Yingchang () was one of the important cities in the
Yuan dynasty
The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fif ...
. It was situated on
Lake Taal Nor in modern
Heshigten Banner
Hexigten Banner (Mongolian script: ; ) is a banner of Inner Mongolia, China under the jurisdiction of Chifeng, bordering Hebei province to the south. In 1690 the Battle of Ulan Butung between Qing and Dzungar forces took place here.
Etymolog ...
,
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...
, China.
The city of Yingchang was built by the
Khongirad
The Khongirad ( Mongolian: ᠬᠣᠩᠭᠢᠷᠠᠳ; Хонгирад; Khonghirad; ), also known as Qongirat (Qoŋğırat/Қоңғырат), was one of the major divisions of the Mongol tribes. Variations on the name include Onggirat, Ongirat, Q ...
Mongols
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...
in 1271, the same year that
Kublai (Emperor Shizu) established the Yuan dynasty. The city was the administrative seat of the Prince of Lu (魯王). This square-walled city incorporated symmetrical elements, wide axial streets from the gates led to an administrative compound in the center north area, emulating the
Tang
Tang or TANG most often refers to:
* Tang dynasty
* Tang (drink mix)
Tang or TANG may also refer to:
Chinese states and dynasties
* Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) ...
style.
Shortly after
Toghon Temür (Emperor Huizong), the last Yuan emperor, lost
Dadu and
Shangdu to the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
in 1368 and 1369 respectively, the Yuan remnants (referred to as the
Northern Yuan in historiography) established their capital at Yingchang. After the death of Toghon Temür in this city in 1370, the Ming armies managed to capture the Yingchang, one of the major cities still in the hands of the Northern Yuan, in the same year.
Luc Kwanten
Luc Kwanten (8 January 1944 – 22 November 2021) was a Belgian sinologist, Tangutologist and literary agent.
Biography
Kwanten was born in Berlin on 8 January 1944, during the Second World War, to a Jewish mother who secretly observed her faith ...
, ''Imperial Nomads: A History of Central Asia, 500-1500'', p.243 (Emperor Zhaozong) fled north soon afterwards and later made
Karakorum
Karakorum ( Khalkha Mongolian: Хархорум, ''Kharkhorum''; Mongolian Script:, ''Qaraqorum''; ) was the capital of the Mongol Empire between 1235 and 1260 and of the Northern Yuan dynasty in the 14–15th centuries. Its ruins lie in t ...
the capital city.
The Northern Yuan once took back Yingchang in 1374, but the Ming recaptured the city in 1380.
References
{{Northern Yuan dynasty
Medieval cities
History of Inner Mongolia
Yuan dynasty
Former populated places in China
Chifeng