Nanjing is the capital of China's Jiangsu province and a city with a prominent place in Chinese history and culture. It has served as the capital of China during several historical periods, and is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China.

Nanjing has always been one of the most important cities in China. Apart from having been the capital of China for six ancient dynasties and the Republic of China, Nanjing has also served as a hub for education, research, transportation and tourism throughout history. The city is 300 km from Shanghai, 1200 km from Beijing, and 1400 km from Chongqing.

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 centre 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.

“With Purple Mountain as a twining dragon and the Stone Wall as a crouching tiger,
Jinling (an old name for Nanjing) is a home for emperors.”
钟山龙蟠，石头虎踞，真乃帝王之宅也

Zhuge Liang, famous strategist and politician in Three Kingdoms Period

Few facts about Nanjing

Recent History
In 1912, Dr. Sun Yat-sen led a successful democratic revolution to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and founded the Republic of China, making Nanjing its capital. The capital was later moved to Beijing after Yuan Shi-kai took over the presidency. Yet in 1928, the Kuomintang under Chiang Kai-Shek again established Nanjing as the capital of China (Republic of China), as opposed to a government in Beijing led by northern warlords and an alternate government in Wuhan led by Wang Jingwei.

In 1937, the Japanese army occupied Nanjing, which was then the capital of China. Although fiercely debated, it is commonly recognized that the occupying force in the city carried out a systematic massacre, and the estimated death toll varies widely according to different sources. The current Chinese government held the death figure as 300,000. During the Japanese occupation a puppet government led by Wang Jingwei was established in Nanjing. After the World War II, the Kuomingtang once again relocated its central government to Nanjing. On April 23, 1949, The People's Liberation Army conquered Nanjing, officially ending the Republic of China’s ruling in mainland China. Nanjing has remained the provincial capital of Jiangsu until today.

Today
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 representive 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.

Population
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 was 5.836 million.
As in most of eastern China the ethnic makeup of Nanjing is predominantly Han nationality (98.56%), with 50 other minority nationalities.

Climate
Nanjing has a sub-tropical 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.

Tourism
As 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.