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| Tuesday, 01 April 2008 | |
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History of Nanjing
Yuecheng,
the first recorded military defense constructed in early 472 B.C., opened the
long history of Nanjing. In the following years, the city reached its height of
splendor at various times. In 229, Sun Quan, one of the three heroes in China's
Three Kingdoms Period (220 - 280), to strengthen his influence in the middle
valley of the Yangtze River, moved the capital of his kingdom to Jianye -
present Nanjing. From that time on, the city served as the capital for several
dynasties in China's history. In 1356, in a peasant rebellion, Zhu Yuanzhang,
later the Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), conquered the city
and renamed it Yingtian Fu. In 1368, Zhu established the Ming Dynasty - the
last feudal dynasty ruled by the native Han people - and gave Yingtian Fu the
new name of Nanjing. Ten years later, the emperor made Nanjing the capital of
the country. The mausoleum of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang is perching on the southern
slope of the Mount Zijinshan in the northeastern part of the city.
Following
officials' advice of "building walls and producing grain to consolidate
the rule", the emperor ordered the construction of city walls. Today's
majestic walls in Nanjing, the longest of its kind in the world, are the result
of that phase of construction. Zhonghua Gate, simply meaning 'Chinese Gate', is
a noted attraction for tourists in the present city center.
In spite of
its glorious times, the city also witnessed the hardest moment of this nation.
In 1839, the Opium War burst out after Lin Zexu, an assiduous official, burnt
twenty thousand boxes of opium in Humen. On a battleship in Nanjing's Xiaguan,
the corrupt Qing government, under threat by Britain troops, signed the
notorious Nanjing Treaty, the first of the 'Unequal Treaties' which ceded Hong
Kong away from China for more than hundred years. Following this treaty,
invasions and colonial rule of the western countries intensified and China sank
into a harder and darker time.
Peasant
groups of Taiping rebelled against the Qing government in 1853 and established
the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in Jinling, Nanjing's name at that time, and
formed an army. Unfortunately, the peasant regime was short-lived and in 1864,
troops of Qing government won the city back. Nowadays, in Xuyuan Garden , one
can still see part of the palace of Heavenly King of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
It was the
Revolution of 1911, the Chinese bourgeois democratic revolution led by Dr.Sun
Yat-Sen that overthrew the Qing Dynasty. On the first day of 1912, Dr. Sun
Yet-sen gave his simple but sublime address on the inauguration held of the new
Republic of China. Today, a memorial hall in the Mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen,
houses a statue of Dr. Sun sculpted out of white marble.
There are
two further negative memories of the city. On April 18th, 1927, Chiang Kaishek
launched the counter-revolutionary 4.12 Coup and established his power in
Nanjing. Also, in 1937, the inhuman Nanjing Massacre happened. In six weeks,
more than 300,000 Chinese people were killed including women and children.
No atrocity
can go unpunished. After eight years of resistance, in 1945 the brave Chinese
people eventually drove the barbarous Japanese invaders out of China's homeland
and the war criminals got what they deserved. However Chinese people will never
forget the history. Pictures of the atrocities of Japanese soldiers taken by
Japanese army photographers are exhibited in the Memorial Hall to the Victims
in the Nanjing Massacre.
Finally, on
April 23rd, 1949, Nanjing was liberated by the People's Liberation Army and
Kuomintang's power in China was ended.
Tourist Places in Nanjing
Nanjing, located at the eastern part
of China, is one of the six ancient capitals in China. Known as Jinling in
ancient China and with a history of over 2,460 years, it served as the capital
of ten dynasties in the past. Today, it is the capital of Jiangsu Province and
the political, economic, educational and cultural center of it. Nanjing has
developed into a multiple-producing industrial base in eastern China, and an
important hub of transportation and communication center. Nanjing is a charming
tourist city with budget Nanjing Hotels that give tourists an opportunity to
view tree- lined streets, hills and lakes.
MING
XIAOLING MAUSOLEUM
NANJING CONFUCIUS TEMPLE (FUZIMIAO)
Nanjing Confucius Temple, Fuzimiao in Chinese, is the holy shrine of Confucius, the
outstanding ancient Chinese philosopher and thinker. Confucius Temple has the
largest screen wall in China, which is ten-meter-high and 110-meter-long. The
main structure is Dacheng Hall, seated on a 1.5-meter-high base.
QIN HUAI RIVER
Qin Huai River, southwest of the city and extending 110 kilometers long,
is a branch of Yangtze River. Legend says in the Qin dynasty(221-207B.C.) under
the reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, Mount Fangshan was chiseled through to lead
the water into the city, so that it was renamed into Qin Huai River.
SUN YAT-SEN MAUSOLEUM
Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum was built for Sun Yat-sen, Sun has been respected as Father
of Modern China since he led the 1911 revolution to end feudal system and found
Republic of China. Inside of the gate, there is a pavilion in which a
9-meter-high stele is set, which is a memorial monument set by Kuomintang.
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 30 September 2008 ) | |
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