Nanjing, China, in 1400

Exploring the Early Americas The Jay I. Kislak Collection

Pre-Contact America | Explorations and Encounters | Aftermath of the Encounter

Urban Landscapes | Ritual, Ceremonies, and Celebrations | Language and Context | Recording History | The Heavens and Time

Jin ling tu yong (The city of Nanjing in 1400).
Nanjing: Zhu Zhifan, 1624.
Rare Book Collection, Asian Division, Library of Congress (7A)

Nanjing, the capital of China’s present Jiangsu Province, has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture. One of the earliest cities established in eastern China (by legend dating to 495 BC), it served as the country's capital during several periods. Zhu Yuanzhang (b. 1328, reigned 1368-1398), the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, re-established Nanjing as the capital of China in 1368. The city is believed to have been the world’s largest between 1358 and 1425. In 1400, when Nanjing looked as depicted in this image, the population was 487,000. In 1420, the third Ming emperor moved the capital of China from Nanjing to Beijing.