The Ambitious Beginnings of a Conqueror

The story of Nurhaci (1559–1626), founder of the Later Jin dynasty and architect of the Qing Empire, is inseparable from his relentless campaigns and a lesser-known but equally critical strategy: the repeated relocation of his capital. Over his lifetime, Nurhaci established six of the seven capitals later used by the twelve emperors of the Qing dynasty. His first capital, Fe Ala (费阿拉城), built in 1587 when he was just 29, marked the birth of a militarized state on the Ming Empire’s northeastern frontier.

Perched on a “timeworn hill” (the meaning of “Fe Ala” in Manchu), this three-layered fortress near modern Xinbin, Liaoning, was both a defensive stronghold and a political statement. Its concentric design—inner citadel for Nurhaci’s family, middle ring for Eight Banner nobles, and outer walls housing 400 soldier households—mirrored the hierarchical society he envisioned. The 5-km outer wall and strategic use of natural ridges showcased Jurchen ingenuity in blending terrain with military engineering. For 16 formative years, Fe Ala witnessed pivotal moments: the birth of his successor Hong Taiji (1592), the creation of the Manchu script (1599), and the decisive victory over the Yehe-led Nine Tribes coalition (1593).

The Mobile Throne: Capital Relocations as Military Strategy

Nurhaci’s 1603 move to Hetu Ala (赫图阿拉) wasn’t merely a homecoming to his ancestral lands—it was a calculated escalation. This “flat-topped mountain” stronghold, with its 9-li perimeter and 24.6-hectare inner city, became the launchpad for empire-building. Here, he institutionalized the Eight Banners system (1615), declared himself Khan (1616), and issued the “Seven Grievances” against Ming China (1618). The 1619 Battle of Sarhu, where Nurhaci’s 60,000 troops annihilated a 200,000-strong Ming force, was planned within these walls.

His subsequent capital shifts reveal a commander thinking in real-time:
– Jie Fan (界凡城, 1619): A cliffside citadel chosen months after Sarhu to maintain pressure on Ming positions. Its 4,612-meter walls clinging to Tiebei Mountain allowed rapid strikes into Liaodong.
– Sarhu (萨尔浒城, 1620): A six-month staging post for the lightning capture of Shenyang and Liaoyang (1621).
– Liaoyang (辽阳城, 1621): The Ming’s regional hub, repurposed with a new “Eastern Capital” (东京城) to awe Mongol allies.

The Cultural Calculus Behind the Moves

Each relocation served cultural objectives beyond tactics:
1. Population Engineering: Nurhaci prioritized relocating captured artisans and farmers over holding territory, using capitals as demographic magnets. The 20,000 households at Hetu Ala became a human reservoir for his campaigns.
2. Symbolic Legitimacy: By occupying Liaoyang—a 2,000-year-old Sinicized city—he appropriated Ming administrative prestige while building Manchu-only enclaves like Dongjing.
3. Geomancy & Identity: The choice of Shenyang (盛京) in 1625 balanced practical logistics (its rivers and hunting grounds) with cosmic symbolism—its position aligned with Manchu shamanic concepts of the “pivot.”

The Unfinished Blueprint: Shenyang and Beyond

Nurhaci’s final move to Shenyang in 1625, against ministerial opposition, proved his strategic foresight. Though he died a year later, his son Hong Taiji expanded Shenyang into Mukden, the Qing’s base before conquering Beijing in 1644. The city’s central role—later as the Qing’s secondary capital—validated Nurhaci’s insistence on its “four-directional roads” linking Mongolia, Korea, and China proper.

Modern archaeology reveals the sophistication of these short-lived capitals: Jie Fan’s cliffside granaries could sustain sieges, while Dongjing’s eight gates followed both Han urban planning and Manchu cosmological models. These sites, now UNESCO candidates, embody a nomadic tradition of “mobile centrality” adapted to empire-building.

Legacy of a Restless Visionary

Nurhaci’s capital-hopping reshaped Northeast Asia’s political geography:
– Military Doctrine: His rapid redeployments presaged the Qing’s later “campaign capitals” during Inner Asian conquests.
– Urban Hybridity: Each site blended Jurchen, Han, and Mongol elements, foreshadowing the Qing’s multicultural governance.
– Strategic DNA: The Later Jin’s mobility contrasted starkly with Ming static defense, a paradigm later exploited to conquer China.

Today, as China’s “Northeast Revitalization” policy repurposes these historic sites, Nurhaci’s lesson endures: in geopolitics as in urban planning, adaptability is the ultimate fortification.