Nanjing is situated in south-western Jiangsu Province, to the south of the Yangtze River. Its name means ‘southern capital,’ and historically it functioned at most times as one of China’s most important capital cities. It is a centre for communications and culture, and attracts millions of tourists annually, who come to appreciate its historical monuments and scenic beauty.  

Throughout the ages, the city was always regarded as strategically important by China’s leaders due to its location and the surrounding terrain making it difficult for enemies to invade. Over the centuries it served as the capital of at least 10 dynasties.

Mountains protect the city on three sides and the Yangtze River forms a protective ‘moat’ to the north. Mountain Stone, to the west of Nanjing, has the appearance of a coiled dragon, and Mountain Zhong on the east has been compared to a crouching tiger. The city is well-known for local mineral resources and traditional products such as yuhua (‘rain flower’) stone, wood carvings, cloud-pattern brocade and traditional satin velvet.

The earliest-documented settlement on the site of present-day Nanjing was known as Yuecheng, a military defence outpost built in 472 BC. By the year 229 BC, a hero of the Three Kingdoms Period moved his kingdom’s capital to this spot, and called it Jianye. From that point, the city has served as the capital for several of China’s dynasties.

In 1356, peasants conquered the city and their leader later became Ming Dynasty Emperor Taizu. In 1368, the city was renamed Nanjing. One decade later, the Emperor Zhu relocated the capital of all China to Nanjing. Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang’s mausoleum is found in the north-eastern sector of the city, on the southern side of Mount Zijinshan.

It was also in the 14^th century that the emperor ordered the city walls to be constructed. The walls that you see today, which are the longest still standing in the world, date from that time. The Zhonghua Gate, which translates as ‘China Gate,’ is one of the major attractions in the city centre.  

The locals resisted the Japanese occupation for eight years, and finally, in 1945, they were able to drive them out of the country. A Memorial Hall to the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre features sombre exhibits on the events of that period, and visitors will see collections of photographs of the atrocities. Later, in April of 1949, the People’s Liberation Army drove the Kuomintang out of Nanjing, freeing the local people from their rule.

The city’s current industrial base has built on its strength of the 1960s, with automobiles, electronics, petrochemical and steel being the leading forces. The local government continues its efforts today in making the city desirable to investors and has built large-scale industrial parks as an enticement. In 2007, Nanjing's GDP ranked 15^th in the country, and its overall competence was ranked 9^th.

Winters are usually cold, but short. Temperatures do fall below the freezing mark, and it can be almost as wet as it is during the summer.However,as is true with many locales in the eastern regions of China, spring and autumn are the best times to visit, with the weather at its most pleasant. The gardens are in bloom, the temperatures are the best for sightseeing and outdoor activity and it’s not as crowded as it is during the summer school holidays. According to the government's tourism website, the best time to visit Nanjing is September-December.