Nice view titled Nanking. — Vue générale, from wood engraving with fine detail and clear impression, approx. page size is 27 x 18.5 cm, approx. image size is 19 x  13 cm. From La Nouvelle Géographie universelle, la terre et les hommes, 19 vol. (1875-94) (edition in English: The Earth and Its Inhabitants, 1878-94), great work of Elisee Reclus.

Nanking,

Wade–Giles romanization Nan-ching, Pinyin Nanjing, city, capital of Kiangsu sheng (province), east-central China. Nanking, whose name means “southern capital,” is a port on the Yangtze River and a major industrial and communications centre. It served as the capital of regional empires, the seat of revolutionary governments, and the site of a puppet regime under the Japanese, and it was twice the capital of China.

Nanking is situated on the southeastern bank of the Yangtze, about 160 miles (260 km) northwest of Shanghai. In addition to the city proper, which occupies the area enclosed by ancient city walls and adjacent suburbs, the municipality of Nanking includes both urban and rural territory. Nanking's climate is characterized by four clearly distinguishable seasons, with mild winters and hot summers, and an average annual rainfall of 39 inches (990 mm).

The substantial rural population within Nanking municipality cultivates grains (rice and wheat), legumes (beans and peanuts [groundnuts]), and fruits (watermelon, peaches, and pears). Other important products include tea, rice, cotton, lily bulbs, water chestnuts, eggs, and poultry. Pressed Nanking duck is a regional specialty.

For centuries Nanking was noted for its satins, pongees (home-woven silks), velvets, brocades, porcelain ware, paper, and ink sticks. Modern industry, first promoted by the Nationalist government between 1928 and 1937, developed further after the 1950s; of prime importance are the manufacture of iron and steel, machines, farm equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals and related products, and weaponry. Textile production remains important, as does food processing, oil refining, coal mining, and the manufacture of various consumer goods. The city's imports consist primarily of industrial equipment; exports include manufactured goods and agricultural products.

The layout of Nanking resembles a gourd, with its tip pointing northwest. This scenic city of tiled gates, greenery, lotus blossoms, and tea pavilions is composed of four major districts. The north district is traversed by Chung-shan Avenue and contains the Pei-chi (“North Pole”) Pavilion and the Chi-ming (“Cockcrow”) Temple. The central district, surrounding the Hsin Chieh-k'ou (“New Crossroads”), is the business centre. To the south is the populous and lively old city, and in the east district is the former Ming palace. Nanking's immediate outskirts contain many monuments, notably the mausoleums of Sun Yat-sen and of the Ming emperor Hung-wu and the Ling-ko Ssu (“Temple of the Valley of Spirits”).

Paramount among educational centres of the city are Nanking University and Nanking Institute of Technology. The city also has many other technical institutes, research agencies, and scientific societies. The Nanking Museum, the Museum of the Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace, and the Kiangsu Provincial Museum are noteworthy.

Most of Nanking's commerce centres on the Yangtze River, though several rail lines connect the city with Shanghai and other cities. Major highways fan out from the east and south, and to the northwest the Yangtze bridge (1968) provides for both rail and highway traffic. Nanking lies on major air routes within China. Area municipality, 2,516 square miles (6,516 square km). Pop. (1993 est.) city, 2,490,000; municipality, 5,150,000.