Nanjing (meaning southern capital) is one of the six ancient capitals of China, situated at the south bank of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Today, Nanjing is the capital of Jiangsu province and covers an area of 860 square kilometers with a population of more than 5 million.

Nanjing area has been inhabited for but 5000 years, and a number of prehistoric sites have been discovered in or around the city. Recorded history, however, begins in the Warring States period {453-221 BC), when Nanjing emerged as a strategic object of conflict. The arrival of a victorious Qin dynasty (221-207 BC) put an end to this, allowing Nanjing to prospe as a major administrative centre. Nanjing today looks at once new and old -- new due to the ongoing modernization drive, and old because it is already 2,460 years old, and, as one of the nation's seven ancient capitals, it was the capital city for 10 feudal dynasties or regimes.

Nanjing is one of China's more attractive major cities. Among all the dynasties that had their capital in Nanjing, the Ming left the city with the most cultural relics, including the Nanjing City Wall, Zhuyuanzhang's Mausoleum and the Drum Tower. The city was also the birth place of China's first democratic revolutionary, Dr.Sun Yat Sen (Sun zhongshan),and his Mausoleum is situated majestically upon the slopes of the nearby Purple Mountain. There are also many other cultural sites relating to him in Nanjing.

Nanjing is a city with mountains, waters and green trees. With the Yangtse River running through the northeast of the city, mountains and hills encircling on three sides and rivers and lakes scattered about, Nanjing boasts beautiful natural scenery, as well as historically being a great defensive capital. The locals have learned to love this green and varied landscape, giving the area such pretty sights as the Plum Blossom Hill, Zixia Lake and Xuanwu Lake.

Confucius Temple

The Confucius Temple is in the south of the city, centered on the site of an ancient Confucius temple that was a centre of Confucian studies for more than 1500 years. The Confucius Temple has been damaged and rebuilt repeatedly, and what you see here today is newly restored late Qing Dynasty structures or wholly new buildings reconstructed in traditional style. The main Temple of Confucius is behind them on the small square in front of the canal. A five minute walk Northwest from here are the Imperial Examination Halls, where scholars spent months- or years-in tiny cells studying Confucian classics in preparation for civil service examinations.

Ming Tombs

The Ming Tombs was set on the southern slope of the Zhongshan Mountain and built for the Ming Tombs the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Zhu Yuanzhang, and the empress, is the largest among the mausoleums of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty . Although most of the ground buildings were destroyed during wars, the former splendor can still be seen from the existing wide approach, 800-meter-long, that leads to the mausoleum, flanked on both sides by giant stone statues of warriors and animals.

Liu Temple

Situated to the east of Sun Easton Mausoleum, the Liu temple was built in the Liang Dynasty (502-557). Its Beamless Hall is the country's largest hall built entirely of bricks without a single beam. The temple was turned into a memorial hall for soldiers killed in the battle in 1928 in memory of martyrs of the Northern Expedition (1926 -1927). In the temple, also stands the "Sanjue (Three Marvels) Tablet" , engraved in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) with a painting by Wu Daozi, a poem by Li Bai and a calligraphic work by Yan Zhenqing. All three were well-known in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum

For many Chinese, a visit to Sun Yatsen's Tomb (zhongshanling) is something of a pilgrimage. Sun is recognised by the Chinese as the father of modern China. He died n Beijing in 1925, leaving behind an unstable Chinese republic. He had wished to be buried in Nanhing, no doubt with greater simplicity than the Ming-style tomb which his successors built for him. But less than anyear after his death, construction of this immense mausoleum began.
The tomb itself lies at the top of an enormous stone stairway, 323m long and 70m wide. At the atart of the path stands a stone gatewat built of Fujian marble, with a roof of blue-glazed tiles. The blue and white of the mousleum were meant to symbolise the white sun on the blue background of the Kuomintang flag.
The crypt is at the top of the steps at the rear of the memorial chamber. A tablet with the ' Three Principles of the People', as formulated by Dr Sun. The walls are carved with the complete test of the Outline of Princeples for the Establishment of the Nation put forward by the Nationalist government. A prostrate marble statue of Sun seals his coffin.

Qixia Temple

The Qixia Temple, which is located 20 kilometers northeast of the city, is one of the famous ancient temples in China with the hitory of 1500 years. On the Thousand Buddha Cliff, there are 294 Buddhist niches with 700 figures of Buddha in a style obviously different from that of the figures in North China.