The Rise of the Ming Dynasty

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In the following years the Ming Dynasty was successful in driving out the last remaining Mongols. The Yongle Emperor, the third in the Ming Dynasty, established Beijing as the northern capital and became the first of the Mings to rule from there. He oversaw a magnificent construction boom which included the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven, which stand today as two of Beijing’s most popular tourist sites.

In response to Mongol threats, the Ming Dynasty also constructed a system of walls to protect the city (which stood until modern times when they were destroyed to build the Second Ring Road). The city would remain largely unchanged for the next 400 years, and it is thought that Beijing was the largest city in the world from 1425 to 1650 and again from 1710 to 1825 (the period in between saw Constantinople, Turkey have the distinction).

Next Page: The Qing Dynasty is Established

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• The Rise of the Ming Dynasty
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