Numerous cities have been the capital of China during the course of history.

• Anyang was the capital during the Yin period of Shang Dynasty: called Yin (殷 Yīn)

• Beijing (formerly Anglicized as Peking) was and has been the capital of various Chinese governments including (sorted chronologically):

State of Yan in Spring and Autumn Period: called Ji (薊 Jì)

Liao Dynasty, as a secondary capital: called Yanjing (燕京 Yānjīng "capital of Yan")

Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) from Jin Shi Zong until 1220s (1217?): called Zhongdu (中都 Zhōngdū "central capital")

Yuan Dynasty: Khanbalik (Mongolian: the Khan's city); translated to Chinese as Dàdū (大都 "great capital"). This was reported as Cambaluc by Marco Polo.

Ming Dynasty since Yongle Emperor of China: called Jīngshī (京師 "capital")

Qing Dynasty since the fall of Ming in 1644.

the current capital of the People's Republic of China

• Changchun was the capital of the Manchukuo, a nominally independent puppet state set up by the Japanese in Manchuria from 1931 to 1945: called Xingjing or Tsinking (新京; Xīnjīng"new capital")

• Chengdu was the capital of the Shu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms

• Chongqing (formerly Anglicized as Chungking) was the provisonal capital of the government of Chiang Kai-shek during World War II (Second Chinese-Japanese War).

• Datong was the capital during Northern Wei Dynasty before moving to Luoyang in 493.

• Hangzhou was the capital of:

The Wu Yue Kingdom (904-978), during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period

China during the Southern Song: called Lin'an (临安 Lín'ān)

• Hao was the capital during Western Zhou Dynasty.

• Kaifeng was the capital of various Chinese governments including (sorted chronologically):

Later Liang Dynasty during the Period of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Later Jin Dynasty during the Period of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Later Han Dynasty during the Period of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Later Zhou Dynasty during the Period of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Northern Song Dynasty: called Dongjing (东京 Dōngjīng)

• Luoyang was the capital of various Chinese governments including (sorted chronologically):

Eastern Zhou Dynasty

Eastern Han Dynasty from 25 to 220.

Kingdom of Wei during the Three Kingdoms.

Western Jin Dynasty

Northern Wei Dynasty since 493, moved its capital from Datong.

Later Tang Dynasty during the Period of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

• Nanjing (formerly Anglicized as Nanking) was the capital of various Chinese governments including (sorted chronologically):

all of the Six Dynasties: called Jianye (建业 Jiànyè) or Jiankang (建康 Jiànkāng). The Six Dynasties are:

Kingdom of Wu during the Three Kingdoms

Eastern Jin Dynasty

Song Dynasty

Qi Dynasty,

Liang Dynasty

Chen Dynasty

Ming Dynasty before Yongle Emperor moved the capital to Beijing.

Republic of China after the Northern Expedition until the Japanese invasion in 1937 of WWII, and after the war until Chiang Kai-Shek retreated to Taiwan in 1949. (It is still the "official" ROC capital.)

collaborationist government of Wang Jingwei

• Taipei has been the provisional capital of the Republic of China (on Taiwan) since 1949

• Wuhan was the capital of a leftist Kuomintang government led by Wang Jingwei in opposition to Chiang Kaishek during the 1920s.

• Xi'an (called Chang'an in ancient times) was the capital of various Chinese governments including (sorted chronologically):

State of Qin in Spring and Autumn Period and Qin Dynasty 778 BC-207 BC: Xi'an is located near the Qin capital which is called Xianyang (咸阳 Xiányáng)

Western Han Dynasty, from 206 BC to AD 9.

Western Wei Dynasty and Northern Zhou Dynasty

Sui Dynasty

Tang Dynasty

• Ye was the capital of Eastern Wei Dynasty and Northern Qi Dynasty.

The Chinese phrase Four Great Ancient Capitals of China (中国四大古都 pinyin Zhōngguó Sì Dà Gǔdū) refers to Nanjing, Beijing, Xi'an, and Luoyang. The phrase Seven Ancient Capitals of China also include Hangzhou, Kaifeng, and Anyang; in 2004 the China Ancient Capital Society officially added Zhengzhou as an eighth thanks to archaeological finds there.

See also: Capitals of subnational entities of China