Abstract
Beijing has not originated as the capital of China. As early as history can date back, the city was not even called Beijing. It was always known as the ?Northern Capital' in China. This was how Beijing was called and known prior to the rule of the third Ming emperor, Yongle, who then declared Beijing as the capital of the Middle Kingdom in the 15th century. Therefore, it is from the early 15th century, that Beijing has gained much significance and is regarded as one of the most important cities of China. The credit goes to the ?Sons of Heaven' (the Chinese emperors) who used to rule the country from length and breadth of the Forbidden City (Morgenstern, 1989, 23-25). Due to this great conquest, many stunning and astonishing temples and palaces were built in Beijing and I shall be analyzing some of the monuments as architectural achievements. This essay will be divided into four parts. In the first part, I shall focus my attention on a brief description on the history of the city. Thereafter, I shall be dwelling into the Chinese traditional principles of architecture especially targeting Beijing's major architectural achievements (including the Forbidden City for instance). I will be relating these architectural developments to the Chinese society, its philosophy and in a wider sense the urban culture and its development in China. Lastly I shall describe the modernization of the city and its architecture, as well as that of its urban culture and political organization in the second part of the 20th century.
