The historical map of the Peiping hsing tu-ssu during the Ming Dynasty in China
Map Introduction
I. Administrative Evolution and Structure
The predecessor of Beizhili (Northern Zhili) was the Yuan Dynasty's Dadu Route. In the first year of the Hongwu era (1368), it was renamed Beiping Prefecture and placed under Shandong Province. In the first year of the Yongle era (1403), it was elevated to the temporary capital district (Beijing xingzai), and in the seventh year (1409), renamed Shuntian Prefecture. Governing 5 subprefectures (zhou) and 22 counties, it formed an administrative system with Shuntian Prefecture at its core, flanked by directly administered subprefectures like Yanqing. Its jurisdiction covered much of present-day Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, including parts of modern Henan and Shandong, achieving direct central control through a three-tier "Prefecture-Subprefecture-County" management structure.
II. Military Defense and Geographic Strategy
Beizhili possessed a multi-layered defense system: the Bohai Sea to the east served as a natural barrier, the Taihang Mountains to the west provided strategic depth, the Zhang and Wei Rivers to the south functioned as moats, and the Juyong Pass to the north was a crucial gateway. After the capital was moved to Beijing during the Yongle reign, additional military strongholds like Xuanfu Garrison and Longqing Subprefecture (later Yanqing) were established, creating a frontier defense pattern described as "the Son of Heaven guarding the national gate." Gu Zuyu, in his Essays on Geography and History, evaluated its strategic position as "the topography of the Yan region is truly the finest under heaven," highlighting its dual function of controlling access to Mongolia and projecting influence over the Central Plains.
III. Economic Development and Demographic Changes
In the early Ming, economic recovery was driven by policies promoting migration and land reclamation. By the 26th year of Hongwu (1393), the cultivated land in Beizhili reached 58.2499 million mu, with an average of 174 mu per household, far exceeding the national average. Mid-period water conservancy projects were significant; prefectures like Guangping and Shunde utilized groundwater to develop well-irrigated fields, praised by Xu Guangqi for being "highly beneficial in drought years." However, later economic growth slowed due to eunuch dominance and heavy taxation, creating a contradictory situation where "imperial capital prosperity coexisted with popular hardship."
IV. Cultural and Political Duality
As the imperial center, Beizhili was both a cultural and educational hub (housing the Imperial Academy and Shuntian Prefectural School) and a heavily militarized zone dense with guard stations. Its special status was reflected in the "dual-capital system" design: like NanZhili (Southern Zhili), it was directly administered by the central government, but its role as the capital gave it a greater emphasis on military and political administration. After the Qing entered China, it was renamed Zhili Province, and its administrative framework laid the foundation for the modern Jing-Jin-Ji (Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei) integration concept.