Nanjing, the provincial capital of Jiangsu Province

Nanjing, the provincial capital with a profusion of historic sights, and the city of Suzhou in the same Jiangsu Province is the birthplace of my ancestors. I had the pleasure of teaching economics at Nanjing University of Finance and Economics in 2002 with fond impressions. Jiangsu is developing fast but still retains its charms especially in the small towns where traditional architecture can be seen as I lived in Rudong near Nantong. It is picturesquely set on the banks of the Yangzi, close to the magnificent Purple Mountain. The city of lakes is still enclosed within its grand city wall, and its streets are shaded by plane trees,southern capital of several regional kingdoms up to AD 220. It was China's capital under the early Ming Dynasty. It was also the capital of the 19th century Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the first Chinese Republic under Dr. Sun Yatsen. Today, Nanjing is a fast developing city, with good restaurants and a lively night life. Altho the medieval city walls give the impression that Nanjing is a small city, it is a fast fairly spread out. A lot of ground can be covered on foot, but folks can use local transport, either the comprehensive bus service or taxis which are plentiful and reasonably prices. I plan to visit Nanjing again in January 2008. Francis Shieh a.k.a. Xie Shihao on December 19, 2007