When choosing the capital in 1949, the Communist Party of China had 11 city candidates. Why did it finally choose Beijing?

"The ancients have never been seen before, and the newcomers have never been seen after. Thinking of the long journey of heaven and earth, I shed tears with sadness." - "Deng Youzhou Taige" by Chen Zi'ang of the Tang Dynasty

The capital of the country is As the center of power, politics and economy in China's past dynasties, everyone knows that the most important event in the change of a dynasty or the establishment of a country is the selection of the capital. When the Republic of China government was established in 1927, it chose Nanjing as its capital and called Nanjing the "capital".

This is also the first time that our country has given up the title of "Capital" and changed it to "Capital", and the title of "Capital" is still used today. In the long history of China, the selection of the capital cannot be careless or perfunctory, because the selection of the capital reflects the establishment of a new dynasty or country, shows the expectations of the superiors for the future, and also foreshadows the future. develop.

Whether it is a dynasty or a country, at the beginning of its establishment, the location of the "capital", which represents the center of national political power, is particularly important, because the "capital" is not only the political center, but also the economic center and population. The center is the representative and symbol of a country's sovereignty.

There will be many aspects to consider when choosing a location. This is the same as when people buy a house, they will consider the location, surrounding living facilities and other factors. For countries all over the world, the location of the capital is very important. Some countries have more than one capital, and some have even moved their capitals.

It is said that "a good minister chooses his master to serve, and a good bird chooses a tree to roost in." At the beginning of the founding of New China in 1949, choosing where to be the capital was equivalent to "a good bird chooses a tree to roost in." We It is necessary to choose an ideal place to serve as the capital of China and as the base for the future development of our country. So at the time of the discussion in 1949, there were 11 cities as candidate cities. Why was Beijing finally chosen?

As a capital city, there are many issues that need to be considered, such as: the city’s population, traffic conditions, geographical location, historical carrying capacity, economic strength, various resources and social status, etc.

So at the beginning of the founding of New China, 11 cities including Harbin, Xi'an, Yan'an, Shanghai, Chengdu, Peiping (now Beijing), Kaifeng, Luoyang, Chongqing, Guangzhou, and Nanjing were selected as candidates. These cities need to be compared and analyzed from the advantages and disadvantages of each issue before they can finally determine which city to choose as the capital.

The first issue to consider is the geographical location. As the capital of a country, the geographical location cannot be too remote. It is necessary to choose an appropriate location to facilitate the unification and co-ordination of the country. The second is the issue of economic strength. As the capital, of course, the economic strength must be at the leading level in the country, so that it can set an example nationwide.

The other is the historical bearing and city construction. In terms of historical bearing, the "capital" represents the founding of New China and also has the responsibility of inheriting history. It needs to have positive historical development and symbolic significance. In terms of urban construction, buildings in the city must retain a certain degree of history and integrity. Of course, there is much more to consider than just this.

So among the 11 candidate cities, there is not only Shanghai, the symbol of China's economy, but also Xi'an, the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties, and Nanjing, the ancient capital of six dynasties. Why was Beijing chosen in the end?

Among these 11 candidate cities, each has its own unique advantages and charm. Among them, 3 cities are in the top three candidates. The first one is Chongqing. At that time, Chongqing was not Municipalities directly under the Central Government are within the jurisdiction of Sichuan Province. Geographically speaking, Chongqing occupies a natural chasm and is easy to defend but difficult to attack.

Sichuan is also a province with a large population, rich in products, and is known as the "Land of Abundance". It can be said that the conditions in all aspects are excellent. Sichuan is also a basin. Although it is easy to defend, it is also easy to get trapped. If there is another war, the terrain characteristics of the basin will still do more harm than good.

Nanjing, as the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties, is also in the top three of the list. It has great advantages in historical development and inheritance. As the capital during the Republic of China, it has a superior geographical location, close to the southeastern coast. Convenient transportation and outstanding people. However, from a historical perspective, the dynasty regimes that used Nanjing as their capital did not exist for a very long time, and the founding of New China was aimed at "long-lasting peace and stability." It would be a bit unlucky to choose Nanjing. Furthermore, judging from the international situation at the time, although transportation was convenient due to being close to the southeastern coast, it was also a big drawback at the time.

Shanghai, also in the top three on the list, has a prosperous economy and is even known as "Little Hong Kong". Although Shanghai's economy is indeed much better than Beijing's, because of its geographical location Being close to the sea, if Shanghai is chosen as its capital, it is very likely to be attacked by the sea. This is the same reason that the United States chose Washington as its capital instead of New York.

Among the other candidate cities, the weather in Harbin is too cold. In peacetime, it will not be able to retain people due to weather and environmental factors, thus hindering the construction and development of the city. This is absolutely unacceptable as a capital city. conditions that are allowed to arise. Chengdu has the same reason as Chongqing.

Ancient capitals such as Kaifeng and Luoyang along the Yellow River were also relatively backward economically due to historical reasons, and this situation could not be improved in a short time. In addition, there were inconvenient transportation and flooding problems in the Yellow River at that time. , and also lost its advantage as a capital.

Xi'an's geographical location is too far to the west and is in the hinterland of China. It no longer looks like the central location it was in the Qin, Han, Sui and Tang Dynasties. Yan'an, on the other hand, is too small and economically backward, and cannot meet the standards required as a capital in all aspects. Although Guangzhou is also located in the economically developed circle of coastal areas, it was eliminated because its geographical location is too south, which is not conducive to national overall arrangements.

Beijing is in an advantageous position in all aspects. Geographically, it is along the coast and is less than 200 kilometers away from the ocean. It belongs to the economically developed circle and is protected by the Liaodong Peninsula and Shandong Peninsula. , external communication is convenient, and internal defense is no problem; it is further north than cities such as Xi'an and Nanjing, which helps to establish closer relations with the Soviet Union, the big brother of socialism at that time.

Furthermore, this location also guards the chokepoint connecting Northeast China and Guan Nei. The strategic location is very important. It can be said to be the "lifeblood" of China today. In terms of historical inheritance, Beijing, as the imperial capital of the Ming and Qing dynasties for 500 years, has better historical and cultural accumulation than other cities, making it more convincing and psychologically acceptable to the people.

No matter where our capital was chosen at that time, it must be the political and economic center of our country. It will also bear the burden of our country, and it will also carry the ideals and hopes of the people across the country.

71 years have passed from the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 to 2020. Today’s Beijing, judging from China’s development and growth, whether it is economically, urban construction or other aspects In terms of development in all aspects, it has become a model and benchmark for the country.

Whether it is Peiping in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China or Beijing now, its development has lived up to our expectations. It will definitely work harder in the future, lead the Chinese people to move forward, and lead China in the future. The world's stage continues to shine and shine!

Reference materials:

Chen Ziang's "Deng Youzhou Taiwan Song"