Beijing has been the capital of numerous dynasties throughout its history, including the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. With but few interruptions, the city has been China's capital almost continuously since AD 1272, when the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan established his political base there.

In 1420 it was made the official capital city of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), under the name of Beijing ("Northern Capital"). The city has becom an integral part of the country's history over the past eight centuries.

The Comminists took pver the capital in 1949 when Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949.

Since the early 1980s when China initiated economic and market reforms under the late Deng Xiaoping, Beijing has become a truly modern, international city.