Nanjing

Lore & Background

It is home to many heritage sites, including the Presidential Palace, Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, and Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum. The city is also known for landmarks such as Fuzimiao, Ming Palace, Chaotian Palace, Porcelain Tower, Drum Tower, Stone City, City Wall, Qinhuai River, Xuanwu Lake, and Purple Mountain. Nanjing University is among the world's top 20 universities ranked by the Nature Index.

Reader's Guide

Nanjing's significance lies in its role as one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China, having served as the capital for numerous dynasties and governments over more than a millennium. Its historical importance is matched by its modern status as a leading center of education and scientific research. The city hosts 68 institutions of higher learning, with Nanjing University ranking among the world's top 10 in the Nature Index. Nanjing's scientific research output is the fifth-largest globally, and it is a top-tier center in earth and environmental sciences, chemistry, and physical sciences. Its legacy includes both cultural heritage—with sites like the Presidential Palace and Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum—and a history of resilience through wars and disasters, including the Nanjing Massacre.

Did You Know?

• Nanjing typically ranks around 8th-12th in scientific research output among cities worldwide.

A Throne Across Millennia

Nanjing's claim to one of China's Four Great Ancient Capitals rests on an extraordinary succession of rulers who chose it as their seat of power. From the 3rd century onward, the city hosted the Eastern Wu state during the Three Kingdoms era, then the Eastern Jin and the four Southern dynasties—Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang, and Chen—which governed southern China between 317 and 589. The Southern Tang later made it its capital in the 10th century, and in 1368 the Ming dynasty's Hongwu Emperor established it as the first single city to rule all of China, a distinction it held until 1421. The 20th century brought further chapters: the Republic of China governed from Nanjing during two separate periods, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom set up its rebel capital there in the 1850s, and a Japanese-installed collaborationist government occupied the city during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The city endured devastating atrocities in both the Taiping conflict and the 1937–38 Nanjing Massacre, yet it persisted as a center of governance, culture, and resilience for well over a thousand years.

A Laboratory of the Mind

Few Chinese cities concentrate intellectual infrastructure the way Nanjing does. As of 2021, the city was home to 68 institutions of higher learning, including 13 so-called double-first-class universities, ten universities under the 111-plan, eight 211-designated universities, and 97 research academies. Nanjing University, with its long institutional history, ranks among the world's top ten universities according to the Nature Index. The ratio of college students to total population places Nanjing first among all large Chinese cities. Beyond the lecture hall, the city produces the fifth-largest volume of scientific research output of any city on Earth. By 2024, the Nature Index ranked Nanjing as the world's second most prolific center in earth and environmental sciences and third in chemistry and physical sciences. This depth of academic and research capacity makes the city a defining hub for knowledge production in East China and a major draw for students and scholars nationwide.

Governance, Scale, and Global Standing

Nanjing occupies a distinctive tier in China's administrative hierarchy. As the capital of Jiangsu province in the Yangtze River Delta, it governs 11 districts across 6,600 square kilometres and supported a population of over 9.4 million by 2021. Its status as one of the country's fifteen sub-provincial cities grants it jurisdictional and economic autonomy that falls just short of full provincial power. On the global stage, the Globalization and World Cities Research Network classifies Nanjing as a Beta city—grouped alongside Chongqing, Hangzhou, and Tianjin—while the Global Financial Centres Index places it among the top 100 financial hubs worldwide. The city also operates one of the world's largest inland ports, reinforcing its role as a transport and trade node. Recognitions include the 2008 Habitat Scroll of Honor of China, a Special UN Habitat Scroll of Honor Award, and the National Civilized City title, all testifying to sustained investment in urban livability and civic order.

Names, Landmarks, and Living Heritage

The very name "Nanjing"—literally "Southern Capital"—was fixed in 1368 when the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming dynasty needed to distinguish his new seat from the "Northern Capital" at Kaifeng. Before that, the area carried names like Jinling, meaning "Ridge with the Gold," a reference to lore about metal buried by a Chu monarch, and later Moling, Jiangning, and Shangyuan across successive dynasties. Today the city's built heritage tells a layered story: the Presidential Palace, Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, and Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum anchor its republican and imperial memory, while Fuzimiao, the Ming Palace, Chaotian Palace, the Porcelain Tower, Drum Tower, Stone City, and the ancient City Wall trace centuries of urban life. Natural and semi-natural features such as the Qinhuai River, Xuanwu Lake, and Purple Mountain weave through the landscape. Key cultural institutions—the Nanjing Library, Nanjing Museum, and Jiangsu Art Museum—preserve and present this accumulated legacy to visitors and residents alike.