Ji (蓟/薊 Jì),
Jicheng or the
City of Ji (蓟城/薊城 Jìchéng) was an ancient city in northern
China, which has become the longest continuously inhabited section of modern
Beijing. Historical mention of Ji dates to the founding of the
Zhou Dynasty in about 1045 BC. Archaeological finds in southwestern Beijing where Ji was believed to be located date to the
Spring and Autumn period (771-476 BC). The City of Ji served as the capital of the ancient states of
Ji and
Yan until the unification of China by the
Qin Dynasty in 221 BC. Thereafter, the city was a prefectural capital for
Youzhou through the
Han Dynasty,
Three Kingdoms,
Western Jin Dynasty,
Sixteen Kingdoms,
Northern Dynasties, and
Sui Dynasty. With the creation of a Jizhou (蓟州) during the
Tang Dynasty in what is now
Tianjin Municipality, the City of Ji took on the name Youzhou. Youzhou was one of the
Sixteen Prefectures ceded to the
Khitans during the
Five Dynasties. The city then became the
southern capital of the
Liao Dynasty and then
main capital of the
Jin Dynasty (1115-1234). In the 13th Century,
Kublai Khan built a new capital city for the
Yuan Dynasty adjacent to Ji to the north. The old city of Ji became a suburb to
Dadu. In the Ming Dynasty, the old and new cities were merged by
Beijing's Ming-era city wall.