Nanjing

Nanjing ({{zh-cp|c=南京|p=Nánjīng}}; Wade-Giles: Nan-ching; Postal System Pinyin: Nanking), is the capital of China's Jiangsu Province and a city with a very prominent place in Chinese history and culture. Having served as the capital of China during several historical periods, Nanjing is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. Nanjing is also one of the fifteen sub-provincial cities in China's administrative structure, enjoying jurisdictional and economic autonomy only slightly less than that of a province.

Culture and Art

Being one of the four ancient capitals of China, Nanjing has always been a cultural center attracting intellectuals from all over the country. In Tang-Song period, Nanjing was a place where poets gathered and composed poems reminiscence of its luxurious past; in Ming and Qing Dynasties, the city was the official imperial examination center for the Jiangnan region, again acting as a hub where different thoughts and opinions converged and thrived.

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Today, with long cultural tradition and strong support from local educational institutions, Nanjing is commonly viewed as a ?city of culture? and one of the more pleasant cities to live in China.

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Art

Some of the leading art groups of China are based in Nanjing; they include: Qianxian Dance Company, Nanjing Dance Company, Jiangsu Peking Opera Institute, Nanjing Xiaohonghua Art Company and so on.

Related Topics:
Qianxian Dance Company - Nanjing Dance Company - Jiangsu Peking Opera Institute - Nanjing Xiaohonghua Art Company

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Jiangsu Province Kun Opera is one of the best theatres for Kunqu, China's oldest stage art. It is considered a conservative and traditional troupe. Nanjing also has professional opera troupes for the Yang, Yue (shaoxing), Xi and Jing (Chinese opera varieties) as well as Suzhou pingtan, spoken theatre, and puppet theatre.

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Jiangsu Art Gallery is the largest gallery in Jiangsu Province, presenting some of the best traditional and contemporary art pieces of China; many other smaller-scale galleries, such as Red Chamber Art Garden and Jinling Stone Gallery, also have their own special exhibitions.

Related Topics:
Jiangsu Art Gallery - Red Chamber Art Garden - Jinling Stone Gallery

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Festivals

Many traditional festivals and customs were being observed in the old times, which include climbing City Wall on January 16, bathing in Qing Xi on March 3, hill hiking on September 9 and others (the dates are in Chinese lunar calendar). Almost none of them, however, is still celebrated by modern Nanjingese.

Related Topics:
Qing Xi - Chinese lunar calendar

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Instead, Nanjing, as a popular tourist destination, hosts a series of government-organised events throughout the year. The annual International Plum Blossom Festival held in Plum Hill, the largest Plum collection in China, attracts thousands of tourists both domestically and internationally. Other events include Nanjing Baima Peach Blossom & Kite Festival, Jiangxin Zhou Fruit Festival and Linggu Temple Sweet Osmanthus Festival.

Related Topics:
International Plum Blossom Festival - Plum Hill

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Libraries

Nanjing Library, founded in 1907, houses more than 7 million volumes of printed materials and is the 3rd largest library in China, after National Library in Beijing and Shanghai Library. Other libraries, such as city-owned Jinling Library and various district libraries, also provide considerable amount of information to the citizens. Nanjing University Library, owned by Nanjing University, with a collection of 4.2 million volumes, is also one of the leading university libraries in China.

Related Topics:
Nanjing Library - National Library - Shanghai Library - Jinling Library - Nanjing University Library - Nanjing University

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Museums

Nanjing has some of the oldest and finest museums in China, among which include Nanjing Museum, City Museum of Nanjing, Taiping Kingdom History Museum, Nanjing Customs Museum and Nanjing City Wall Cultural Museum. Nanjing Museum, formerly known as National Central Museum under the KMT ruling, is the first modern museum and remains as one of leading museums in China.

Related Topics:
Nanjing Museum - City Museum of Nanjing - Taiping Kingdom History Museum - Nanjing Customs Museum - Nanjing City Wall Cultural Museum

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Night Life

Traditionally Nanjing's nightlife was mostly centered around Fuzi Miao area along the Qinhuai River, where night markets, restaurants and pubs thrived, and boating at night on the river was a main attraction of the city. The area was also famous (or infamous) for the high concentration of upper-class prostitutes, many of them patronized by high-ranking government officials and wealthy businessmen. The prostitution was banned after CPC took over Nanjing.

Related Topics:
Fuzi Miao - Qinhuai River

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In recent years, several commercial streets have been developed by the city and the night life has become more diverse: there are mega-shopping malls opening late in the Xinjiekou CBD and Hunan Road, and the newly-opened "Nanjing 1912" district hosts a wide variety of pastime facilities ranging from traditional restaurants to western pubs.

Related Topics:
Xinjiekou - CBD - Hunan Road - Nanjing 1912

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Theatre

Most of Nanjing's major theatres are multi-purposed, used as convention halls, cinemas, musical halls and theatres on different occasions. The major theatres include People's Convention Hall and Nanjing Arts and Culture Center.

Related Topics:
People's Convention Hall - Nanjing Arts and Culture Center

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Most of the city's cinemas are not well maintained due to lack of revenue and rampant movie piracy. Yet a new cinema, Nanjing Shangying-Warner Cinema Complex, was opened in 2004, as the first modern cinema complex in Nanjing and an effort to encourage more moviegoers.

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