Kublai Khan declared the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty in [[1271]], establishing a new capital at Dadu (大都, lit. "Great Capital"; this city would later become [[Beijing]]). He would spend the next eight years completing his conquest of China, capturing the Southern Song capital of [[Hangzhou]] in [[1276]]. The Empress Dowager Xie and the child emperor, [[Emperor Gong of Song]], were escorted to Dadu, where they were treated with honors. Meanwhile, the Song dynasty continued briefly with a succession of two emperors reigning in exile, before they too were killed and the Song Dynasty came to its ultimate end in [[1279]]. | Kublai Khan declared the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty in [[1271]], establishing a new capital at Dadu (大都, lit. "Great Capital"; this city would later become [[Beijing]]). He would spend the next eight years completing his conquest of China, capturing the Southern Song capital of [[Hangzhou]] in [[1276]]. The Empress Dowager Xie and the child emperor, [[Emperor Gong of Song]], were escorted to Dadu, where they were treated with honors. Meanwhile, the Song dynasty continued briefly with a succession of two emperors reigning in exile, before they too were killed and the Song Dynasty came to its ultimate end in [[1279]]. |