ABSTRACT
Compared to cities like Xi'an and Luoyang, Beijing is a newcomer to the list of dynastic capitals. Nevertheless, China was ruled from Beijing for most of the last three dynasties; the Yuan, Ming, and Qing. Like London or Paris, Beijing as a city has its own spirit, its own subculture. The Beijing city subdialect differs in several ways from the more standard forms of Northern Mandarin. The people of the province of Hebei have of course been influenced by the city of Beijing, an enclave in their midst. The peninsular province of Shandong has long retained a good share of its local character. Much of the province of Henan also falls within the zone where the Northern Mandarin dialect is spoken. The three provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning form what Westerners often call Manchuria but Chinese usually refer to as the northeast, or the Dongbei.
