A lost capital haunted by ghosts and history
The Mongol Empire spanned much of Asia and Europe. It built four capital cities, the least known of which is Zhongdu, or Central Capital.
It is a confusing name because different places have been called Zhongdu, including Beijing, which, during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), was named Zhongdu before it was changed to Dadu, or Big Capital. In the west, the most famous was Shangdu, or Xanadu, literally Upper Capital, thanks to Marco Polo's vivid description and Samuel Coleridge's opium-hazed imagination.
Zhongdu was 265 km north of Dadu and 195 km south of Shangdu, a short drive outside what is now downtown Zhangbei. It was en route when royal entourages traveled between the two capital cities. For those accustomed to galloping in the wilderness, there was not much reason to turn a stopover into a palace city.
