Nanjing

American  

[nahn-jing] / ˈnɑnˈdʒɪŋ /

(Older Spelling) Nanking or Nanching

noun

Pinyin.

1. a port in and the capital of Jiangsu province, in eastern China, on the Chang Jiang: a former capital of China.

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Nanjing British  

/ ˈnænˈtʃɪŋ, ˈnænˈkɪŋ, ˈnænˈdʒɪŋ /

noun

1. a port in E central China, capital of Jiangsu province, on the Yangtze River: capital of the Chinese empire and a literary centre from the 14th to 17th centuries; capital of Nationalist China (1928–37); site of a massacre of about 300 000 civilians by the invading Japanese army in 1937; university (1928). Pop: 2 806 000 (2005 est)

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Nanjing Cultural  

1. City in eastern China on the Yangtze River, northeast of Shanghai; an industrial and transportation center.

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During the Second Sino-Japanese War in the 1930s, Nanjing was the scene of a Japanese massacre (the Rape of Nanking) and became the seat of a puppet regime established by the Japanese.

China's imperial capital on several occasions, it was made capital of the Republic of China by Sun Yat-sen in 1912 after the Chinese Revolution, by Nationalist forces of Chiang Kai-shek from 1928 to 1937, and again from 1946 to 1949.

Example Sentences

She spoke during a symbolic visit to the eastern city of Nanjing, where she visited the mausoleum of revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen, one of the few Chinese historical figures revered in both Beijing and Taipei.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

She is expected to meet Xi later in her six-day trip which will span Shanghai, Nanjing and Beijing.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

Cole mentioned the upcoming opportunity to play for Nanjing.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

Researchers led by Professor Yijun Feng and Professor Ke Chen at Nanjing University have now reported a major advance in this area in PhotoniX.

From Science Daily • Feb. 5, 2026

The Great Prosperity Market was on Nanjing Road, Shanghai’s busiest shopping street, only two blocks from our alley.

From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang