Prosperity and Decline: a History of Imperial Capital Changes over 3,000 Years

This is a popular book that talks about culture, history and civilization through the interpretation of seven ancient capitals including Xianyang, Xi'an, Luoyang, Kaifeng, Hangzhou, Nanjing and Beijing. Over the past 3,000 years, what traditions and secrets were hidden in the choice of capitals by successive dynasties? What development processes have the seven ancient capitals experienced in terms of geographical location selection, urban layout, urban management, urban architecture, urban culture, etc.? The book is organized from point to point, clearly outlining how the seven ancient Chinese capitals moved from closed to open, from single to pluralistic, and from monopoly to equality in space, and then enumerates each capital's unique cultural customs, urban spirit, and the many past events it carries about the rise and fall, inheritance, and changes of Chinese civilization. The writing is extremely beautiful and the knowledge is extremely broad. It can be called the "historical manual" and "city business card" of the seven major cities.