I Am Nanjing, I Am Jinling
This article is specially produced by Jinling Star Map
(Linggu Pagoda in autumn colors, photographer: Zhai Hongyu)
(Jiming Temple and Zifeng Tower, photographer: Zhang Yong)
What can be seen when reading Jinling?
(Purple Mountain shrouded in mist, with the Purple Mountain Observatory in the foreground, photographer: Li Yiheng)
(From Wang Anshi's "Four Poems on Jinling Nostalgia" of the Song Dynasty; please view horizontally, busy waterway under the Yangtze River Bridge, photographer: Yilu)
"The Zhongshan Mountain coils like a dragon, the Stone City crouches like a tiger"
Becoming a force that alters the course of the Yangtze River
Forming Nanjing’s exceptional landscape of mountains and rivers
(Lingxing Gate of Chaotian Palace, known as the "First Scenic Spot of Jinling," photographer: Li Changhua)
The natural moat of the Yangtze River and the embrace of surrounding mountains
Serve as natural barriers for Nanjing
This place thus becomes an important refuge
(Viewing the southern bank from the northern shore of the Yangtze River, photographer: Yilu)
Eastern Wu, Eastern Jin, Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen
Brought Nanjing its first golden age
(Below is Nanjing’s Xinjiekou; according to mainstream archaeological views, Xinjiekou and its vicinity were the site of the imperial Jiankang City during the Six Dynasties, photographer: Zhou Xuguang)
Manifested in magnificent and exquisite Buddhist temples
"Four hundred and eighty temples of the Southern Dynasties, how many towers stand in the misty rain?"
(From Du Mu’s "Spring in the South" of the Tang Dynasty; below is Dinglin Temple, built during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, where Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, established a center during the Southern Liang period, photographer: Zhang Yong)
Introversion as a delicate and rich artistic complex
"The evening glow scatters like brocade, the clear river flows calm as silk."
(From Xie Tiao's "Climbing Mount San at Dusk to Gaze at the Capital" during the Southern Qi Dynasty; Nanjing's culture flourished for a millennium since the Six Dynasties. Below is the Mingyuan Tower of Jiangnan Examination Hall, once the largest imperial examination venue in ancient China, photographed by @Xu Siyu)
It thus became the capital of a unified empire for the first time.
Ushering in Nanjing's second golden age.
(Ruins of Nanjing Ming Palace, once the imperial palace of the Ming Dynasty and the blueprint for Beijing's Forbidden City, photographed by @Fang Fei)
(Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang was buried in Nanjing's Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum on Purple Mountain. Now a scenic area teeming with wildlife, photographed by @Xiong Feng)
Perhaps due to its location south of the Yangtze
Nanjing seems to lack some ruggedness
Other ancient capitals concentrate history within palaces
While Nanjing dissolves history into nature
(From Yu Qiuyu's "Five Cities: Nanjing"; below is Qixia Temple, photographed by @Sun Zhensong)
Not only existing at the heart of the nation's territory
Though with shifting political landscapes
(From Xie Tiao's "Song of Entering the Court" during Southern Qi; below is Qinhuai River near Dabao'en Temple, photographed by @Li Yiheng)
It further condenses Jinling's prosperity and literary brilliance
(Confucius Temple on a snowy night, first built during Eastern Jin and serving as the nation's highest academy in early Ming Dynasty, photographed by @Xiong Feng)
(Mochou Lake was once part of the Yangtze River, formed by silt deposits during Six Dynasties' river course change, photographed by @Zhu Jinhua)
Romantic tales adorn its graceful history
Poetic masterpieces build its splendid landscape
"Even the humble vegetable vendors and tavern keepers carry the air of the Six Dynasties' misty waters"
(From "The Scholars" by Wu Jingzi of the Qing Dynasty; the image below shows a traditional wonton shop in Nanjing, photographer @ Fang Fei)
But during the "unprecedented upheaval in thousands of years"
Nanjing once again stood at the center of history
(Nanjing Presidential Palace, January 1, 1912, Sun Yat-sen was sworn in here as the Provisional President of the Republic of China, photographer @ Pan Ruizhi)
Between 1927 and 1937
China experienced a brief and superficial "Golden Decade"
Nanjing also ushered in its third period of glory
The "Father of the Nation," Sun Yat-sen, was also buried here
(The Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum is located in the Zhongshan Scenic Area and is hailed as the "First Mausoleum in Modern Chinese Architectural History," photographer @ Feng Chenyu)
As the national political and cultural center
Nanjing's bustle continuously spread beyond the city walls
And was often filled with the roar of steam locomotives
(Pukou Railway Station, originally Nanjing North Station, was completed and put into use in 1914, becoming a transportation hub connecting 11 provinces. Zhu Ziqing bid farewell to his father here and later wrote the famous essay "Back View," photographer @ Wang Yitian)
Against the backdrop of China's overall poverty and weakness
It was no different from the "flowers of the back courtyard" sung across the river
A hollow and fragile decadent tune
(Quoted from Du Mu's "Mooring on the Qinhuai River" of the Tang Dynasty; the image below shows the Nanjing Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum Music Stage, built during the Republic of China era, photographer @ Zhou Xuguang)
Finally, on April 23, 1949
"Winds and rains arose over Mount Zhong, a million heroic troops crossed the great river"
(Please view horizontally, the verse is from Mao Zedong's "Seven Rhymes: The People's Liberation Army Captures Nanjing"; the image below shows the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, the first dual-purpose road-rail bridge on the Yangtze River designed and built independently by China, photographer @ Huang Jian)
A privilege for high officials and noble families, as well as talented scholars and beauties
But rather the foundation of this city's establishment
(Nanjing Metro Line 1, passing through the nearly thousand-year-old city wall, photographer @ Wang Kang)
(Yuejiang Tower and Zifeng Tower, photographer @ Xiong Feng)
(Please swipe left or right to view the five Nanjing Yangtze River Highway Bridges currently spanning the Yangtze, photographers @ Yilu & Zhang Zhenhua)
(Yilu Road in early summer. During the Republic of China era, Yilu Road was home to foreign embassies and is known as the "Museum of Republic of China Architecture." It is now a residential area, photographer @ Sun Zhensong)
Nanjing, renowned in history for its cultural richness
Also steadfastly preserves and creates new cultural prosperity
(Please view horizontally, the Jiangsu Grand Theatre is currently China's largest modern grand theatre, shaped like a lotus leaf carrying glistening water droplets, photographer @ Zhang Haoran)
101 museums (memorial halls) are scattered here
(The number of Nanjing museums (memorial halls) is based on relevant statistics from the Nanjing Municipal Government; Tang Dynasty painted pottery female figurine, housed in the Nanjing Museum, photographer @ Li Ruoyu)
(The number of Nanjing universities is based on relevant statistics from the Ministry of Education; the image shows the Sipailou Campus of Southeast University, photographer @ Zhao Mengzhe)
This is also a "city of books"
2,768 physical bookstores are dotted throughout
Providing spiritual nourishment for this city
(The number of Nanjing physical bookstores is based on relevant statistics from the "2019-2020 China Physical Bookstore Industry Report"; the image shows the bustling crowd at the Nanjing Book Fair, photographer @ Fang Fei)
More inclusive and innovative
(Sifang Contemporary Art Museum, an important part of the Sifang Contemporary Art Lake District, primarily collects and displays contemporary Chinese art, photographer @ Fang Fei)
Hosting over 13,000 cultural events annually
Over 800 exhibitions and display events
More than 20 million attendees
Cultural activities have long nourished this ancient capital
The title of "City of Literature"
And shaped Nanjing's elegant demeanor
(In 2019, Nanjing became China's first city to be awarded the honorary title of "City of Literature" by UNESCO's Creative Cities Network; the image below shows the distribution of some cultural venues in Nanjing, mapped by Zheng Yi/Planet Research Institute)
As the only national-level new area in Jiangsu Province
It serves not only as a key hub driving the integration of the Yangtze River Delta
And the development of the cities along the northern Yangtze River
But also as a new frontier inheriting and promoting the cultural legacy of Jinling
(Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park, located in Pukou District, Jiangbei, hosted the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games, photographer: Fang Fei)
The New Area Civic Center, Jiangbei Library, and the new Nanjing Art Museum
Help forge Nanjing's new cultural identity as a core urban area
And embody the aspirations and creativity of this land of promise
(Nanjing Jiangbei New Area Industrial Technology Research and Innovation Park focuses on integrated circuit design, intelligent manufacturing R&D, big data, cloud computing, and AI, aiming to build a "Chip City," photographer: Fang Fei)
This momentum continues in the rising Jiangbei New Area
As a flagship project of Jiangbei's cultural industry
Jointly developed by Rongzheng, Yincheng, and Sunac
A roughly 860,000-square-meter integrated cultural complex
(Please view horizontally, location map of the Jinling Starscape project, mapped by Zheng Yi/Planet Research Institute)
Approximately 22,000 square meters of science and technology museum
Approximately 25,000 square meters of library
Approximately 20,000 square meters of diverse cultural and commercial district
As well as functional spaces such as a performance center, civic center, and planning exhibition hall
Integrated into a cultural center spanning about 200,000 square meters
(Schematic diagram of the Jinling Star Map project, image source @Jinling Star Map)
Cultural center, five-star hotel, headquarters office, matrix commercial spaces
Serviced apartments and ideal cultural residences ranging from 89 to 195 square meters
Creating a new urban unit woven with culture and vitality
(Schematic diagram of the Jinling Star Map project, image source @Jinling Star Map)
Still continues to write its brilliance today
What will the future of Nanjing hold?
"The tiger crouches, the dragon coils, now more than ever; Heaven and earth overturned, stirring and exultant."
(Please view horizontally, the verse is from Mao Zedong's "Seven Poems: The People's Liberation Army Captures Nanjing"; the image below is a panorama of Nanjing Jiangbei New Area, photographer @Yilu)
Editor: Ashao Images: Grateful Heart
Map: Zhengyi Design: Wang Shenwen
References: [1] Jiang Zanchu. Nanjing Historical Narratives[M]. Nanjing Publishing House, 1995. [2] Zhang Xinqi. Nanjing Biography[M]. Yuelu Press, 2019. [3] Wang Zhigao. Retrospect and Prospect of Archaeological Excavations of the Six Dynasties' Jiankang City Site[J]. Journal of Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, 2008. [4] Nanjing Municipal People's Government Website http://www.nanjing.gov.cn/