Located in the affluent eastern coastal area of China, Nanjing is traversed from southwest to northeast by the world's third longest river, the Yangtze River. As an important gateway in East China and the capital city of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing has a population close to 8.5 million, covering a land area of 6,587 square kilometers and boasting of a GDP of about $190 billion in 2018.
Serving as the capital of China for about 450 years, Nanjing is reputed as a national historical and cultural city with a history of about 2500 years. Together with Beijing, Xi'an and Luoyang, it is known as one of China's "four great ancient capitals". Hailed as "the ancient capital of six dynasties" and "the metropolis of the Ten Regimes", Nanjing is home to one world cultural heritage—The Xiaolin Tomb of the Ming Dynasty, four world intangible cultural heritages, and 49 important heritage sites under state protection. The Nanjing City Wall of the Ming Dynasty stretches 25.1 kilometers in well-preserved condition, making it the longest and the best preserved existing ancient city wall in the world.
As the most important cultural and educational center in the Yangtze River Delta, Nanjing took the lead in setting up four educational disciplines in the country: Confucianism, Metaphysics, History, and Literature, which trailblazed the education system in ancient China. With over 850,000 registered students on varioous campuses, Nanjing is home to 53 colleges and universities. In addition, Nanjing hosts more than 120 national research and development institutions with more than 80 academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Nanjing ranks the second in the ratio of undergraduate and graduate students per 10,000 people in China. The city ranks the 12th among the top 50 Global Cities of Science & Research by The Nature.
Between 1405 and 1433, Zheng He, the famous Chinese navigator of the Ming Dynasty, took his sails from Nanjing to travel west. On his various voyages, he led his fleets to visit more than 30 countries and regions of the world. Today, Nanjing is a comprehensive transportation hub that can be reached by air, sea, and rail. It is an important gateway in China's Yangtze River Delta that supports the development of central and western regions of the country. The Nanjing metropolitan ring is one of the five major metropolitan rings in the Yangtze River Delta. The Nanjing Port is an important hub for river and sea transportation. The Nanjing South Railway Station is one of the five major passenger transportation hubs along the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed line. The Nanjing Lukou International Airport is a 4F civil airport, with a total of 260 routes worldwide.
In 2018, the disposable income per capita in of Nanjing reached $7,704. Civil affairs investment accounted for 75% of the general public budget of the city. 310,500 people were newly employed in urban areas. The rail transit operational mileage totaled at 394.3 kilometers, and the metro system carries 1.115 billion trips annually. Nanjing has been honored as one of the "Happiest Cities of China" for 1O consecutive years. Nanjing is also known as a city full of vitality. In 2014, the 2nd Youth Olympic Games was held in Nanjing, bringing 3,787 young athletes from 204 countries and regions to the city.
Nanjing is known for its literary history and heritage. The city is home to one world cultural heritage site and four world intangible cultural heritage items. In 2019, Nanjing was included by UNESCO in its Network of Creative Cities in the literature category. UNESCO says in its report that Nanjing has been recognized as a city of poetry and a hub of literature as it boasts 100 cultural centers and over 300 book stores.
