Liao Nanjing

Nanjing was the name for modern Beijing during the Khitan-led Liao dynasty of China, when the city was the empire's southern capital. To distinguish Nanjing, which literally means "Southern Capital" in Chinese, from modern Nanjing in Jiangsu Province and Beijing Damingfu, the name for modern Daming County in Hebei Province during the Northern Song dynasty, Chinese historians sometimes refer to Beijing during the Liao dynasty as Liao Nanjing. The Liao dynasty acquired the city, then known as Youzhou, in the cession of the Sixteen Prefectures in 938 by the Later Jin dynasty, one of the five short-lived dynasties that ruled northern China following the end of the Tang dynasty. The city was officially renamed Nanjing, Youdu Fu (南京幽都府). In 1012, the city was renamed Nanjing, Xijin Fu (南京析津府). The city was also colloquially referred to at the time as Yanjing. In 1122, the city was captured by the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty and was officially renamed Yanjing, ending the use of Nanjing for what is today modern Beijing. Location and orientation Liao Nanjing is located in the southwestern portion of modern Beijing, in the southern half of Xicheng District, which from 1952 to 2010 was known as Xuanwu District). Outer walled city Liao Nanjing inherited the walled city and neighborhood configuration of Youzhou from the earlier Tang dynasty. The outer city wall was 36 li in circumference, though some scholars say it was closer to 25-27 li, 9 meters high and 4.5 meters wide at the top. The city had eight gates (men), two each in each cardinal direction: Andongmen and Yingchunmen to the east, Kaiyangmen and Danfengmen to the south, Xianximen and Qingpumen to the west, and Tongtianmen and Gongchenmen to the north. On top of the wall were 910 battle towers. Outside the wall were three layers of moats. Outside Danfengmen was the jiju grounds, where Khitan nobles played an ancient form of polo.