China Shangdu (Xanadu) was an "Upper Capital" during
Kublai Khan's reign in the 13th century. In the
Qing dynasty,
Chengde Mountain Resort in
Chengde was often being used by emperor to perform their official function during the summer months. In the era of the
Republic of China, core members of the
Nationalist Party of China often held meetings at
Kuling,
Jiujiang, in summer to make important internal decisions. Foreign businessmen and missionaries also spent their summertime in Kuling during Republic of China government rule. In the era of the
People's Republic of China, core members of the
Chinese Communist Party often held meetings at
Beidaihe District in the summer to make important internal decisions.
India During the reign of
Mughal emperor
Babur, the city of
Kabul in the north-west of the Mughal Empire was used as a summer capital owing to its lower temperatures compared with
Agra and
Delhi. This practice ended during the reign of Emperor
Aurangzeb. In India, the government of the
British Raj was annually transferred to
Shimla during the summer months. Presently, India has summer and winter capitals in three states and one union territory.
Philippines The
hill station of
Baguio in the northern mountains of
Luzon was selected as the summer capital of the Philippines during the
American administration in the early 20th century. Its cool climate was a preferred alternative to the sweltering, humid climate of the
de facto capital,
Manila. While the present sovereign government has long stopped transferring there
en masse, the city still hosts the official
summer residence of the
president of the Philippines, and the
Supreme Court of the Philippines still maintains its "summer sessions" in the city. The city itself remains a popular holiday spot for tourists, especially around
Christmas season and the hot dry season (colloquially known as "summer" in the country), when temperatures are considerably lower than in the rest of the archipelago.
Russia Following Russia's loss of the traditionally popular resorts of the
Crimea (
transferred away from the
Russian SFSR to the
Ukrainian SSR in 1954 by
Nikita Khrushchev),
Sochi emerged as the unofficial summer capital of the country. Additionally, Sochi has also served as the location for the signing of many treaties, especially those between the
Georgian, separatist
Abkhazian, and separatist
South Ossetian governing authorities.
Saudi Arabia The Saudi royal family has historically relocated to the mountainous city of
Taif, near
Mecca, which is far cooler in the summer months than the official capital of
Saudi Arabia,
Riyadh.
Spain The location of
Donostia/San Sebastián in the cooler, northern seaside of
Spain close to the French border ideally placed it as a summer capital alternative to
Madrid.
Maria Christina of Austria, the queen consort of Spain, vacationed there from 1887 and was followed by the court. The dictator
Francisco Franco spent the summers between 1941 and 1975 at the Ayete Palace. ==See also==