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Nanjing, also known as Nanking, is a renowned historical and cultural city and was the capital of several dynasties over the course of Chinese history.
Hotels in Nanjing
Nanjing (literally: "Southern Capital"), also known as Nanking, lies on the southern bank of the Yangtze River and is one of the most delightful of Chinese cities. Known as the capital city of six or ten dynasties in China's history, it has a brilliant cultural heritage.
Nanjing has also served as the capital of Republic of China, and is listed as one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. The statistics in 2007 estimated the total population of Nanjing to be 7.4 million. Great changes have taken place in the city in recent years and it has become a sparkling metropolis like Shanghai and Beijing with skyscrapers, luxury hotels, fashion shopping malls and supermarkets.
In addition to historical sights, memorials, museums and cultural sights also attracts thousands of travelers. The famous Confucius Temple is not only a memorial place for the Great Saga in China, but it has a surrounding area bustling with shops, restaurants and a snack street housed in traditional Chinese buildings. In the city center, Nanjing Museum is a must for travelers with a collection of more than 420 thousand pieces, including about 2,000 that are rare and valued.
The Nanjing City Walls, the majority of which is still standing, were the longest city walls in the world at 33 kilometers. They were built under Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, from 1366-86 and drew on old Tang Dynasty walls in the south and west, while the eastern and northern sections were newly built. The walls travel an irregular path (unlike the square walls of Beijing or Xian), designed to take advantage of natural phenomena and the pre-existing walls. Composed entirely of brick, the walls averaged 14 m. in height, 14 m. in width at the base and 5 m. in width a the top. There are numerous places to see the walls. A couple of pleasant walks include the stretch along the outside of the wall from Changle Lu to Zhonghua. Another prestine picturesque stretch is around the southern and western sides of Xuanwu Lake.
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