This Map clearly show the lay-out of Beijing as an Imperial Capital City, much as it was during the later Ching-Dynasty. The city Lay-out was originally re-designed under 3rd Ming Emperor Zhu Di (Yongle) for the purpose of his relocation of the Capital from Nanjing to Beijing (1402 AD). Since then the City plan remained in essence unchanged untill the Xuanwu- and Chongwen-Districts were included and protected by their own defensive walls.
Only after the year of the Declaration of The Peoples Republic of China, 1949, other changes to the City have been made. The most important of these are the construction of TiananMen Square with Major changes to the Area widening Chang An Avenue, and most importantly the demolition of large parts of the City Walls making way for the 2nd Ring Road (1950's).
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number of ancient landmarks & temples marked. Mouse over Image to reveal former flow of The Grand Canal. Click sections of map to highlight individual city districts of XiCheng (West, DongCheng (East), and southern Chongwen (South-East) and Xuanwu (South-West) with The Imperial Palace (Forbidden) City in the Center.
XiCheng and DongCheng were part of the Inner City, the Southern Districts were considered outside the Imperial Capital City proper, as they lay south of Qian Men, the Front Gate. Both Chongwen and Xuanwu were later brought inside the protection of a City Wall, and Moat, however.
