Living in Nanjing: History & Facts
Nanjing is one of China's most ancient cities and traces its history back nearly 6,000 years. Nanjing has been the capital of China throughout several dynasties as well as the Republic of China. From the Ming Dynasty palace ruins to the ancient fortress walls, Nanjing retains many elements of its imperial past. On the banks of the Yangtze River, Nanjing is on one of the longest and most important trade routes in the world. The Port of Nanjing is the largest inland port in China, with yearly throughput reaching 66 million tons in 2003. In the 1960's Nanjing built its first Yangzte river bridge, which was almost the only way connecting Northern China and Southern China in eastern China at that time.
Nanjing has a temperate climate, and is under the influence of the East Asia Monsoon. Seasons are distinct in Nanjing, with usually hot summers and plenty of rainfall throughout the year. On average it rains 117 days out of the year and the average annual rainfall is 43.6 inches. The time from mid-June to the end of July is the plum blossom Meiyu season, during which the city experiences a period of mild rain as well as dampness.
In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, established the city as the capital of China. The Emperor employed 200,000 laborers for 21 years to build Nanjing into the center of power in China. The present-day city wall of Nanjing was built during that time, and 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. In 1912, Nanjing once again became a capital city as it was made the capital of the Republic of China.