Nanjing

Meaning of the name
"Southern Capital"

Nanjing is the capital of Jiangsu Province. It is one of the most beautiful cities of China. It is called "Ning" for short, lies between latitude 32 north and longitude 1187east, occupied an area of 6515 square kilometers with a population of 5.17 million. Together with Wuhan and Chongqing, Nanjing is considered one of the "Three Furnaces" of China, the average annual temperatures is 15.4, the average annual precipitation of 1261.2 mm and the frost-free period is 237 days.

Nanjing is a famous historic city described as "a birthplace of southern beauties and a habitat of royal rules" by ancient Chinese poets. Historically known as Jinling, Jianye, Jiankang, Jiangning or Tianjing, Nanjing ranks with Xi'an, Luoyang, Beijing, Hangzhou, and Kaifeng as six major ancient Chinese capitals.

The fossils of Homo sapiens and those of ape-men's skull caps discovered at Tangshan in the east suburbs of Nanjing indicate that Nanjing was home to a large community of human beings in the late period of the mid-Pleistocene epoch 350,000 years ago. As far back as the late Spring and Autumn Period (770-475B.C.) Prince Fuchai of the State of Wu erected a "metallurgical city" in the vicinity of present-day Chaotian Palace, where large quantities of bronze vessels were cast and smelt. After the conquest of Wu by the State of Yue in 472 B.C., under the supervision of Minister Fan Li "Yue City " was built at Changganli outside today's Zhonghua Gate. This event, which took place almost 2,470 years ago, resulted in the emergence of a walled city at Nanjing.

In A.D. 229 Emperor Sun Quan of the Wu Kingdom in the Three Kingdoms Period made Nanjing (known as Jianye at the time) his capital, which had its central axis at today's Taiping Road, with the Qinhuai River in the south and Xuanwu Lake in the north, and was criss-crossed by bustling streets. After that, Nanjing was again made national capital (then known as Jiankang) of Eastern Jin (317-420) and of Song, Qi, Liang and Chen in the Southern Dynasties Period (420-589), thereby earning for the city its fame as the "ancient capital of six dynasties". Nanjing in those periods boasted a brilliant culture, a thriving commerce, and a large population of anything up to 1,400,000 people. Promotion of Buddhism by emperors of successive periods brought about in Nanjing an ecclesiastical population of well over 100,000 monks and nuns and a host of magnificent temples and monasteries. "Four hundred and eighty temples from the Southern Dynasties remain standing imposingly, there glittering towers and pavilions please the eye in the mist and rain," to quote from a poem by the celebrated Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu.

In the Five Dynasties Period following Sui and Tang, when the rest of China was torn by wars among various states contending for supremacy the Southern Tang Dynasty with its capital at Jinling was still able to exercise sovereignty in that part of China south of the Yangtze River. It witnessed no notable wars for upwards of 70 years, during which period the marketplaces and bazaars on both banks of the Qinhuai River thronged with businessmen from far and near. The prospering of the economy brought in its wake a flourishing culture and the emergence of a galaxy of outstanding poets, painters and calligraphers.

Nanjing became the nation's political center again in 1368, when Zhu Yuanzhang (1368-1398) founded the Ming Dynasty and named the city his capital. It took him 21 years to build a wall 33.65 kilometers in girth around Nanjing, then the largest city in the world.

In 1853, Nanjing became the Taiping capital during the Taiping Rebellion and was renamed Tianjing (Heavenly Capital), a name which stayed for only 11 years. Dr. Sun Yat-sen established the Republic of China and was chosen as its Provisional President in Nanjing on December 29, 1911, after the victory of the 1911 Revolution that ended the monarchy of the Qing Dynasty. Nanjing became the capital of the Republic on April 18, 1927,when Chiang Kai-shek proclaimed the inauguration of his National Government there.

Nanjing has undulating hills and mountains on all four sides, with the towering Zijinshan (Purple Mountain) in the east; the craggy Mufu Hill in the north; the crouching tiger-like Qingliang (Cool and Refreshing) Hill in the west, where the area around the Qingliang Temple and Saoye Tower on the slope is said to be the site of a summer resort of Li Yu (961-975),the last emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty; the Rain Flower Terrace (Yuhuatai) in the south, renowned for its colorful pebbles; the Niushou (Ox Head) Hill, the birthplace of the Niutou (Ox Pate) Sect of Chinese Buddhism, and the Zutang Hill, site of the mausoleums of the first and second Southern Tang emperors Li Bian (937-943) and Li Jing (943-961); the Qixia (Cloud Nesting) Hill in the northeast, which is crimsoned through by its serried red maple and oak woods deep-dyed in the depth of autumn; and the Swallow Cliff (Yanziji) precipitously overlooking the Yangtze River like a swallow about to take flight.

Apart from hills and mountains, Nanjing has many rivers and lakes, such as the Qinhuai River, Jinchuan, Xuanwu Lake and Mochou Lake, as well as the Yangtze River. No wonder that while speaking of Nanjing Zhuge Liang, prime minister of the Shu Kingdom in the Three Kingdoms Period, should exclaim, "This is indeed an abode of kings and emperors, with the Zhongshan Mountain like a curling dragon and the Stone City like a crouching tiger! "

Nanjing takes pride in an abundance of places of scenic or historical interest created by its environment, culture and celebrities: the magnificent mausoleums of Emperor Sun Quan's, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang's and Dr. Sun Yat-sen's at the foot hill of the Zijinshan in the east suburbs; the Beamless Hall in Linggu (Soul Valley) Temple, the Monument to Martyrs of the Northern Expeditionary Force of the National Revolutionary Army, and the Sun Yat-sen Classics Depositary; and the stone sculptures in the Southern Dynasties Period's tombs. The Zhanyun (Prospect) Garden and Xi (Radiance) Garden downtown are two gems of southern garden-landscaping art of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The Zhonghua Gate castle and the Ming Dynasty city wall, both the largest extant in China, and the famed Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge are also tourist destinations.

Present-day Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province, ranks fifth among the "50 strongest" of Chinese cities. It is a transport and telecommunication hub in East China, and the second largest international trade port after Shanghai in the Yangtze River Delta.

Attractions in Nanjing

Neighboring Areas: Zhejiang, Anhui, Shandong Provinces and Shanghai Municipality

Population: 6,000,000

Area: 6516 sq km

Culture
Nanjing is the home of many important educational and research institutions.

Handwoven silk brocades are a famous handicraft of Nanjing, particularly "cloud brocades" which portray the sky at sunset.

Food
Nanjing cuisine is typified by finely chopped ingredients, with natural flavours highlighted through the use of original stocks and broths. One of the most famous dishes is Nanjing salted duck.

Folklore
Nanjing is called one of the "Three Furnaces" of China due to its hot climate in the summer; however, the inhabitants are protected from the worst of the heat by its beautiful tree-lined streets.

Climate belongs to the north subtropical monsoonal climate zone, four seasons clearly demarcated, cold winters and hot summers; with frost-free period of 237 days

Average Temperature: annual average temperature 16C; absolute maximum temperature 43C, minimum temperature minus 14C ; average daily temperature in the hottest months 28.1C, in the coldest months minus 2.1C

Rainfall: plenty of rain, 117 rainy days annually, from the end of June to the middle of July is the rainy season; Annual even precipitation 1,106mm; maximum average humidity 81 percent

Mountains: Zhongshan Mountain( namely Zijinshan Mountain); Mount Qixia, Tangshan Mountain

Rivers: the Yangtze River, Qinhuai River, Xuanwu lake, Mochou Lake