Nanjing Facts

Nanjing or "Ning" in abbreviation, the capital of Jiangsu Province. Strategically located along the Yangtze River and at the halfway mark on China's coastline, Nanjing served as the capital of ten ancient Chinese political regimes for 1,800 years, is listed as one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals amid Chinese cities. Historical relics and sites, many restored, weave the city. Symbolic remains include the Ming Dynasty City Wall, the Presidential Palace of the Republic of China and Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum.

Zip Code: 210000

Area: Nanjing, with a total land area of 6,598 square kilometers (2,547.5 sq mi)

Population: over five million

Administrative Divisions: 11 districts and 2 counties

Altitude:  10-20m

City Flower: plum blossom

City Tree: cedar

Geography
Nanjing is located on the south bank of the Yangtze River, which sits between Shanghai and Hangzhou and 262km away from Huangshan, 215km away from Suzhou. Nanjing is the capital city of Jiangsu Province. Nanjing is one of the most popular destinations in China as well as one of the main business, industrial and education place of China. Nanjing is situated in one of the largest economic zones of China, the Yangtze River Delta, which is part of the downstream Yangtze River drainage basin. The Yangtze River flows past the west side of Nanjing City, while the Ningzheng Ridge surrounds the north, east and south side of the city.

Climate
Nanjing has a subtropical climate with four distinct seasons. Spring(March – May) is warm and humid, followed by the rainy season in June and July. Autumn is short (Oct–Nov), but brings pleasant weather that is cool and dry. Nanjing is cold in winter (Dec–Feb) with occasional snow. The average annual temperature is 61°F.

Public transportation

Metro
There are two subway lines stitch Nanjing together with more than 50 stations. Trains are new and clean. It costs CNY 2-4 only for a subway ride.

Taxi is generally easy to find a taxi in Nanjing downtown, but you'd better avoid rush hours. The flag-down rate is CNY 9 (US$ 1.3) plus CNY 2 (US$0.29) fuel surcharge. Please note unlike taxis in U.S. cities, drivers available for hire light their taxi lamps red, while green means the taxi is not available. 

Food
The local fare is an offshoot of Huaiyang Cuisine, a regional cuisine from southern Jiangsu Province stressing the use of fresh ingredients and fine presentation. Dishes are salty and a bit spicy. Duck is an important dish in Nanjing One of them is Nanjing Salted Duck which is said to be the origination of Peking duck.

Nanjing foods are mostly safe (no freakish eats like dog meat or insect kebabs), but please beware that local chefs like adding duck guts to soups. The city's iconic snack, Duck blood and vermicelli soup, contains slices of duck liver and gizzard. 

Culture
Nanjing is the cultural and educational hub of China. There are some leading art groups in Nanjing, such as Nanjing Dance Comany, Jiangsu Peking Opera Institute and Nanjing Library. The contemporary arts scene is widely respected, as are its distinctive folk arts such as Nanjing Cloud Brocade. What's more, Nanjing also has professional opera troupes for Yang, Yue, Xi as well as Suzhou Pingtan, the Kun Opera in Jiangsu is the oldest opera art in China

Education
Nanjing is home to 59 universities, has been the educational center in southern China for over 1700 years. Nanjing has been the educational center in southern China for more than 1700 years. There are 75 institutions of higher learning till 2013. It boasts some of the most prominent educational institutions in the region.