The founder of China’s Yuan, or Mongol, Dynasty was a brilliant statesman and military leader named Khubilai Khan. Grandson and the best-known successor of thegreat Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan, Khubiliai became the first emperor of the MongolEmpire. He completed the conquest of China that was begun by his grandfather. Khubilai’s major accomplishment was convincing China to be ruled by foreign people, theMongols. His achievements were first brought to the Western and European society in thewritings of Marco Polo, the Venetian traveler who lived in China for nearly 20 years. Khubilai Khan began to play a significant part in the consolidation of Mongol rulewhen his brother, Mangu Khan, became determined to complete the conquest of China in1251. Upon the death of Mangu, only eight years later, Khubilai was proclaimed as theGreat Khan.1 Then in 1279, Khubilai defeated the Southern Song Dynasty, bringing theremainder of China under his reign.2 This was the first time all of China was under foreignrule. Khubilai named the dynasty Yuan, meaning “beginning” or “origin of the universe,”to signify that this was the beginning of a long era of Mongol power.3 The Yuan Dynastylasted from 1279 to 1368 in China.4 Where to put the capital was a major decision for Khubilai Khan. He ended upmaking two capitals: “Upper Capital,” called Shang-tu, and “Central Capital,” calledTa-tu, located at present-day Beijing.5 Ta-tu soon became a sophisticated and wealthycity. There Khubilai ruled as both the emperor of the Chinese Yuan Dynasty and theGreat Khan of the Mongols. Khubilai adapted to the Chinese way of governing. Hesuccessfully followed the bureaucratic system through which Chinese dynasties had ruled. However, the Mongols carefully guarded their cultural identity and way of life. TheMongols could not have ruled China without the help of some of the Chinese aristocracyand yet they ...
