During the 644 years from the first year of Jin Emperor Yuandi (317 AD) to the first year of Song Emperor Taizu (960 AD), Beijing was named a capital city three successive times. In the beginning, the East Jin Dynasty was based in the remote south, while in the north there emerged regimes established by ethnic minorities, such as Hun, Xianbei, Jie, Yuezhi, Qiang, etc., during a period which is known in Chinese history as The Five Hus and Sixteen States Perriod. The former Yan King Murong Jiao established his state with the capital in Longcheng (present day Chaoyang, Liaoning Province), and later in the first year of Yongning Reign of the Latter Zhao State (AD 350), Murong Jiao led his army to conquer Ji. In the first year of Yuanxi (AD 352), Murong Jiao proclaimed himself to be emperor, and selected Ji as his capital, with Longcheng as the secondary capital. In the first year of Guangshou (AD 357), Murong Jiao again moved his capital from Ji to Ye. Although Ji acted as the state capital of Former Yan for only six years, it was the first time that the ethnic minorities selected Beijing as their capital in Beijing’s history.
After North Wei unified northern China, Yan County was subordinated to Youzhou, with the two levels of governments seated in Ji. In the seventh year of Taipingzhenjun (AD 446), 100,000 people from around Youzhou were conscripted to build defending walls around the capital, which started from Shanggu in the east, and ended at the Yellow River in the west, stretching about 500 kilometers. Back then, Buddhism was very prevalent, the stone Buddhist statue existing now in Che’erying Village, west of Wenquan Township, Haidian District, Beijing, was actually carved in the thirteenth year of Taihe (AD 489), the height of which is 2.2 meters. It is the oldest stone Buddhist statue now in Beijing.
After he unified the whole country, Emperor Wen Di of Sui Dynasty abolished Yan County but spared Youzhou. In the beginning of Daye’s reign, he once again changed Youzhou to Zhuojun prefecture, but always had the government seated in Ji. In Sui Dynasty, the Jing-Hang Grand Canal was dug, and Fangshan stone Buddhist scriptures were carved, all of which bear very important significance to the development of material and cultural civilization in Beijing. The Grand Canal in Sui Dynasty was centered in Luoyang, stretching to Chang’an in the west, Hangzhou in the south, and Ji in the north. The most impressive is the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, which ran from Yuhang to Ji with a total distance of 2,000 kilometers, taking over six years to be dug. When Emperor Yang Di of Sui Dynasty made his expedition to the east of Liao River, he established Ji as a military transfer station. The stone carvings of Buddhist scriptures in Fangshan were initiated by a monk called Jingwan, and continued through Tang, Liao, Jin, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, with a total of more than 1100 varieties of Buddhist scriptures. This includes 3500 volumes, 15,000 pieces of stone, plus 6800 stele carvings and inscriptions.
When the Sui dynasty collapsed, the Sui general Luoyi, who claimed himself as the governor for Zhuojun and Youzhou, surrendered to Tang. Tang replaced Zhuojun with Youzhou, but its government was also seated in Ji (also called Youzhou city). The city of Youzhou ran 9 li from south to north, 7 li from east to west, and 32 li in perimeter (li is an ancient Chinese measurement of distance). Its east city wall sat west of the present Xuanwumen Nei and Wai Streets; the south wall sat along Baizhifang Street to Yaojiajing area; the west wall on the east bank of Lianhuachi Lake; and the north wall a little bit south of the present Xinwenhua Street. The city had ten gates in total, with its satellite towns southwest of the main city.
In the nineteenth year of Zhenguan (AD 645), Emperor Taizong of Tang launched a campaign to the east of Liaohe River, with his troops traveling through Ji city. In memory of the sacrificed generals and soldiers, Emperor Tai Zong decreed that a Buddhist monastery be constructed in Ji city. The monastery was finished in the first year of Wansuitongtian by Empress Wu Zetian (AD 696), named by the empress as Minzhong Temple. It was renamed to Fayuan Temple when it was renovated in the twelfth year of Emperor Yongzheng’s reign in Qing Dynasty (AD 1734). It is the oldest temple in existence in Beijing city. Youzhou city was not only renowned among ancient temples, but also an important business center in the northeast during Tang Dynasty. According to the statistics from Compilation of Fangshan Stone Buddhist Scripture and Inscription, there were about 31 guilds for rice, meat, silk, boots, etc. operation in the temple.
In the first year of Tianbao during the Tang dynasty (AD 742), Youzhou was renamed Fanyang prefecture, with its government still in Ji city. General An Lushan, who commanded the troops in Fanyang, Pinglu (with the government seated in Chaoyang, Liaoning province), and Hedong (government in Taiyuan, Shanxi province), built another city called Xiongwucheng to the north of Ji to nurture his army and store grain. In the fourteenth year of Tianbao (AD 755), An Lushan rebelled from Ji, and later seized Luoyang. The next year, An Lushan proclaimed himself Shengwu Emperor and named his kingdom Yan, selecting Fanyang (Youzhou) as his capital – Dadu. This Dadu would later be known as Beijing. In the following years, internal strife occurred, An Lushan died at the hand of his own son An Qingxu, but An Qingxu was likewise killed by his general Shi Siming. Later on, Shi Siming claimed to be the emperor of Great Yan, and renamed Fanyang as Yanjing to be his capital, which is the beginning of Beijing being known as Yanjing. After the Tang put down the An Shi Rebellion, Fanyang was changed back to Youzhou.
After the downfall of the Tang dynasty, there emerged a disintegrative period known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. In the period of Five Dynasties, the ex-Tang general Liu Rengong, who governed the troops in Lulong Youzhou during the Tang dynasty, occupied Yan region and stationed his army in Youzhou. His son Liu Shouguang threw him into prison and murdered his brother to ascend the imperial throne in 911, calling himself Yingtian, emperor of great Yan and declared Ji as his capital, he died only three years later.