Nanjing,  Capital of Jiangsu Province

Nanjing is the capital of Jiangsu Province in the southeast on the south bank of the Yangzi River. It has a rich history as a political center, as the capital of early regimes in the south and as the Southern Capital during the Ming dynasty, as well as the seat of the Nationalist Government in the 20th century. Today Nanjing’s three special economic zones are home to manufacturing and production facilities for some of the world’s leading multinational corporations.

Nanjing’s position on the Yangzi offered strategic protection and made it an important gateway for trade and shipping to the regions farther west.  It is 2 1/2 hours west of Shanghai by tourist express train. Nanjing is hot and humid in summer, considered one of China’s four “furnace cities.” Winters are cold, with frequent rain or drizzle and low visibility.

Nanjing has an extremely rich and complex history, derived from its position as a political and economic center for the agriculturally rich southeast China region. Habitation in the area goes back some 5,000 years, documented by the discovery of several prehistoric, Shang and Zhou era sites. During the Warring States period there was a walled city that had an armaments foundry there. After the break up of the Han dynasty, Nanjing became the capital of a number of short-lived dynasties, especially for the southern dynasties during the 4th-6th century period of division between barbarian Northern and native Chinese Southern dynasties. At that time Nanjing was also a center for the propagation of Buddhism. When China was reunified under the Sui in the late 6th century, the Sui ruler established his capital at present day Xi’an and demolished all the old palace buildings at Nanjing. The building of the Grand Canal, however, aided the economic importance of the city, and it became a center of weaving, especially of brocade, and of metal foundries.

Nanjing’s decline lasted until the founding of the Ming dynasty, when it was established as the capital of the Ming by its founder, Zhu Yuanzhang (the Hongwu Emperor). Hongwu repopulated the city with in-migrant craftsmen and wealthy families from elsewhere in southeastern China, meanwhile deporting most of the resident population to far away Yunnan. He also undertook a massive building program, including an imperial palace and massive city walls, parts of which still stand. The city became an administrative center and the site of imperial examinations, as well as a manufacturing center. 

The third Ming emperor, known by his reign title a the Yongle emperor, usurped the throne from his brother and moved the capital back to Beijing, close to his princely power base and the former capital during the Yuan. Nanjing continued as a secondary capital, with its own shadow bureaucracy, a site for an imperial university and metropolitan examinations, and an important textile production center. When the Manchus invaded north China Nanjing held out briefly as a center of Ming resistance, but eventually fell.

With the overthrow of the Manchus in 1911 and the establishment of a Chinese Republic, Nanjing again became the national capital. The unhappy and often violent history of the city continued, however, as it was the site of mass executions of Communists by Chiang Kai-shek in 1927, and of the infamous “Nanjing Massacre” by Japanese forces who occupied the city in 1937, when some 300,000 residents of the city perished. After 1945 Nanjing again became the capital of the Kuomintang government. After peace talks between the Kuomintang and the Communists held there in 1947 broke down, Nanjing was captured by People’s Liberation Army in 1949. Today it is an important industrial base for the automobile, electronics, and machine tool industries, petrochemical production and steel foundries, and aeronautical training.

Links of Nanjing Related Reports and Articles

One of the most popular places to visit is the Confucius Temple, which was founded during the Song Dynasty in the early 11th century. It was initially an imperial academy but later changed to a center of culture and commerce. Many cities and towns in China have temples named after Confucius, one of China's great thinkers, but the Confucius Temple in Nanjing is particularly special because of its age and history making it an essential place to visit. Teahouses, restaurants, movie theaters, opera theaters, peddler markets and many other kinds of recreational facilities attract and entertain visitors and local residents. There are also many delicious snacks to satisfy your taste buds. Shredded bean curd, crab-meat dumplings and fried quails are a sensual delight to both your sight and taste.

Confucius Temple is located on the north bank of the Qinhuai River, which has been the source of many poems and stories. The river is well-known for its picturesque scenery in ancient times with houses and halls on both sides of the river, green windows and red doors reflected in the moonlit rippled water. The sounds of water lapping gently against boats and oars create a kind of gentle music. The scenery is especially magnificent on grand occasions with boats lit by beautiful lanterns winding their way like floating, flaming dragons. Fortunately, the city's charming historical scenes were brought back to life in 1985, when the Nanjing Municipal Government rebuilt the streets in the style of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Today, next to "Qinhuai Home," a traditional Chinese-style hotel built on the river, you can enjoy a whole lot of things. You are sure to be intoxicated by the area's many sights and sounds. The river is lined with teahouses, restaurants, and stores; crowded with boats, bright lanterns in the evenings, music and laughter. Now it has become the most unique cultural area with distinctive local characteristics that combine commerce, tourism and folklore.

Then you have to savor the local architecture. Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum, which is widely acknowledged as a masterpiece of the Chinese palatial style, is situated at the foot of the second peak of Mount Zijin. Dr. Sun Yat-sen is regarded by many as modern China's founding father and was buried here in 1929.

Sitting on the mountain's slope, the mausoleum looks majestic and sublime. The vault is more than 700 meters away from the entrance of the mausoleum on the square below. There is a three-tier stone stand upon which a huge bronze ding, an ancient Chinese vessel symbolizing power, perches. Beyond is the 480-meter-long and 50-meter-wide stairway with 392 stairs, leading to the vault. On both sides, tall pine trees, cypress trees and gingko trees guard the way alongside. At the end of the stairway is a huge gate. The tri-arched marble gate is inscribed with four Chinese characters written by Sun, which reads: "The nation is the people's nation and everyone should serve the nation selflessly." Visitors can learn about Sun's life in the hall.

On leaving the mausoleum, travel west and you will see a couple of places harking back to the 1920s and 1930s. The Nanjing Museum and Nanjing Archive were previously buildings used by the Kuomintang administration. If you happen to be on Zhongshan Road North, remember to walk slowly, as the former office of the Kuomintang administration's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also located there.

Anyway, wherever you go in the city, you can experience the dynamism of a modern metropolis set against a sleepy historic backdrop full of nostalgia. The mix of skyscrapers and old buildings keep you on your toes and leave you with the impression that you are at the crossroads of modernity and history. (soruce: China.org.cn)