruins; 2) In Wanquansi Village, there are two connected sections of the southern wall; 3) In Gaolou Village, Dongguantou, there is one section of the western wall. All are rammed earth walls and are key cultural relics under the protection of Beijing Municipality.