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Nanjing (Chinese: 南京; Romanizations: Nánjīng (Pinyin), Nan-ching (Wade-Giles), Nanking (Postal map spelling)) is the capital of China's Jiangsu Province and a city with a prominent place in Chinese history and culture. Nanjing has served as the capital of China during several historical periods, and is listed as one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. Nanjing is also one of the fifteen sub-provincial cities in China's administrative structure, enjoying jurisdictional and economic autonomy only slightly less than that of a province. In addition, the Republic of China, which controls Taiwan and neighbouring islands, claims it as its de jure capital. Located in the downstream Yangtze River drainage basin and Yangtze River Delta economic zone, Nanjing has always been one of China's most important cities. Apart from having been the capital of China for six dynasties and of the Republic of China, Nanjing has also served as a national hub of education, research, transportation and tourism throughout history. It is also the second largest commercial center in the East China region, behind only Shanghai.
Geography and climateImage:Nanjing Area - Lower Yangtse Valley & Eastern China Map.jpg Nanjing Area - Lower Yangtse Valley and Eastern China
Nanjing has a temperate climate, and is under the influence of East Asia Monsoon. Seasons are distinct in Nanjing, with usually hot summers and plenty of precipitation throughout the year. Along with Wuhan and Chongqing, Nanjing is often referred to as one of the "Three Furnaces" along the Yangtze River, due to the historically high temperature in summer. The average annual temperature is 15.7ºC, with the highest recorded temperature being 43ºC (July 13, 1934) and the lowest -16.9 ºC (Jan 6, 1955). On average it precipitates 117 days out of a year and the average annual precipitation is 1106.5 mm. From mid-June to end of July is the Meiyu season, during which the city experiences a period of mild rain and dampness. According to the city government's website, the best weather of the year occurs from September to December. Nanjing is endowed with rich natural resources, which include more than 40 kinds of minerals. Among them, iron and sulfur reserves take 40% of those of Jiangsu province; its reserves of Strontium rank first in East Asia and the South East Asia region. Nanjing also possesses ample water resources, both from the Yangtze River and ground water, and it has several natural hot springs such as Tangshan Hot Spring in Jiangning and Tangquan Hot Spring in Pukou. Surrounded by the Yangtze river and mountains, Nanjing also enjoys beautiful natural scenery. Natural lakes such as Xuanwu Lake and Mochou Lake are located in the center of the city and easily accessible to the public, while hills like Purple Mountain are covered with evergreens and host various historical and cultural sites. Once, when negotiating an alliance with Sun Quan, Liu Bei visited what is now Nanjing and was impressed by Nanjing's geographic position. He suggested Sun Quan to move his headquarters there, and Sun Quan did so, renaming the city from Moling (秣陵) to Jianye (建業).[1] HistoryImage:Mochou Lake3.jpg A scenic and historic site in Nanjing, Mochou Lake
Image:JinLingKeJingChu.png Jin Ling Ke Jing Chu, a famous Buddhist institute in Nanjing Nanjing first became a capital in 229 AD, where Sun Quan of the Wu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms Period relocated its capital to Jianye (建邺), a city he extended on the basis of Jinling Yi in 211 AD. After the invasion of the Five Hu, the nobles and wealthies of Jin Dynasty escaped across the Yangtze River and established Nanjing as the capital, which was then called Jiankang. Since then Jiankang remained as the capital of Southern China during the North-South Division period, until Sui Dynasty reunified China and destroyed the entire city, turning it into farmland. The city was reconstructed during the late Tang Dynasty. It was again named capital (then known as Jinling) during the short-lived Southern Tang Kingdom (937 – 975) (who renamed it Xidu), who succeeded the Wu Kingdom. [2]Jiankang's industry burgeoned and thrived during Song Dynasty, although it was constantly under threat from the northern foreign invasion. The Mongolians, after taking over China, further consolidated the city's status as a hub of the textile industry. After successfully emerging as the winner during the warlords division period at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, established the city again as the capital of China in 1368, for the first time adopting the modern name, Nanjing, for the city. He constructed what was the largest city in the world during that time, and it took 200,000 laborers 21 years to finish the project. The present day city wall of Nanjing was mainly built during that time, and it is the longest surviving city wall in the world. Image:Nanjing DonghuaGate3.jpg City map of Nanjing from the Dong Hua Gate, Ming Dynasty It is believed that Nanjing was the largest city in the world from 1358 to 1425 with a population of 487,000 in 1400. [3] During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the Nanjing area was known as Jiangning (江宁) and served as the seat of government for the Liangjiang Viceroy. Nanjing was the capital of the Taiping Kingdom in the mid-19th century, being renamed as Tianjing (天京) (lit. Heaven's Capital). As Qing general Zeng Guofan retook the city in 1864, massive slaughtering occurred in the city with over 100,000 committing suicide or fighting to the death.
The Xinhai Revolution led the founding of the Republic of China in January 1912 with Sun Yat-sen as the first provisional president, and Nanjing was selected as its new capital. However, the Qing Dynasty still controlled the northern provinces, so revolutionaries asked Yuan Shikai to replace Sun as president in exchange for the emperor's abdication. Yuan demanded the capital be at Beijing (closer to his power base). In 1927, the Kuomintang under Chiang Kai-Shek again established Nanjing as the capital of the Republic of China, and this became internationally recognized once KMT forces took Beijing in 1928. Image:NanjingMemorial.jpg The Nanjing Massacre Memorial A Japanese-collaborationist government known as the "Nanjing Regime" or "Nanjing Nationalist Government" led by Wang Jingwei was established in Nanjing as a rival to Chiang's government in Chongqing, and after World War II, the KMT relocated its central government to Nanjing. On April 23, 1949, The People's Liberation Army conquered Nanjing, officially ending the Republic of China's rule in the mainland. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, Nanjing was initially a province-level municipality, but very soon became, and today remains, the provincial capital of Jiangsu. Until 2002, the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of China (Taiwan), as well as textbooks published in Taiwan, referred to Nanjing as the capital of the ROC. Government and administrative divisionImage:Nanjing presidential.jpg Nanjing Presidential building The full name of the government of Nanjing is "People's Government of Nanjing City". The city is under the one-party ruling of CPC, with the CPC Nanjing Committee Secretary as the de facto governor of the city and the Mayor as the executive head of the government working under the secretary. Nanjing is currently consisted of 13 county-level divisions, of which 11 are districts and 2 are counties. The districts are the urban area of Nanjing while the counties are the rural area governed by the city. Districts:
Counties:
Demographics
According to the Fifth China Census, the total population of the City of Nanjing reached 6.24 million in 2000. The statistic in 2004 estimated the total population to be 6.40 million, while the number of city residents is 5.836 million. The birth rate is 7.73‰ and the death rate is 5.44‰. 47,429 couples married in 2004, while 7036 pairs divorced. Among the newly-wed, 10,473 people are remarried. Urban areas include 1.65 million people. (2004 estimate) As in most of eastern China the ethnic makeup of Nanjing is predominantly Han nationality (98.56%), with 50 other minority nationalities. In 1999, 77,394 residents belonged to minority nationalities, among which the vast majority (64,832) are Hui nationalities, contributing 83.76% to the minority population. The second and third largest minority groups are Man (2311) and Zhuang (533) nationalities. Most of the minority nationalities reside in Jianye District, comprising 9.13% of the district's population. In 2003 the sex ratio of the city population is 106.49 males to 100 females. In 2004 the city's GDP is RMB 191 million (3rd in Jiangsu), and GDP per capita is RMB 33,050, a 15% increase from 2003. The urban resident's disposable income is RMB 11,601; while the rural resident's net income is RMB 5,333. Urban unemployment rate is 4.03%, lower than the national average (4.2%). EconomyImage:XinJieKou01 Nanjing.JPG A modernized street in Nanjing showing its economic development Early developmentSince the Three Kingdoms period, Nanjing has become an industrial center for textile and mint due to its strategic geographic location and convenient transportation. During Ming Dynasty Nanjing's industry was further expanded, and the city became one of the most prosperous cities in China and even the world. It led in textile, mint, printing, shipbuilding and many other industries, and was the busiest business center in the Far East region. Into the first half of the twentieth century, Nanjing has gradually shifted from a production hub into a heavy consumption city, mainly because of the rapid expansion of wealthy population after Nanjing once again regained the political spotlight of China. A number of huge department stores such as Zhongyang Shangchang sprouted, attracting merchants all over China to sell their products in Nanjing. In 1933, the revenue generated by food and entertainment industry in the city has exceeded the sum of the output of manufacturing and agriculture industry. One third of the city population worked in the service industry, while prostitution, drugs and gambling also thrived. Image:Ship-building-in-Nanjing.JPG Ship building in Nanjing In 1950s, the CPC invested heavily in Nanjing to build a series of state-owned heavy industries, as part of the national plan of rapid industrialization. Electrical, mechanical, chemical and steel factories were established successively, converting Nanjing into a heavy industry production center of East China. Over-enthusiastic in building a “world-class” industrial city, leaders of Nanjing also made many disastrous mistakes during the development, such as spending hundreds of millions of Yuan to mine for non-existent coal, resulting in the negative economic growth in the late 60s. TodayImage:Uprising-buildings-in-Nanjing.JPG Uprising buildings in Nanjing The current industry of the city basically inherited the characteristics of the 60s of last century, with electronics, cars, petrochemical, iron and steel, and power as the "Five Pillar Industries". Some representative big state-owned firms are Panda Electronics, Jincheng Motors and Nanjing Steel. The tertiary industry also regained prominence, counting for 44% of the GDP of the city. The city is also vying for foreign investment against neighboring cities in Yangtze River Delta, and so far a number of famous multinational firms, such as Fiat, Iveco, A.O. Smith and Sharp, have established their lines there. After China's entry into WTO, Nanjing has received increasing attention from foreign investors, and on average, two new foreign firms establish offices in the city everyday. The city government is further improving the investing desirability of the city by building large industrial parks, which now totals to five: Gaoxin, Xingang, Huagong and Jiangning. Despite the effort, Nanjing is still falling behind other neighboring cities such as Wuxi, Suzhou and Hangzhou, which have an edge in attracting foreign investment and local innovation. In addition, the traditional state-owned enterprises find themselves incapable of competing with efficient multinational firms, and hence are either mired in heavy debt or forced into bankruptcy or privatization. This resulted in large number of layoff workers who are technically not unemployed but effectively jobless. TransportationImage:Lower yangtze 2.png Cities on the Yangtze, between Wuhan and Shanghai Nanjing is the transportation hub in eastern China and the downstream Yangtze River area. Different means of transportation constitute a three-dimensional transport system that includes land, water and air. As most other China cities, public transportation is the dominant mode of travel of the majority of the citizens. Therefore see also Transport in Nanjing. LandAs a regional hub, Nanjing is well-connected by over 60 state and provincial highways to all parts of China. Express highways such as Hu-Ning, Ning-He, Ning-Hang enable commuters to travel to Shanghai, Hefei, Hangzhou, and other important cities fast and conveniently. Inside the city of Nanjing, there are 230 kilometers of highway, with a highway coverage density of 3.38 km per hundred square km; the total road coverage density of the city is 112.56 km per hundred square km. As for the railway system, the Tianjin-Pukou, Shanghai-Nanjing and Nanjing-Wuhu Trunk Railways meet in Nanjing, which has become an important hub of railways linking north, east and central China. Passenger rail service in Nanjing is provided mainly by Nanjing Railway Station, while both Nanjing West Railway Station and Nanjing South Railway Station serve minor roles. Public transportationThe city also boasts an efficient network of public transportation. The bus network, which is currently run by four companies (Nanjing Gongjiao, Zhongbei, Argos and Xincheng), provides more than 170 routes to all parts of the city and suburban areas. The city's first mass transit line, Metro Line No.1, started service on May 15, 2005, and Metro Line No. 2 will begin construction in November 2005. The city is planning to complete a 433-kilometer long Metro and light-rail system by 2050. The expansion of the Metro network will greatly facilitate the intra-city transportation and reduce the currently heavy traffic congestion. AirNanjing's airport, Lukou International Airport, serves both national and international flights. The airport is ranked 15th among 126 civil airports in China in terms of yearly passenger transport, and 10th for yearly cargo transport. The airport currently has 85 routes to national and international destinations, which include Japan, Korea, Thailand and Singapore. The airport is connected by a 29-km highway directly to the city center, and is also linked to various inter-city highways, making it accessible to the passengers from the surrounding cities. WaterImage:Yangtze-Ships.JPG Ships transporting raw materials from upper area of Yangtze Port of Nanjing is the largest inland port in China, yearly throughput reaching 66 million tons in 2003. The port area is 98 kilometres in full length and has 64 berths including 16 berths for ships with a tonnage of more than 10,000. Nanjing is also the biggest container port along Yangtze River; in March 2004, the one million container-capacity base, Longtan Containers Port Area opened, further consolidating Nanjing as the leading port in the region. Culture and artBeing one of the four ancient capitals of China, Nanjing has always been a cultural center attracting intellectuals from all over the country. In the Tang and Song dynasties, Nanjing was a place where poets gathered and composed poems reminiscent of its luxurious past; during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the city was the official imperial examination center for the Jiangnan region, again acting as a hub where different thoughts and opinions converged and thrived. Image:ShiGuLu RomanCatholicChurch.jpg A Roman Catholic Church in Nanjing Today, with long cultural tradition and strong support from local educational institutions, Nanjing is commonly viewed as a “city of culture” and one of the more pleasant cities to live in China. ArtSome of the leading art groups of China are based in Nanjing; they include: Qianxian Dance Company, Nanjing Dance Company, Jiangsu Peking Opera Institute, Nanjing Xiaohonghua Art Company and so on. Jiangsu Province Kun Opera is one of the best theatres for Kunqu, China's oldest stage art. It is considered a conservative and traditional troupe. Nanjing also has professional opera troupes for the Yang, Yue (shaoxing), Xi and Jing (Chinese opera varieties) as well as Suzhou pingtan, spoken theatre, and puppet theatre. Jiangsu Art Gallery is the largest gallery in Jiangsu Province, presenting some of the best traditional and contemporary art pieces of China; many other smaller-scale galleries, such as Red Chamber Art Garden and Jinling Stone Gallery, also have their own special exhibitions. FestivalsImage:Nanjing Ming wall.jpg Remnants of the Ming Dynasty City Wall in Nanjing Many traditional festivals and customs were being observed in the old times, which include climbing City Wall on January 16, bathing in Qing Xi on March 3, hill hiking on September 9 and others (the dates are in Chinese lunar calendar). Almost none of them, however, is still celebrated by modern Nanjingese. Instead, Nanjing, as a popular tourist destination, hosts a series of government-organised events throughout the year. The annual International Plum Blossom Festival held in Plum Hill, the largest Plum collection in China, attracts thousands of tourists both domestically and internationally. Other events include Nanjing Baima Peach Blossom & Kite Festival, Jiangxin Zhou Fruit Festival and Linggu Temple Sweet Osmanthus Festival. LibrariesNanjing Library, founded in 1907, houses more than 7 million volumes of printed materials and is the 3rd largest library in China, after National Library in Beijing and Shanghai Library. Other libraries, such as city-owned Jinling Library and various district libraries, also provide considerable amount of information to the citizens. Nanjing University Library, owned by Nanjing University, with a collection of 4.2 million volumes, is also one of the leading university libraries in China. MuseumsImage:Nanjing Museum1.jpg The Nanjing Museum Nanjing has some of the oldest and finest museums in China, among which include Nanjing Museum, City Museum of Nanjing, Taiping Kingdom History Museum, Nanjing Customs Museum and Nanjing City Wall Cultural Museum. Nanjing Museum, formerly known as National Central Museum under the KMT ruling, is the first modern museum and remains as one of leading museums in China. Night lifeImage:NanjingNight.jpg Nighttime on the Qinhuai In recent years, several commercial streets have been developed by the city and the night life has become more diverse: there are mega-shopping malls opening late in the Xinjiekou CBD and Hunan Road, and the newly-opened "Nanjing 1912" district hosts a wide variety of pastime facilities ranging from traditional restaurants to western pubs. TheatreMost of Nanjing's major theatres are multi-purposed, used as convention halls, cinemas, musical halls and theatres on different occasions. The major theatres include People's Convention Hall and Nanjing Arts and Culture Center. Most of the city's cinemas are not well maintained due to lack of revenue and rampant movie piracy[citation needed]. Yet a new cinema, Nanjing Shangying-Warner Cinema Complex, was opened in 2004, as the first modern cinema complex in Nanjing and an effort to encourage more moviegoers. MediaMedia in Nanjing is controlled by the Nanjing Television Broadcast Group which owns the Nanjing Broadcasting Network and Nanjing Radio. TourismAs a popular tourist destination, Nanjing is often cited as having a unique charm: with vast number of cultural sites and pleasant natural surroundings perfectly blending together, the ancient city enchants millions of tourists with a memorable experience. Image:ChaoTianGong SideGate Nanjing.jpg Chaotian Gong (Chaotian Palace)'s entrance Buildings and monumentsAncient period
Image:Sun yatse mausoleum.jpg Dr. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum Republic of China period (1912-1949)Because it was destined as the national Capital, many structures were built around that time. Even today, some of them still remain which are open to tourists.
Image:XuanWuLake all.JPG The Xuan Wu Lake Contemporary
Museums and galleriesSee Culture and Art above. Parks and gardensImage:Mochou Lake6.jpg Classical buildings in the Mochou Lake
Markets and shopping areasOther places of interests
Streets, Avenues, and BoulevardZijin Blvd. (Near Zijin Mt) Zhongshan Ave. (19th Avenue) Shiziqiao Ave. (A street of food, also known as 32nd Avenue) Wangfujin Ave. (30th Avenue) Tangzi St Shan Xi St (3rd Street) Zhongyang Ave. (Also 19th Avenue) EducationNanjing has been the educational center in southern China for more than 1700 years. Presently, it boasts of some of the most prominent educational institutions in the region, which are listed as follows: National
Public
Private
Note: Institutions without full-time bachelor programs are not listed. High Schools
Other Institutions
Sister citiesNanjing currently has 16 sister cities (areas), namely: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
