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The great Mongol leader Kublai Khan (1215-1294), grandson of Genghis, did what in 1279 that has remained to the present day?

Answer: Declare Beijing (then named Dadu) the capital of China, which he did as a member of the (Mongol) Yuan Dynasty. Previously a regional capital, this was the first time it was given such prominence.

Source: Urban World History by Luc-Normand Tellier

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