中国八大古都及其迁徙轨迹
古都是中国古城的典型代表，众所周知中国有七大古都。西安、北京、南京、洛阳四大古都是在解放前认定的，解放后在杭州召开古都学会会议，著名学者陈桥驿先生提出杭州、开封应当列入大古都行列，并在随后予以认定。1988年，地理学家谭其骧教授提议将安阳认定为大古都。至此，形成了我国的七大古都之说。2004年11月5日，中国古都学会会长朱士光宣布，古都郑州可与西安、北京、洛阳、开封、南京、杭州、安阳一起并称为“中国八大古都”。
河南安阳是殷墟所在地，被公认为中国最早的古都，殷商王朝曾在这里统治天下273年。东晋十六国与南北朝时期，又有后赵、冉魏、前燕、东魏、北齐相继在与安阳互为隶属的邺城建都，安阳因此有“六朝古都”之称。西安一带,自西周起,先后有11个王朝在此立都，自西周至唐，西安一带作为都城的时间前后长达1 191年，人称“千年古都”。位于河南西部的洛阳，从东周起，历东汉、曹魏、西晋、北魏、后梁、后唐七朝，加之隋炀帝与唐代武则天也曾从长安迁都于此,因而有“九朝名都”之誉。开封曾为战国时期魏国的都城,五代时的后梁、后晋、后汉、后周以及北宋，又以此为京师。金朝后期，为避蒙古骑兵进攻锋芒，曾从燕京迁都开封。因而历史上有“开封古都，七朝都会”之说。长江中下游的南京，在公元前3世纪到公元6世纪，是孙吴、东晋、南朝宋、齐、梁、陈，及五代南唐的首都，明代初年曾立都于此，19世纪的太平天国也在此设都，称天京。杭州曾是五代吴越国与南宋的京城所在地。中华人民共和国的首都北京，在历史上曾依次是春秋时的燕都蓟城，五胡十六国时期前燕都城，金朝中都，元代大都以及明清两代京师所在。郑州作为商代早期建立的一座都城,至今已有3 600年历史，是商代早期政治、经济、军事、文化的中心,春秋战国时期的郐国、虢国、郑国、韩国等诸侯国也曾先后定都于此。
中国古都迁徙轨迹，先沿由西向东轴线，后沿南北轴线。中国由于朝代更迭，经济重心变迁，民族关系和对外关系格局复杂多变，因而对都城的选择也有所不同。
殷商以来，黄河中下游是中国最富饶的区域，又接近王朝版图的中心，是兵家必争之地。为了把握住中原，从殷周至隋唐，国都始终在中原徘徊，东西轴线上的安阳、西安、洛阳多次被选为国都，这说明了中国历史上早期的政治经济中心多在黄河流域。还有一个重要因素，即当时中原王朝重点要处理的民族关系多在西北地区，如汉代与匈奴、西域，隋唐与突厥、吐蕃等。
随着长江流域的开发
，经济重心日渐南移，但政治中心仍沿东西轴线移动。原因在于政治中心的确立除了经济因素外，还要照顾其他，例如地理位置居中以驾驭四方，又如必须考虑抵御北方强敌的基本战略等。所以，历史上经济重心已经南移的王朝，大多仍将首都设在北方，不过为了中国东南部富饶的财富，隋炀帝和唐代女皇武则天等人先后从长安迁都洛阳，北宋更进一步将京师东移开封，以靠近运河干线。因此，唐宋时中国古都在东西轴线上，有一种自西向东迁移的明显轨迹。
宋室南渡后，长安、洛阳、开封等古都已不具备昔日制内御外的功能，以至元明清三朝，国都与黄河中下游无缘。长安更名西安，形象地表明它的地位已由国都变为地方重镇。南宋之后，崛起于北方草原的蒙古族建立元朝，在北京建立元大都。元末汉族朱元璋起兵反元，建立明朝，将蒙古族赶回北方之后，曾一度建都南京，但其子朱棣(明成祖)为了镇压蒙古族的反抗，又建都北京，震慑北方游牧民族，此后北京成为明清两朝国都和中华人民共和国首都。中国古都完成了由东西轴线向南北轴线的转变。
The Eight Greatest Ancient Capitals and the Locus of Their Movement
Ancient capitals are the typical representatives of Chinese ancient cities. In 2004, Beijing, Zhengzhou, Xi’an, Luoyang, Kaifeng, together with Nanjing, Hangzhou and Anyang were identified as “the eight greatest ancient capitals in China”. Known as “the capital of six dynasties”, Anyang in Henan Province is generally regarded as the earliest capital in China. Xi’an in Shaanxi Province once served as a capital for about 1 191 years from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, hence the title “thousand-year ancient capital.” Luoyang, located in the western part of Henan Province, once served as the capital of nine dynasties during the period from the Zhou Dynasty to the Later Tang Dynasty, and thus it is praised as “the capital of nine dynasties.” Kaifeng in Henan Province also enjoys a name “the capital of seven dynasties.” Lying in the southwest of Jiangsu Province and on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Nanjing was once the capital of the Eastern Wu Kingdom during the period of Three Kingdoms, the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and the Song, Qi, Liang, Chen kingdoms of the Southern Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty also took it as the capital until 1421. In the nineteenth century, Nanjing was the capital of the Taiping Heavenly-Kingdom and then named Tianjing. Hangzhou was once established as the capital of the Wu and Yue dukedoms during the period of the Five Dynasties and later that of the Southern Song Dynasty. Beijing, the capital city of the People’s Republic of China, was once called Jicheng, the capital of the Yan Kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period. In 1153 the Jin D
ynasty moved its capital to Beijing and renamed it Zhongdu. In 1272 the Yuan Dynasty built a new city in the suburb outside Zhongdu, renamed Dadu. Later the Ming and the Qing dynasties both established Beijing as their capital. As a capital built in the earlier Shang Dynasty, Zhengzhou in Henan Province has a history of about 3 600 years.
Due to the succession of dynasties, the change of economic center, and the complicated ethnical and foreign relationship, the choice of the capital city also varies. The movement of Chinese ancient capitals follows a locus first from west to east and then from south to north.