Nanjing is one of the most famous of China's seven ancient capital. Situated by the Yangtze River, it was chosen as the capital of 10 dynasties and has one of the richest cultural histories of any city in the world. Also known historically as "Jinling", "Tianjing", "Stone City", it's name was changed to Nanjing in Ming dynasty. The local population sometimes affectionately call it "Ning" for short.