Nanjing: the Capital in the South

A brief visit to Nanjing makes me realize that it is not the capital in the north but the capital in the south that gives a real feel for history. One may sojourn in the Forbidden City, Tiantan Temple, Summer Palace, Yuanming Yuan, Ming Tombs in the suburb, even the market place at Qianmen and those famed hutongs, yet fails to see how they are relevant to Beijing: the city has broken free from the past and moved along a new path at an astounding speed. Here Ming Xiao Ling (the first Ming Emperor Taizu’s tomb), Zhongshan Ling (Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum), and the Presidential Palace (the office of governance bodies for different time periods) are not just isolated historical artifacts to be visited but still very much part of the city. The lights and shadows on the Qinhuai River at night embody the essence of and are an eternal song to a time that has long passed yet lingers on; one feels it in those old trees I am so in love with and in its citizen’s way of life.

Ming Xiao Ling

Following the sacrificed way and passing through various gates on a rainy day to visit the final rest place of the first Ming Emperor Taizu and his queen, one sees shades of green and does not get any feel of gloom. Taizu was known as a “beggar emperor.” He was born into a poor peasant family, became a monk at a very young age due to poverty and then was forced to beg for a living before he enrolled in the army. Taizu was however not only a self-made emperor but also a self-learned man. After he became emperor, he read broadly and diligently and applied his learning to practice; it was said that books had never been away from his hand. Taizu was open-minded and innovative too. The design of Ming Xiao Ling broke many conventional rules. Unlike the sacrificed way before Ming that was usually straight and short lined up south-north with the mausoleum, the sacrificed way at Ming Xiao Ling follows the natural terrain to form a shape like Big Dipper making it interesting and unique. On the two sides of the sacrificed way are not only traditional Chinese animals but also exotic animals like elephants. As a side note, Taizu’s imperial decree was said to have a liveliness and freshness that was unheard of before. Thus the visit to the first Ming emperor’s tomb turns out surprisingly to be a pleasant experience; Ming Xiao Ling is a place where one can take a daily stroll.

Zhongshan Ling

Climbing up 392 stone stairs to Sun Yat-sen’s mausoleum, what caught my eye first was the inscription of his Three Principles of the People: 民族 (independence from imperialist domination), 民生 (the people's livelihoods) and民权 (democracy). The Chinese “民” means people; the Three Principles of the People are to some degree still relevant today. If one turned at this point to look back, he would be awed by the grandeur of the architecture itself. Zhongshan Ling is an architectural jewel; its color palette and the setting perfectly capture the mood of the occasion.

The Presidential Palace

At the Presidential Palace, one sees four historical periods and four distinct styles, each reflecting the occupants’ backgrounds. It is a richer display of history than in the Forbidden City.

Qing Dynasty and regional governors

Taiping Tian Guo and Hong Qiuquan

The Republic of China and Sun Yat-sen

Guomindang era and Chiang Kai-shek

The Qinhuai River

To Chinese, the word “Jiangnan” (geographically speaking, areas south of the lower reaches of the Yangze River) always sounds a bit romantic. This has to do with the South’s warm climate, numerous rivers and waterways, lush landscape, long tradition in literature, rich merchants, and beautiful women. The powerful Qing emperor Qianlong traveled to Jiangnan multiple times in his life for “work” and left behind a string of romance. His legendary stories have forever fueled Chinese imaginations and become an inseparable connotation of Jiangnan.

The Qinhuai River is a branch of the Yangze River flowing through the heart of Nanjing City. Thanks to poets and writers of all time, on a Chinese mind the name Qinhuai River inevitably evokes an image of soft shadows and lights, soothing sounds from wooden oars leisurely beating the water, and the beauty of eight famous courtesans. In the last morning of my stay in Nanjing, a hurried visit to the residence of one of the eight beauties, Xiangjun Li (李香君) – a two-story house tucked behind vines on the river – unexpectedly opened up a window into a larger history and gave me a glimpse of how the different threads of Jiangnan culture were woven together.

The eight beauties on the Qinghuai River were famous also for their talents and achievements in literature and arts. They had worked diligently on their arts but unfortunately most of their work got lost over time. Among the few that survived, Xianglan Ma (马湘兰)’s orchid scroll and Xiaowan Dong (董小宛)’s butterfly painting had been featured in exhibitions at prominent museums such as the Forbidden City and cherished by Japanese art collectors. Rushi Liu (柳如是) was said to be most talented in poetry.

Their love stories with influential Ming officials and famed literary figures were told in literature and operas and are well known even today. Most of them lived through the chaotic dynastic transition from Ming to Qing and were pursued for political reasons due to their connections with men after the demise of Ming. While many Ming officials turned traitors for personal gain of wealth and status following the Qing army’s invasion, these women showed great courage and integrity, some eclipsing their men. This character of theirs is rarely known, though.

Among them, the love affairs of Xiangjun Li and Xiaowan Dong were associated with two important members of Fu She. Fu She means Restoration Association literally. It was a significant literary organization of scholars established during the last period of Ming with the aim of restoring the classics. Fu She had a strong political purpose too. It was financially supported by Jiangnan rich merchants, represented and served the interests of the Jiangnan rich merchant class to resist the Ming emperor’s control. Eventually the organization was banned in Qing Dynasty. There are both positive and negative views about Fu She, and I cannot know for certain which to believe. As a cultural and political movement, Fu She seemed to resemble the Italian Renaissance in some way.