Cambridge Encyclopedia :: Cambridge Encyclopedia Vol. 53

Nanjing - Geography and climate, History, Government and administrative division, Demographics, Transportation, Culture and art, Media, Tourism

32°03N 118°47E, pop (2000e) 2 987 000, administrative region 5 540 000. Capital of Jiangsu province, SE China, on the Yangtze R; founded, 900 BC; capital of China 220–589, 907–79, 1356–68 (renamed Nanjing, or ‘southern capital’), 1928–49; centre of Taiping Rebellion (1850–64); river port and trade centre; open port after the Opium War (1842), which concluded with the Treaty of Nanjing; airfield; railway; university (1902); coal, metallurgy, petroleum refining, engineering, shipbuilding; major Yangtze bridge; many historical sites and relics; Nanjing museum, Sun Yatsen Mausoleum, Ming Xiaoling (Ming Emperors' Tombs), Zijin Mountain astronomical observatory and museum, Yuhuatai Park.

For other uses, see Nanjing (disambiguation). 南京市
Nánjīng Shì
Abbreviation: 宁 (pinyin: Níng)
Origin of Name 南 nán - South
京 jīng - Capital
Together - Southern Capital
Administration Type Sub-provincial city, Provincial capital
CPC Nanjing Committee Secretary Luo Zhijun
Mayor Jiang Hongkun
Area 6598 km²
Population (2004)
 - Density
6,400,000
970.00/km²
GDP (2004)
 - per capita
¥191.0 billion
¥33,050
City tree Deodar Cedar
(Cedrus deodara)
City flower Méi
(Prunus mume)
County-level divisions 13
Township-level divisions 129
Postal Code 210000 - 211300
Area Code 25
License Plate Prefix 苏A
Official website: City of Nanjing

Nanjing (help·info) (Chinese: 南京;

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.

Geography and climate

31°17' - 32°37' N 118°22' - 119°14' E

Nanjing, with a total area of 6,598 km², is situated in the largest economic zone of China, the Yangtze River Delta, which is part of the downstream Yangtze River drainage basin. Yangtze River flows past the west side of Nanjing City Proper, while the Ningzheng Ridge surrounds the north, east and south side of the city. Once, when negotiating an alliance with Sun Quan, Liu Bei visited what is now Nanjing and was impressed by Nanjing's geographic position.

History

Nanjing is one of the earliest established cities in the southern China area.

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 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. The present day city wall of Nanjing was mainly built during that time, and it is the longest surviving city wall in the world.

It is believed that Nanjing was the largest city in the world from 1358 to 1425 with a population of 487,000 in 1400.

A Japanese-collaborationist 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.

Government and administrative division

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.

Districts:

Xuanwu District (玄武区) Baixia District (白下区) Qinhuai District (秦淮区) Jianye District (建邺区) Gulou District (鼓楼区) Xiaguan District (下关区) Pukou District (浦口区) Luhe District (六合区) (Formerly Luhe County) Qixia District (栖霞区) Yuhuatai District (雨花台区) Jiangning District (江宁区) (Formerly Jiangning County)

Counties:

Lishui County (溧水县) Gaochun County (高淳县)

Demographics

Population trend
Year Residents (in million) natural growth rate (%)
1949 2.5670 13.09
1950 2.5670 15.64
1955 2.8034 19.94
1960 3.2259 0.23
1965 3.4529 25.58
1970 3.6053 20.76
1975 3.9299 9.53
1978 4.1238 8.84
1980 4.3587 8.08
1985 4.6577 4.56
Year Residents (in million) natural growth rate (%)
1990 5.0182 9.18
1995 5.2172 2.62
1996 5.2543 2.63
1997 5.2982 2.16
1998 5.3231 1.00
1999 5.3744 2.01
2000 5.4489 2.48
2001 5.5304 1.60
2002 5.6328 0.70
2003 5.7223 -0.60

According to the Fifth China Census, the total population of the City of Nanjing reached 6.24 million in 2000. 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.

University of Phoenix

Into the first half of the 20th 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.

Transportation

Nanjing is the transportation hub in eastern China and the downstream Yangtze River area.

Land

As a regional hub, Nanjing is well-connected by over 60 state and provincial highways to all parts of 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.

Water

Port of Nanjing is the largest inland port in China, yearly throughput reaching 66 million tons in 2003.

Culture and art

Being one of the four ancient capitals of China, Nanjing has always been a cultural center attracting intellectuals from all over the country.

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. they include: Qianxian Dance Company, Nanjing Dance Company, Jiangsu Peking Opera Institute, Nanjing Xiaohonghua Art Company and so on.

Libraries

Nanjing 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. 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.

Museums

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.

Night life

Traditionally Nanjing's nightlife was mostly centered around Fuzi Miao area along the Qinhuai River, where night markets, restaurants and pubs thrived, and boating at night on the river was a main attraction of the city.

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. 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.

Media

Media in Nanjing is controlled by the Nanjing Television Broadcast Group which owns the Nanjing Broadcasting Network and Nanjing Radio.

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.

Buildings and monuments

Ancient period

Beiji Ge Chaotian Palace (museum and Kunqu opera house) Fuzi Miao (Temple of Confucius) and Qinhuai River Gu Lou Jiangnan Gongyuan Jiming Temple Jinghai Temple Linggu Temple Ming Dynasty Palace Site Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum and its surrounding complex Nanjing Ming City Wall and Zhonghua Gate Qixia Temple South Tang Mausoleums Stone City The Porcelain Pagoda of Nanjing Yuejiang Lou

Republic of China (1912-1949)

Catholic Church at Shigu Road (112 Shigu Road) Central Hotel (237 E. Zhongshan Road) Central Stadium (present day Nanjing Physical Education Institute) China Bank of Communications Nanjing Branch (1 E. Beijing Road) The Complex of Former Central University The Complex of Former Jinling University Yangzi Hotel (2 Baoshan Road) Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and its surrounding area

Contemporary

Jinling Hotel Jiangsu TV Tower Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge River-crossing Victory Monument

Museums and galleries

See Culture and Art above.

Parks and gardens

Bailu Zhou Park (White Aigret Islet Park) Baima Park (White Horse Park) Hongshan Zoological Park Jiuhua Hill Mochou Lake Purple Mountain Scenic Area Qingliang Hill Qixia Hill Xiuqiu Park Xu Garden Xuanwu Lake Ulong Tan Park (Black Dragon Pond) Yanzi Ji Yuhua Tai Zhan Garden Zhenzhu Spring Park (Pearl Spring Park) Zheng He Park Zhongshan Botanical Garden Yue Ya Lake

Markets and shopping areas

Fuzi Miao Hunan Road Xinjiekou

Other places of interests

Tangshan Hot Spring Jiangxin Islet Yangshan Tomb Stone Yangtze River Crossing Nanjing, tallest electricity pylons built of concrete. Presently, it boasts of some of the most prominent educational institutions in the region, which are listed as follows:

National

Nanjing University (南京大学) (originated in 258, modern incarnation founded 1902) Southeast University (东南大学) Hohai University (河海大学) Nanjing Agricultural University (南京农业大学) China Pharmaceutical University (中国药科大学) Nanjing University of Science & Technology (南京理工大学) Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (南京航空航天大学)

Public

Nanjing University of Technology (南京工业大学) Nanjing Forestry University (南京林业大学) Nanjing Medical University (南京医科大学) Nanjing Normal University (南京师范大学) Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine(南京中医药大学) Nanjing University of Finance & Economics (南京财经大学) Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications (南京邮电大学) Nanjing Institute of Meteorology (南京气象学院) Nanjing Institute of Physical Education (南京体育学院) Nanjing Arts Institute (南京艺术学院) Nanjing Audit University (南京审计学院) Nanjing Xiaozhuang College (南京晓庄学院) Jinling Institute of Technology (金陵科技学院)

Private

Sanjiang College (三江学院)

Note: Institutions without full-time bachelor programs are not listed.

Other Institutions

Nanjing Children's Welfare Institute - Orphanage

Sister cities

Nanjing currently has 15 sister cities (areas), namely:

Alsace, France Barranquilla, Colombia Bloemfontein, South Africa Eindhoven, Netherlands Florence, Italy Hauts-de-Seine, France Houston, U.S. Leipzig, Germany Limassol, Cyprus London, Ontario, Canada Mexicali, Mexico Nagoya, Japan Perth, Australia St. Louis, US Taejon, South Korea

Astronomical phenomena

For the urban area of Nanjing, the next total solar eclipse will be solar eclipse of 2309-Jun-09 occurring on June 9, 2309. Nanjing: Nanjing chu ban she.

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