1153: Prince of Hailing (海陵王)
An emperor demoted to a prince posthumously
Prince of Hailing (reign 1150–1161) was the fourth emperor of the Jurchen-led Great Jin Dynasty. He came to power through a coup d'état and murdered his predecessor. His reign was marked by similar ruthlessness to his rise to power; for instance, he executed 155 princes of Jurchen nobles to suppress the threat of insurrection. After his death, he was demoted and referred to posthumously as a prince instead of an emperor.
Promoted Sinicisation to legitimise reign as foreigners
In trying to legitimise his status as emperor of China, Prince of Hailing introduced policies of Sinicisation. He lifted the previous prohibition on the Jurchens in wearing Han attire, allowed sacrificial ceremonies, and re-introduced the system of Imperial Examinations.
High level government posts still dominated by Jurchens
While the ruling class widely adopted the Han Chinese cultural traditions, the civil service was still chiefly comprised of Jurchen aristocracy.
Main capital moved from Harbin to Beijing
In 1153, Prince of Hailing moved the Jin capital from Harbin to Beijing. To ensure all the ruling class moved with him to the new place, in 1157, he destroyed the residences of the aristocracy in the old capital.
1161: Kaifeng became the southern capital
Prince of Hailing rebuilt the city of Kaifeng and made it the Great Jin Dynasty’s southern capital.
In December 1161, in a battle against the Southern Song Dynasty, Prince of Hailing was assassinated by his own generals. His son and heirs were also assassinated.
1214: Jin moved capital from Beijing to Kaifeng
In 1214, the Imperial Court was moved from the Great Jin’s central capital, Beijing, to its southern capital, Kaifeng, to distance the city’s administration from the Mongolians who invaded frequently.