Nanjing as Republican capital

Nanjing was the capital of the Republic of China from 1927 to 1937 and again from 1945 to 1949. The Republican-era layer of the city is substantial and historically significant — the political centre of China between the late Qing and the People's Republic. Here's what's still visible.

The pre-Republican layers

Nanjing has been a capital before: Eastern Wu (3rd century), Eastern Jin and Southern dynasties (4th-6th centuries), early Ming (1368-1421 — before the Yongle Emperor moved to Beijing), and Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (1853-1864).

The 35 km Ming city wall — the longest preserved city wall in the world — was built by the Ming founder Zhu Yuanzhang. The Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum on Purple Mountain (1383) is his tomb.

The Taiping Rebellion captured Nanjing in 1853 and made it the capital of the Heavenly Kingdom for 11 years; the Qing Imperial Army's 1864 recapture devastated the city.

The Republican era

After the 1911 revolution, Sun Yat-sen briefly served as the provisional president of the Republic of China from Nanjing in 1912; the capital then moved to Beijing. The Northern Expedition (1926-1928) under Chiang Kai-shek reunified China and re-established Nanjing as capital in 1927.

The 1927-1937 period — the 'Nanjing Decade' — was the era of substantial Nationalist government building:

• Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum on Purple Mountain (1929) — the centerpiece of Republican memorial architecture.
• Presidential Palace (renovated from Ming-Qing imperial buildings) — the seat of the Nationalist government.
• Central University (now Nanjing University) — academic centre.
• Major boulevards through the historic core.

The Nanjing Massacre

The 1937 Japanese capture of Nanjing was followed by a six-week period of mass killings, sexual violence, and looting that has come to be called the Nanjing Massacre. Estimates of deaths range from 40,000 to 300,000, with most academic sources citing 200,000-300,000. The event remains the most politically charged single episode in 20th-century Chinese history.

The Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall (built 1985, expanded 2007) is one of the most-visited modern Chinese memorials. Substantial documentary archive, mass-grave excavations, witness testimony. Sober and substantial; allow 2-3 hours.

Post-1945 and 1949

After the Japanese surrender in 1945, the Nationalist government returned to Nanjing as capital. The Chinese Civil War (1946-1949) ended with the Communist victory; the Nationalist government retreated to Taiwan in late 1949 and the PRC capital moved to Beijing.

After 1949, Nanjing became a provincial capital (of Jiangsu) rather than a national capital. The Republican-era buildings were largely preserved but their political significance shifted.

What's still visible

Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum (1929) — on the slopes of Purple Mountain. 392 stairs ascending to the marble tomb. Classical Chinese-Republican hybrid architecture. The most-visited single Republican monument in China.

Presidential Palace (renovated through Republican period) — central Nanjing. Multi-courtyard complex; the seat of the Nationalist government. Substantial museum.

Ming City Wall — sections walkable. Zhonghua Gate (the southern gate) is the largest preserved city gate in China.

Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum (1383) — on Purple Mountain. UNESCO-listed. Tomb of the Ming founder Zhu Yuanzhang.

Confucius Temple area (Fuzimiao) — historic riverside temple-and-shopping district along the Qinhuai River.

Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall — sobering and substantial.

Nanjing Museum — second-largest museum in China after the National Museum in Beijing.

Purple Mountain (Zijinshan) — the eastern mountain on which most of the Republican memorials were built. Day-walk-able.

Republican-era universities — Nanjing University and Southeast University retain substantial Republican-era buildings.

Why Nanjing matters

Compared to Beijing (imperial), Shanghai (treaty-port), and Guangzhou (commercial), Nanjing is the city where Republican-era China is most legible. The architectural, political, and cultural layer between the Qing fall in 1912 and the PRC founding in 1949 — substantial and historically important — is most visible here.

For travellers interested in the modern history of China (rather than the imperial deep past), Nanjing is one of the most rewarding cities. The Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Presidential Palace, Massacre Memorial and substantial museums together give a coherent picture of 1912-1949.

A 2-day visit

Day 1: Confucius Temple area in the morning, Presidential Palace in the afternoon. Evening on Qinhuai River cruise.

Day 2: Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum + Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum on Purple Mountain in the morning. Nanjing Massacre Memorial in the afternoon. Nanjing Museum if time permits.

For a 3-day visit, add the Ming City Wall walk and the Nanjing Museum's permanent galleries.

What to read

Iris Chang's The Rape of Nanking — flawed in places but the most-read English-language account of the Nanjing Massacre.

Jonathan Spence, The Search for Modern China — the standard textbook covering the Republican period.

Vera Schwarcz, The Chinese Enlightenment — intellectual history of the Republican era.

The city's relationship with Japan remains politically charged. Visitors should be sensitive to the historical weight of the Massacre topic; this is not a casual museum-going experience.