Moving the Capital to Beijing and the Governance of the Multi-ethnic Country of the Ming Dynasty

After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, in the face of the new pattern of multi-ethnic governance, the location of the capital has always been a big problem that puzzlled Zhu Yuanzhang and his ministers. Until the end of the Reign of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang hasn’t solved the problem of moving the capital. After the Yan Prince Zhu Di proclaimed himself emperor, he changed Beiping to Beijing and moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing as soon as conditions were right. After the death of Zhu Di, although there was a brief relapse, Emperor Yingzong declared Beijing as the capital shortly after he ascended the throne. From then on, Beijing became the permanent capital of the Ming Dynasty. Moving the capital to Beijing was a concrete manifestation that the Ming Dynasty took the initiative to adapt to the situation of multi-ethnic integration after the Tang Dynasty. On the one hand, it could effectively deal with the disturbance of the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty; on the other hand, it could integrate the two regions of farming and nomadism, making a positive contribution to the governance of China’s multi-ethnic country, which was of great significance.