Sharing the honor of being one of the traditional "Four Great Ancient Capitals of China" with Beijing, Luoyang and Xi'an, Nanjing has a wealth of historical sights and attractions to offer—primarily from its early Ming Dynasty heyday—as well as the modern conveniences and emerging cosmopolitan lifestyle of contemporary urban China.
A major university town, Nanjing is home to a large student population, including many foreign students, and the city's youthful population fuels a lively nightlife scene. With a new subway, an easy-to-use bus system and cheap taxis, transportation within the city is easy, and it is well connected to Shanghai, Beijing and other major cities throughout China.
All told, Nanjing can be a very pleasant city, with tree-lined streets, lakes, parks and its own mountain, Zijin Shan (Purple Gold Mountain) balancing the inevitable ranks of new skyscrapers and increasingly congested streets.
History
Nanjing has a colorful and tumultuous history full of romantic characters, epic battles and several of the darker moments in China's—and the world's—history. Nanjing's present location on the Yangzi River was the site of ancient cities going back to the rival Wu and Yue Kingdoms of the volatile Spring and Autumn Period and the fifth century BC. Under a variety of names, the city now known as Nanjing served as capital of the Wu and several other southern regional powers until the Sui Dynasty reunited China in 581 AD, destroying Nanjing (then known as Jiankang) in the process.
After a period of recovery, Nanjing returned to the center stage of Chinese history as capital of the southern Tang Kingdom (937-975) that formed after the collapse of the Tang Dynasty and quickly fell to the ascendant Song Dynasty. It was the first Ming emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang, who first made Nanjing capital of all China in 1368. He spent 21 years directing the construction of the Nanjing City Wall, much of which stands to this day. Subsequent Ming rulers returned the capital to Beijing, leaving Nanjing to thrive as a center of commerce and industry without the honor of hosting the imperial court. A very different bunch would return Nanjing to capital status: the zealous long-haired pseudo-Christian rebels of the Taiping Rebellion, who seized Nanjing in 1853, slaughtering tens of thousands and renaming it Tianjing ("Heavenly Capital"). They waged a surprisingly successful campaign against the beleaguered Qing Dynasty—who, in 1842, had signed the first of several "unequal treaties" with England in Nanjing, ceding control of Hong Kong and creating a number of treaty ports as a result of the first Opium War—conquering much of southern China before falling before the united forces of the Qing and Western forces, including the famous "Ever Victorious Army" led by Charles "Chinese" Gordon. This period is well represented by Nanjing's excellent Taiping Kingdom History Museum.
Nanjing was proposed as the capital after the 1912 rebellion disposed of the Qing and established the Republic of China under the leadership of Sun Yat-sen. However, it wasn't until 1927 when Chiang Kai-Shek's Kuomintang made it their capital. The honor turned into tragedy when, in the run-up to World War II, the Japanese, after taking Shanghai and many other parts of China, brutally assaulted the Kuomintang capital, killing somewhere between 200,000 and 350,000 civilians. This dark episode, known as the "Rape of Nanking" has gained increasing attention in recent years (a major Chinese film with Hollywood funding is due out in 2007 and the recently expanded Nanjing Massacre Memorial and Museum bears witness to the tragedy) as China has sought, without much success, a formal apology from the Japanese government for the epic atrocity, and remains a major point of contention between the two nations.
After the war, the Kuomintang returned to their capital, only to fall to the People's Liberation Army in 1949. In the 1950s, Mao Zedong's government made Nanjing a major component of its drive to industrialize, and the city remains a major industrial center today, drawing major international investment thanks to its infrastructure and location. A major testament to the efforts of the early PRC is the Yangzi River Bridge, which was completed in 1968 by Chinese engineers and laborers after the Soviet Union withdrew its assistance following the historic split between the USSR and PRC. The bridge is a late addition to Nanjing's wealth of historical attractions, many of which have been spared the worst vagaries of the Cultural Revolution and China's recent economic boom times. For more on Nanjing's history museums, see our Nanjing Museums & Galleries listings.
Climate
Known as one of the "furnaces of China," Nanjing, situated in the Yangzi River valley, experiences hot and humid summers, with temperatures running well into the 30s º Centigrade (90s º F) between June and early September. Winters remain damp, making temperatures that occasionally dip below freezing feel colder. Spring and fall are the most pleasant times to visit, especially April and May and September and October, when temperatures require the occasional sweater or jacket after sunrise and in the early morning, but usually warm to perfect shirtsleeve weather by midday. June through August can be quite rainy, as it is part of the East Asia Monsoon weather system. Air quality suffers from automobiles and industry, often adding a thick haze to the humidity during days with little wind.
Nanjing's brand of Jiangsu cuisine favors freshwater fish and shrimp as well as duck and various types of tofu; rice is the primary grain, and a fine range of vegetables, fruits and mushrooms are used to create light, clear soups, delicately flavored fish dishes and elegantly carved presentations of melons and other fruits and vegetables. The emphasis is on letting flavors through, with seasoning serving to delicately enhance main ingredients; accents tend toward the salty and sweet.
Nanjing specialties include yanshui ya (salted duck), prepared in a way that makes for a surprisingly light bird, less greasy than usual; gan si (shredded tofu skin), a cold dish in which sheets of slightly chewy dofu are finely chopped with vegetables, bamboo shoots, mushrooms and chicken or pork; and qing tang ba zhen ("eight delicacies soup"), a delightful blend that includes fish, water chestnuts, lotus root, arrowroot and lotus seeds.
For light bites between meals, try Jinling snacks ("Jinling" being an old name for Nanjing, a name that lives on as the name of the local beer), lightly fried green onion pancakes, hun tun (wonton) and dumpling soups and fried guotie pork dumpling, to name just a few. Nanjing is also home to a number of reputable international restaurants, from pizzerias and burger joints to Italian, Japanese, Indian and Mexican restaurants.
The Shizi Qiao pedestrian zone just west of Xuanwu Park is a great place to find a wide variety of cuisines, as is the area between Nanjing University and Nanjing Normal University just west of the Zhujiong Lu metro station. Other good hunting grounds are, in the center of the city, around the Xinjiekou metro stop and to the south, the Fuzi Miao (Confucian Temple) neighborhood.
Getting Around
Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province, once acted as China's national capital. An ancient city of great culture and history, today's Nanjing boasts many tourist sights and a convenient transportation system to see them easily.
Metro
At present, Metro Line 1 (Metro line 2 is slated for completion in 2009) accesses several tourist attractions such as the Confucian Temple, Xuanwu Lake, and Yuhua Terrance. Purchase an IC card (yuepiao) at any Huaxia Bank branch or in the metro station ticket machines. IC cards allow entrance to both the subway and bus systems, and provides a small discount for individual fares.
To and from Nanjing
Air
Nanjing Lukou International Airport, 35 km from downtown, operates a daily range of national and international flights. Frequent shuttle buses take passengers into the city, departing/arriving every half an hour from Zhonghuamen Long-distance Bus Station. Several major hotels also provide airport bus service.
Train
Nanjing's three major train stations service both provincial and national destinations, like Shanghai (4 hours), Suzhou (2 hours), Hangzhou (5 1/2 hours), Anhui and Beijing.
Nanjing is a far older city than its glamorous neighbor Shanghai, a fact that is reflected in its relatively relaxed pace, calm atmosphere and wealth of historical Sights & Attractions. Though thoroughly modern in many aspects, Nanjing is more conservative in many respects than Shanghai or Beijing, which for travelers means that the A&E scene can be a bit elusive relative to showboating Shanghai or Olympics-happy Beijing. The city's Festivals & Events calendar is also well worth noting—give Nanjing a chance and you'll find its people know how to have a good time as well as anyone in China.
Bars & Clubs
There are plenty of good nightspots scattered about town—and, thanks in part to a large student population, many of them are quite affordable. The students and a young workforce form a natural population of partiers in Nanjing, though it may sometimes seem most of them are studying or working overtime—Nanjing doesn't have the 24-hour party mindset of nearby Shanghai. That said, weekends can be happening and there's always something going on somewhere. If you're craving beats and a dance floor, the Castle Bar in the Drum Tower complex is a good bet, as are Scarlet's and Rick's. Behind the Wall and Blowing in the Wind are good for low-key drinks and conversation, and the area west of the Drum Tower between Nanjing University and Nanjing Normal University makes for pleasant bar hopping. The entertainment complex Nanjing 1912 is worth a visit, too—it's the city's take on Shanghai's Xintiandi, a sort of renovated historical-commercial theme mall well populated by international chains. For a nice change of pace and taste of local culture, check out the riverside teahouses in the vicinity of Fuzi Miao (Confucius Temple).
Performing Arts
The performing arts scene is surprisingly slack given the city’s size, history and proximity to Shanghai, but things appear to be picking up. Jiangsu Province Kun opera and Kungqu theater remain popular and well supported in Nanjing, with the Jiangsu Province Kun Opera company and others keeping the tradition alive with performances at Fuzi Miao (Confucius Temple). The universities and Nanjing College of Art often sponsor visiting performers. Large pop concerts are staged at Wu Tai Shan Stadium, though at present they're generally limited to Chinese, Korean and Taiwanese acts.
Museums & Galleries
Nanjing is a great city for history buffs, boasting a fine ensemble of museums that complement the city's rich store of historical sights. The Nanjing Museum is a great place to start, featuring a fine collection of Chinese artifacts going back some 3,000 years. Two of Nanjing's most violent and destructive periods have their own museums. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom History Museum relates the events of the bloody and bizarre mid-nineteenth century uprising of the Taiping who claimed Nanjing as the capital of their Heavenly Kingdom for nearly a dozen years; the Nanjing Massacre Memorial and Museum commemorates the brutal Japanese occupation during World War II. As for the arts scene, a number of small galleries and the presence of the Nanjing College of Art promise a bright future though the present scene pales alongside Beijing or Shanghai. Nanjing's conservative side is on display at galleries like the huge Yilanzhai Art Gallery, which distinctly favors the traditional over the contemporary.
Festivals & Events
If you're in town at the right time, it's worth checking out some of Nanjing's traditional festivals. Try the Jinling Lantern Show and mass City Wall Walk just after the Chinese New Year, the Plum Blossom Festival held at nearby Meihua Shan (Meihua Mountain) at the end of February, or the Plum Blossom Festival or the springtime Shangsi Festival (on the lunar calendar) or late March Cherry Blossom Festival in Xuanwu Park.