쿠빌라이 정부의 大都건설과 역참교통체계 구축

Abstract

This study aims at confirming Khubilai's intention to make a large city called "Dadu"(大都) as the only capital city of the Mongol Empire. Then it shows that Dadu, where the Mongolian government had established the massive postal station system connecting all parts of Eurasia, was based on an examination of the geographical conditions of Yanjing(燕京) and the historical background behind the construction of Dadu, and deserved to be "the capital of the world empire" where various people, goods and cultures from all over the world mixed. Even before his ascending to the throne of Qa'an, Khubilai drew up the plan to build the capital city of the Mongol Empire in Yanjing, a natural fortress, transportation hub, the political and the economic hub of Han territory(漢地). During the battle over the throne after Möngke's death, he made Yanjing as the central logistics base and effectively attacked Ariq Böke's troops. After winning the civil war, in order to establish his status as the only Qa'an of the Mongol Empire and maintain the integrated empire, Khubilai chose Yanjing as the capital city and hugely constructed it called Dadu. To maintain its status as the indisputable capital for Dadu, it needed to be equipped with a land transportation system that enables smooth communication with people in all parts of the empire. Therefore, the Khubilai government built a lot of postal stations on streets leading to Mongolian grasslands and Ulus in the western part, establishing the massive postal station system which started in Dadu and connected all parts of Eurasia. During Khubilai's era, the road with postal stations at regular intervals was blocked temporarily due to the dominance of lords in the northwest of China. After the reconciliation between East and West in the early 14th century, however, as the absolute status of Qa'an and a strong sense of solidarity among the Mongolian imperial family were maintained. Accordingly, the road played a crucial role in vitalizing political, economic and cultural exchanges throughout Eurasia and maintaining the unity of the Mongol Empire. As a result, Dadu, the center of the massive land transportation system, developed into the "the capital of the world empire" where numerous people, goods, cultures and knowledge from all over the world coexisted and exchanged. In this regard, the meaning of the Khubilai government's construction of Dadu, regarded as the indicator of the assimilation into the Chinese identity(漢化) and division of the Mongol Empire, and the function of Dadu as a city should be newly understood in terms of the continuity of Mongolian tradition and the unity of the Mongol Empire.