Geographical Characteristics of Nanjing
2 min readSurrounded by the Jianghuai Plain in the north，the Yangtze Delta in the east，hills in the west and Taihu lake in the south and with the Yangtze River flowing through，the city of Nanjing has been regarded as”the most beautiful city in South China and an ideal place for emperors to reside in”from ancient times.
A photo of Nanjing
In very remote years，Nanjing was said to be”a city with dragon and tiger to safeguard”.The name was given with reasons.To the east，Mount Zhong winded its way to the city like a flying dragon while the stone city built by Sun Quan（the warlord of Wu Kingdom in the Three Kingdoms period）to serve as a riverside fort，was like atiger crouching on the land.Legend goes that when examining the landform of today’s Nanjing for the Battle of Red Cliffs against Cao Cao，the most powerful warlord innorth China，Zhuge Liang（a famous statesman and militarist and the prime minister of Shu，another kingdom in the Three Kingdoms period）couldn’t help acclaiming，
“with Mount Zhong which looks like a flying dragon and the stone city which looks like a crouching tiger，Nanjing is really ideal for an emperor to reside in”.
To the northeast and west of the city，there are mountains with rocks projecting over the Yangtze River，forming many piers which were also important military strongholds along the river bank in ancient times.
Speaking of the geographic features of Nanjing，one thing that cannot be neglected is the Qinhuai River which provided drinking water for residents on the one hand and made water transportation possible on the other.Originated from Jurongand Lishui of Jiangsu province，the river flowed over a length of 110 kilometers and broke into two branches outside the Tongji Gate:one flowing through the city andanother around its south.Then outside the Shuixi Gate，the two branches converged again and flowed to the Yangtze River.
Together with the Qinghuai River，many other rivers including the Qingxi River，the Yuanxie River formed an inner-city water network which played a significant role in history.Today，nonetheless，all of them are either silted up or blocked.
Qinghuai River，once the busy waterway，is no more than a scenic spot reminding people of its past glory.
