Zongtong Fu '
As the seat of government of the Liangjiang viceroy's office (1671-1911), the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (1853-64), Sun Yat-sen's provisional government (1912), and the Nationalist government (1927-37 and 1946-49), this fascinating but often overlooked site has borne witness to all the important events and personalities in Nanjing's history. Though this presidential palace dates from the Ming dynasty, today's buildings were all built after 1870. Just inside the main entrance, the Great Hall marked by the words TIAN XIA WEI GONG (The world belongs to all) used to be the first in a series of nine magnificent halls during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. On January 1, 1912, provisional president of the new Chinese republic Sun Yat-sen held his inauguration here.
After the second hall, the next series of rooms were used by Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the Nationalist Party, to receive foreign guests, among them U.S. Gen. George Marshall, who was attempting to broker a truce between Chiang and Mao Zedong. In the back, Chiang Kai-shek's former office has an interesting old-fashioned hand-operated Otis elevator, which has now been restored. In Xuyuan, the garden on the western side of the compound, a stone boat is the only remaining original artifact from the days of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
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| Hours | Apr-Oct 7:30am-6pm; Nov-Mar 8am-5pm | |
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| Address | Changjiang Lu 292 | |
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| Transportation | Bus: no. 1, 2, 29, 44, 65, 95, or 304 | |
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| Prices | Admission ¥30 ($3.75) Oct 16-Apr 14; ¥40 ($5) Apr 15-Oct 15. English-speaking guides ¥60 ($7.50). | |