Beijing—a CulturaI Mixture Centre of the Nationalities in the Central Plains and Beyond the Great Wall

Because of its special location, which is on the northern end of the north Chinese Plain and links the Inner Mongolian Plateau as well as the Northeast China through the Yanshan Mountain,in history Beijing had been being a center of cultural contact and mixture between the agricultural Han nationality in the Central Plains and the nomadic nationalities beyong the Great Wall (called the North nationalities). The cultural contact began from the New Stone Age. Before the Shang dynasty, comparatively more impact on the culture of modern Beijing was from the north. Then, many nomadic and hunting nationalities, such as Shanrong, Donghu, Xiongnu, Wuhuan, Xianbei, Xi, Rouran, Jie, Tujue,Qidan, Nuzhen, Monggol, and Manchu, live on the north of Beijing area,even came to modern Beijing one after another to live together with the Han natlonality, and mixed their cultures with the latter. Especially during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties when Beijing had been the political and cultural center of the whole unitary multi national country of China, it was the hub of cultural mixture not only between Han and the North nationalities, but also between the North China and the South China, as well as between China and Foreign Countries.Beijing's cultural resources,which are mixed,comprehensive and profound,are the epitome and paragon of the Chinese nation's culture and its best prectious resources.So they are the important base and advantage for undertaking the functions of nationally cultural,political,international exchange,and knowledge economic centers.