Nanjing Presidential Palace

Nanjing Presidential Palace is located in the 292 of Changjiang Road, Xuanwu District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. It is the largest and best-preserved architectural complex in modern China. It is one of the representatives of buildings of Republic of China. It is an important site of modern China. With a history of more than 600 years, the Nanjing Presidential Palace covers an area of about 90,000 square meters. There are traditional gardens in Jiangnan of ancient China as well as buildings combining the Chinese and western construction style.

History of Nanjing Presidential Palace

In the Ming Dynasty, the Nanjing Presidential Palace was the residence of Guidehou and Hanwang. In the Qing Dynasty, it was the office of the governor-general of Jiangnan. On January 1, 1921, Sun Yat-sen took office here as the interim president of the Republic of China. The National Government was established in 1927, and it became the office of the National Government. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, it was still the office of the National Government and the Presidential Palace. Nanjing was liberated on April 23, 1949. In the early morning of April 24, China People's Liberation Army occupied the Presidential Palace.

After the founding of New China(the People’s Republic of China), it was used as the office of government agencies. In 1998, the People's Government of Jiangsu Province decided to build the Nanjing China Modern History Site Museum on the former site of the Presidential Palace. After careful planning and years of restoration and construction, it has gradually formed today's scale.

 

West Route

At the West Route, you can see the gardens, stone tablets, pavilions, square, office buildings, living room of Sun Yet-sen, temple and library. The gardens and pavilions are the construction of Qing Dynasty, which are simple and elegant.
 

Xu Garden

Xu Garden, also known as West Garden, was the garden of the residence of Hanwang in the Ming Dynasty and the garden of the Liangjiang governor-general in Qing Dynasty. It is called the West Garden because it is in the west of the palace. It was destroyed and rebuilt in 1870. In January 1912, the provisional government of the Republic of China was established, and Sun Yat-sen's temporary presidential office and living room were located in Xu Garden. After that, it was used for office by many people. As a famous garden in Jiangnan, Xu Garden remains many sites and attractions.


 

Recommended Route

The first attraction is Xu Garden. The second attraction is Lunyin Tablet. Next is the Tongyin Pavilion, which is famous for the sound of the rain beating the sycamore leaves. The fifth attraction is Fangsheng Pavilion, an ancient pavilion, whose shape is special in the gardens of Jiangnan. The sixth attraction is the stone boat, which is simple and unsophisticated. It is the oldest building in the Nanjing Presidential Palace. The next attraction is the Yinxinshiwu Pavilion. The Xijia Building is the best place to enjoy the sunset.

Middle Route

The gatehouse is a representative building of Republic of China with 83 years’ history. The hall is the main building of the Nanjing Presidential Palace. On January 1, 1912, the ceremony of Sun Yat-sen's inauguration as the provisional president of the Republic of China was held in the hall. And it is used by the national government and the presidential palace, and it has been well preserved so far. The auditorium is the place that the important meetings and activities are held. The reception room of the president is the place that the president meets the important guests.



 

East Route

There are garden, lake, office buildings in the East Route.
 

The East Garden was set up as garden in 1853. The Executive Yuan is the highest administrative organ of the National Government and was established on October 25, 1928. It has been used for office for several times. Fu Garden had stone boats, lakes, rockery, pavilions, terraces and towers before. It was destroyed in 1864, and part of it was restored in 2002. The memorial hall was built by Zuo Zongtang to memorize Tao Shu and Lin Zexu in 1883. You can visit the stable in the East Route. You can visit the buildings with the construction style of Republic of China. Also, you will learn about the history of the buildings and the Nanjing Presidential Palace.



 

Sun Yat-sen, the Forerunner of the Revolution

At the Exhibition of Sun Yat-sen, you will learn about the history and the contributions of Sun Yat-sen. We will know more about Sun Yat-sen and the democratic revolution leaded by him. You will learn about the modern history of China, including the important events during this time. Sun Yat-sen insisted correct political, cultural, legal, educational, military and economic opinions and made great efforts on realizing the goal of national rejuvenation of China. You can learn about the national hero Sun Yat-sen and the detailed history of the Chinese modern history if you visit the exhibition carefully. If you are interested in Chinese history and the Chinese modern history, you should not miss the Nanjing Presidential Museum, which is also the Nanjing China Modern History Site Museum.