Nanjing (also known as Nanking). It is a quintessential Chinese city with a history reaching back thousands of years. It has served as the capital of Chinese regimes and dynasties, and witnessed the grand spectacle of history, triumph, and tragedy, which altogether paint a brilliant picture of Chinese civilization. This accessible and readable book is author Ye Zhaoyan’s unique perspective of Nanjing. It is the story of a Chinese city and it is also the story of China, which has undergone a constant cycle of rise, decline, and rebirth. Ye provides an intimate and revealing look into the ancient origins of Nanjing, including its role as the strategic capital of the Kingdom of Wu in 221 CE to the liberation of New China in 1949, after a century of conflict. With great patience and a grand vision, Ye’s portrait of Nanjing is not only a place frozen in time, but also a place to gain a solid framework on the Chinese experience writ large. For anyone interested in Chinese history, the book is a must-read.
