After the Southern Song Dynasty, why didn't all previous dynasties establish their capital in Henan?

On the land of China, the ancient capital city has never been anything "strange". With the rise and fall of countless regimes, "ancient capital" has become the title of many cities, from the snowy areas in the north to Nanling beach, from the eastern plain to the western plateau. Even the "multi-dynasty ancient capital" with a sense of historical vicissitudes has several in this land. However, among these ancient capitals, one fell into a wonderful "law"-after the Northern Song Dynasty, Henan, which is famous for its ancient capital, has lost its "national heart".

First, Henan once gathered the eyes of the world.

From slave society to feudal society, there are as many as 2 17 recorded capitals in the history of China. However, all previous regimes had more than 2 17. So some cities, fortunately, became the ancient capitals of many dynasties. The most famous are Nanjing, Beijing, Xi, Luoyang and Kaifeng.

The last two, Luoyang and Kaifeng, are now in Henan Province. But the loneliness in Henan is more than that. There are Anyang, which is famous all over the world for its Oracle Bone Inscriptions, and Zhengzhou, the capital of Yin Shang Dynasty, Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period, which was "forgotten" by modern people and cherished by Zhenghe Koreans.

As the political center of a country or regime, and even the economic and cultural center, Henan once undoubtedly gathered the eyes of the world. Yin Shang's "guidance" in heaven was based on this, and Zhou people were deeply rooted here. Empress Wu Zetian, the only female emperor, loves this place very much. As the peak of China's ancient science and technology and economy, the Northern Song Dynasty also took this place as the foundation for settling down ... It is really not easy to find such an eternal paradise in the land of China.

Second, Henan once lost the favor of the emperor.

It is true that Henan was the core of national prosperity when it was favored by the emperor. But Henan is not always favored by people. Especially after the Northern Song Dynasty, Henan never even served as the capital of a major political power.

In the Southern Song Dynasty, Bianjing, once the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, was under the control of the Jin people for a long time. In the Yuan Dynasty, the capital moved all the way from the northeast to the south, but it also ended in Beijing, not Henan. In the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to move the capital to Nanjing, but Xi 'an was the only alternative, not Luoyang or Kaifeng. After the Qing army entered the customs, it also went straight to Beijing and "ignored" a number of ancient capitals in Henan.

Compared with the prosperity of the past, Henan, which is more and more forgotten by the emperors, is still the gathering place of the ancient capital, but its influence on the land of China has long since ceased. Beijing's position as a political and cultural center is as stable as Mount Tai. The economic position of the south is also very stable. Henan, with its profound historical and cultural heritage, is embarrassed to speak out.

Third, the necessary factors of capital and the advantages and disadvantages of Henan.

Now there is a popular joke, "As long as I am not embarrassed, I am not embarrassed". This statement does not actually apply to Henan, which has lost the emperor's eyes. Because it is not the fault of the ancient emperors or Henan itself that Henan was not chosen as the capital. This has nothing to do with embarrassment, but an inevitable trend of historical development.

As the core of a country or political power, the location of the capital has always been a national event, involving all aspects. In the early society, due to the limitation of productivity, the location of the capital often gives priority to meeting the basic conditions of survival-the natural geographical environment affects the location of the capital. It is beneficial to farming and getting water and food, which is an important reason why Anyang, Zhengzhou and other places were initially favored by Yin merchants.

Later, with the continuous development of social productive forces, the influence of social and cultural factors on the location of the capital increased. During turbulent periods such as the Spring and Autumn Period, Warring States Period, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the capital was often chosen as the center of the country. For example, Luoyang, located in the middle, is also a transportation hub. Its position is not only convenient for resisting foreign enemies, but also conducive to ruling the Quartet, which has played an important and positive role in the continuation of the Zhou Dynasty for hundreds of years.

At the same time, with the continuous development of the overall economy, the location of the capital is closely related to economic factors. In the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of Han Dynasty, made Luoyang his capital, taking into account both the factors of humanistic harmony in his hometown and the economic advantages of Luoyang at that time. The Western Han Dynasty has been rooted in Guanzhong area for a hundred years. The local population is dense and the development of natural resources is approaching the red line. In contrast, Luoyang in the east is richer, more abundant and has more room for development, which is more suitable for shouldering the heavy responsibility of the capital.

In addition, the traditional geomantic omen also had a far-reaching impact on the location of the ancient capital of China. This geomantic omen embodied in Das Kapital is not a simple and abstract concept of "the unity of man and nature", but "the harmony between man and nature, the coordination between architectural space and natural environment", which is the embodiment of an ecological view practiced by the ancients. Luoyang, Kaifeng and other places can become the ancient capitals of many dynasties precisely because they can achieve the coordination needed by the ancients in a short time.

Of course, we also saw that in the Southern Song Dynasty and hundreds of years later, Luoyang and Kaifeng were replaced by Nanjing and Beijing. For the ancient capital cities of Henan, with the expansion of the national territory, they are no longer the center of the national geographical environment, at least they are no longer the most favorable hub for communicating with the whole country (especially after the Grand Canal was destroyed by the war).

Moreover, with the economic development and developed transportation in the south, Henan's rich products are no longer the key factor. The ancient capitals of Luoyang and Kaifeng even fell into the same situation as the former Guanzhong area-over-exploitation of nature.

Therefore, under the restriction of natural conditions and humanistic and social factors, after the rulers considered the political and military advantages and disadvantages of various places, the ancient capital of Henan, despite its long history, failed to get their attention. However, as a part of the country, Henan is still doing its best to continue to shine and contribute to our indispensable strength in Henan.