Culture · Dynasty · 1271 CE–1368 CE
Yuan dynasty
元朝 · Yuán Cháo. The Mongol-led dynasty that united China and continental Asia under a single empire and gave Beijing its enduring role as the national capital.
The dynasty
The Yuan was founded by Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis, who completed the Mongol conquest of Song China in 1279. For the first time in Chinese history, a non-Han people ruled the entire country; for the first time, China was integrated administratively with the Mongol khanates of Central Asia, Russia, and Persia, opening the era of Pax Mongolica that allowed Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, and other long-distance travellers to cross Eurasia.
Kublai chose Khanbaliq (Dadu, modern Beijing) as his capital, building the city on a fresh grid that still underlies the modern Beijing centre. The Grand Canal was extended to reach Dadu directly. Tibet was administratively incorporated into the empire. The Yuan extended Chinese-style government, with adaptations for the Mongol elite, across an unprecedented expanse.
The dynasty's stability proved short-lived. Plague (the Black Death originated in or near the Yuan domains), succession disputes, and ethnic tensions produced rebellion. The Red Turban movement, led eventually by Zhu Yuanzhang, drove the Yuan court north of the Wall in 1368.
Legacy
Beijing as the national capital. Tibet's administrative incorporation. The Yuan-era novel and theatrical vernacular literature. Yuan blue-and-white porcelain technique.
Where to see it today
- Forbidden City foundations (Beijing) — built on Yuan Dadu's site
- Yuan Dadu Earth Wall remnants (Beijing)
- Beilin Stele Forest (Xi'an) — Yuan-era inscriptions