a city of China, capital of the Province of Kiangsu, on the Yang-tse-Kiang, about 580 mi. s. s. e. of Peking. It is 18 miles in circumference and is surrounded by a wall, which is in most places over 40 feet high. A military college, an arsenal and factories for the making of materials of war are the most important features of the town. The city was at one time the capital of the Chinese Empire, but when the seat of government was transferred to Peking, about the end of the fourteenth century, Nanking lost its importance and a great part of its population. The city was held from 1853 to 1864 by the Tai-pings, who made it their capital. The famous porcelain tower, completed in the fifteenth century, was destroyed during the Tai-ping rebellion. Nanking is still one of the chief literary centers of China. Population, estimated at 270,000.