Nanjing - "Southern Capital" - is located on the Southern bank in the lower reaches of the Great Yangtze River and is the capital of Jiangsu province. A walled town was built during the Eastern Han period (25-220 AD) known as " Stone City ".

Nanjing was thought to be propitious as well as strategically important. Eight dynasties established their capitals in the city between the third and fourteenth centuries. In the sixth century, the Sui Dynasty established its capital at Xlan and ordered the complete destruction of early dynastic building in Nanjing. The city flourished again during the Tang Dynasty when the great poets Li Bai, Bei Ju Yi, Liu Yu XI lived here for a while. The founder of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuan Zhang set up his capital here, building palaces, temples, and pagodas. He enlarged the city wall to make it the longest city wall in the world.

Tourist Attractions:

- Dr. Sun Yat Sen’s Mausoleum: It is Nanjing's most famous landmark. The Mausoleum was completed in 1929 as a memorial for the father of the Chinese Republic. The remains of Dr. Sun Yat Sen are beneath a recumbent marble statue of him in the circular crypt behind the memorial hall of Sun Yat Sen.

- The Ming Tomb: The first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was buried here in 1398 along with his Empress. The tomb is recorded as having taken convict laborers three years to complete. Most of the buildings have been destroyed.

- Linggu Monastery (Valley of the Soul Monastery): In order to build this mausoleum on an auspicious site, the Ming emperor, Hong Wu, first had to remove an existing temple to its present wooded peak. All that remains of the Ming Temple is the 46-meter long Beamless Hall, made of brick with no supporting wooden beams. A handsome pallou or gateway leads to the hall. The present Linggu Monastery dates from the late Qing Dynasty and is occupied by a community of monks.

- Fu Zi Miao (Confucius Temple): A newly developed area where Qing-style buildings house shops and restaurants. The city fathers have recreated the bustling bazaar that clustered around Song dynasty's Confucius Temple, which stood here. The temple was destroyed by the Japanese in the 1940's and has been reconstructed.