Liao was a political power established by the Khitan nationality, an ancient nomadic people in northern China. The Khitan nationality was originally a branch of Xianbei nationality, and then it was separated from Xianbei nationality. At first, the Khitan nationality was nomadic in the Xianbei hometown of Huangshui (now the Siramulun River) and Tuhe River (now the Laoha River in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region), and its power gradually became stronger. In its development, it was influenced by the advanced feudal culture of the Central Plains. Emperor Taizu Yelv
In 918 AD (the third year of Shenshu), Liao began to establish a political power center named Huangdu. This city located in the center of Qidan native land relies on the mountains of the Great Xing 'an Mountains, and faces the endless grassland with abundant water plants. The rolling Huanghe River provides it with abundant water sources, making it suitable for agriculture and animal husbandry, which is an important strategic position. In 926 AD (the first year of Tianxian), the son of Bao Ji, Liao Taizong Ye Ludeguang, succeeded to the throne, and further expanded the imperial capital, adding three palaces of Kaihuang, Ande and Wuluan, and further expanded in 938 AD to build Chengtianmen, the south gate of Miyagi. At this point, the scale of the city has been formed, and it was renamed as Shangjing Linhuang House.
The architectural pattern of going to Beijing in Liao not only follows the design of the capital city in Central Plains, but also has its distinctive features. It is a typical urban type in the early Liao Dynasty. The city is composed of two cities, north and south, with a slightly Japanese shape, and the total length around the city wall is 8916.9 meters. The northern city, called the Imperial City, is a inhabited area of the Qidan people. It is located in the north of the city and was rebuilt by the Imperial Capital. The city wall is tall and has a horse face, which is the defense focus of the upper capital. There are four gates in the city, namely Andongmen, Dashunmen, Demen Qian and Gongchenmen, which are all protected by the urn. There is a Miyagi in the center of the imperial city. According to research, the total length of the wall is about 16 meters, which is a palace area for the emperors' concubines to live in. The main entrance is Chengtianmen, which is modeled after the palace gate of the Central Plains Dynasty. It is only opened when grand celebrations are held. Usually, only the East Gate of Miyagi and the West Gate of Miyagi are opened. In addition to the royal palace and harem, Miyagi is also managed by the South and North Privy Councils, the core institutions of the Liao Dynasty regime. In the imperial city, there are political institutions such as Linhuang House, Linhuang County, Salt and Iron Department and imperial academy, temples such as Confucius Temple, Tianchangguan Temple and Jieyi Temple, as well as some houses and workshops. In addition, there are two warehouses for supporting the country and the provincial department. In the north of Miyagi, there is a vast open space, and a large number of felt tents are built for the royal family and garrison personnel to live in. On the whole, although the layout of the imperial city imitates the layout of the capital of the Central Plains, it does not have the central axis of the capital of the Central Plains, and the architectural layout is more casual, while the felt tent area has the rare national characteristics of Qidan.
Nancheng, also known as Seoul, is an area where the Han nationality and other nationalities live. It is located in the south of the former imperial capital. It is a new city built in the south of the former imperial capital. It uses the south wall of the North City and newly builds three walls in the east, south and west. The perimeter of the four walls is about 573 meters, and the height is about 2 meters. There are no defensive facilities such as horse faces. There are two doors on the east, west and south walls. In Nancheng, in addition to residential areas, there are businesses for commercial activities, county offices for managing residents, Tongwen Post, which receives envoys from Song Dynasty, and Linhuang Post, which receives envoys from Xixia and other countries, forming a complete urban function.
The establishment of Shangcheng marks a new stage in the feudal process of the Khitan society. It is the first real city built by a nomadic country on the Mongolian Plateau and plays an important role in the history of urban construction in China. This city, which was designed by the Han people in the Central Plains and built by people of all ethnic groups, embodies the diversity of Qidan culture and Central Plains culture. In this bustling city, nine emperors of Liao Dynasty lived successively, and it was a famous metropolis at that time and a place people yearned for.
In 1115 AD, the Jurchen nationality, both of whom were northern nomads with the Khitan nationality, established a country with the title of "Jin". In 112 AD (the tenth year of Liao Tianqing), Jin Taizu Yan Hong Akuta led an army to conquer Shangjing, and the main buildings in Shangjing were destroyed. The city was controlled by the Jin Dynasty, and the city tended to decline. In 1125 AD, the Liao Dynasty perished, and at the beginning of the 11th century AD, the northern nomads. All the buildings in the city were completely destroyed, and the once-popular Shangjing City Lun was in ruins, and it was completely abandoned from then on. As the capital of Liao Dynasty for 24 years, this beautiful city, with a city history of about 3 years, was established as a history on the grassland.