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Why China Moved Its Capital From Nanjing To Beijing | Kuang Sheng · Connecting with Kenna

• 0:00
  Hello, and welcome back to Connecting with Kenna.
• 0:02
  I'm so happy to have my guest here today, Kuang Sheng.
• 0:06
  Hi, everyone.
• 0:07
  He is a fourth-year student here at DKU, a senior, and he's studying political economics. Kuang is Han Chinese. From Nanjing, China, and he enjoys playing soccer and watching Formula One. And he is also a coffee lover, and his go-to order is an oat milk latte, if I'm not mistaken.
• 0:27
  And his friends are often surprised when they hear that he enjoys to listen to RB. And also hip hop. Right.
• 0:30
  So yeah, welcome Kuang and thank you for coming on my podcast today.
• 0:39
  Yeah, it's my pleasure to join the Connect Canna.
• 0:43
  So I'm so happy to be here. Yeah, I'm so happy that you're here as well and we can finally connect here on the podcast.
• 0:50
  So you're from Nanjing, China. What sets Nanjing apart and what's unique about its history and culture? Because I know it's very rich in history and its culture. Yeah, exactly. Nanjing is like a beautiful city with a long history.
• 1:04
  Like it is a capital of like almost six dynasties and with a lot of amazing like sports. and also most like important figures in Chinese history.
• 1:18
  For example, Song Yatsung, and he's like the leading figure of the Republic of China. And he managed to like overthrow the Qing dynasty and establish the like the start the era of modern China.
• 1:35
  So, yeah, and I'm personally really fond of living in Nanjing because, you know, the climate is very favorable there, and there was a lot of amazing foods, like the salted ducks, and also like the something related to the sweet porridge, and also and many, many Uh, like delicious snacks, and I always miss my like those delicious foods here at Quinn Shan.
• 2:03
  Yeah, that's actually a good point to bring up too.
• 2:06
  I bet a lot of people around the world don't realize how different cities in China are. So, Nanjing is only an hour away on the gaotie, but the food and the culture is so different. I went there for a day trip one time, but I need to go back. So, you mentioned. Some pieces about Nanjing's culture and history.
• 2:25
  Can you go into why Nanjing was the capital and why it also changed to Beijing later on so people can understand that more?
• 2:33
  Because I learned this the first year of college here.
• 2:35
  I didn't know this before coming to China.
• 2:37
  Yeah, yeah. So yes, as I said, like Nanjing is a like beautiful city.
• 2:42
  Like people are really and it's developed become developed early in in in in history. So but a problem is like uh resource curves.
• 2:52
  Like uh those well people will when they people look back into the history thing of China, they find that Those dynasties set their capital in Nanjing last f for a like a shorter period compared to those set in other cities or comparably to Beijing. And I think the reason why is that if the dynasty set its capital to in Nanjing and it will have problem to control the space in like all the outer part of of the China, especially to prevent those minorities to invade into China. and also those generals who control the military uh with a huge power, they may come back and overthrow the uh existing government.
• 3:45
  So that's a problem. And uh in Ming dynasty the emperor like whose name is Ju Di He just changed the capital to from Nanjing to Beijing and set up like a relatively long governance here. There.
• 4:03
  Yeah, that's very interesting. I don't actually know the answer to this.
• 4:06
  Is this why the Great Wall was built to protect I know it was built as a defense mechanism, but around what time frame was this built in the Beijing part of the Great Wall? Do you know? Yeah, so like the Great Wall system is kind of a long-lasting period throughout the whole Chinese history.
• 4:27
  Like, because and very Critical issue I have mentioned earlier is about the relationship with the from the Han Chinese and the maybe the Mongolia Chinese or other minorities.
• 4:42
  So each dynasty, if they power In the part we see now here in China, especially the Yangtze River and the Huang River. And what they will do is try to rebuild and refine the existing defense system. That is what you said, that the Great Wall.
• 5:05
  And yeah, so the Great world we see today, like most of the Great Wall we see today is built in Ming Dynasty, like hundreds and I think hundreds of years ago.
• 5:19
  Yeah. So because it's brand new and it will still exist.
• 5:27
  Right now. So that's basically the history.
• 5:30
  Thank you so much for sharing that. I learned some new things, and I'm sure listeners will as well.
• 5:36
  So I want to move the conversation more towards tradition in Nanjing.
• 5:39
  I think this is very interesting to discuss.
• 5:42
  So in America, you have Thanksgiving and the 4th of July and some other holidays like that. I'm interested in. hearing about tradition in that's specific to Nanjing? 'Cause you have, um, Chinese New Year, which is all around China obviously, and then also the Mid Autumn Festival.
• 6:00
  But are there specific holidays or traditions that you grew up celebrating?
• 6:06
  Yeah, I mean like Nanjing is quite different'cause because Nanjing is relatively mixed city with a lot of immigrants like from other parts of China because you know due to the history and I think issues what we call native and like Nanjing people is only composed of the small part of the whole population.
• 6:29
  Like because of the Nanjing massacre.
• 6:29
  Y you have he ever heard of it?
• 6:32
  Yes, so it's a tragedy. But so there's uh like what we now see nowadays in Nanjing, there's people coming from Anhui province and uh other parts of China.
• 6:43
  So Um so I think people here follow a very um brand new tradition. But n but uh we also follow some kind of um old traditions in Nanjing. It's like uh when there's um festival, we will go to like those temples, like Jinmin Temple. Like um so they will send the porridges, like with a lot of beans, rice, and also it was like in in the winter and so that they they believe those who uh like uh have those Porridges, they will have a good luck and they will, uh, you know, they will won't starve because it is initially sent to those people who are uh who need help, right?
• 7:28
  So, and we also like just um include some like traditional foods like the salty ducks. And also uh some you know, some snacks, sweet snacks. I can't can't just uh say their names in English, but like or just uh kwe foa tong email. Like oh yeah.
• 7:51
  Yeah, yeah. So Yeah, m maybe I can find any proper translations and I will I will let you know. Yeah, I can put them in the subtitles.
• 7:59
  Yeah, yeah. That's awesome. So was this post um the Nanjing Massacre after they started doing the giving out food and things like this?
• 8:10
  Or was it before? This time period. I know it's a very touchy subject, so I don't want to ask anything specific. Yeah, so I think this is this has been a long history, like because Jiming Temple has existed for many years, and you know there are many temples in Buddhist temples in Nanjing, like Jiming Temple, Tisha Temple.
• 8:31
  And also the Nyoshou temple.
• 8:36
  So yeah, so I think there that's why Nanjing is called a h city with a like rich culture, right? So I mean those histories, those traditions start earlier. Maybe like people even those newcomers, they will try to follow those traditions. That's awesome.
• 8:54
  Thank you for sharing that as well.
• 9:00
  Are there any traditional like clothing in Nanjing that people wear?
• 9:06
  I mean like actually there is no specific clothes in Nanjing that people will wear.
• 9:18
  You may see like in those uh clubs, they will sh show them in the middle of the festival, like expo. So mm so yeah, people here nowadays here just dress the like the normal way.
• 9:32
  But in festivals, I feel like some Especially those girls, they will just wear those beautiful hand Han clothes and take photos under the flowers, under the sakura. Yeah, so it's it's it's pretty.
• 9:51
  Yeah, because I think food and clothing tie a lot into culture, so I thought I would ask that. I was in Shanghai last night and these old AUs were dancing and their sleeves on their shirts were really long.
• 10:03
  Yeah, yeah. Is this very traditional?
• 10:03
  I've never seen this before and I've been here for two years. Yeah, it's a traditional hang house.
• 10:11
  Yeah, people will wear those hose with long sleeves, long dresses.
• 10:18
  But I feel like. the maybe the girls wear them more often.
• 10:22
  But for when I was in like middle school or primary school, we will have those um uh like in the New New Year or Chinese New Year celebration, we will just wear those clothes like also to um like um perform, you know. Uh or like uh yes, that's a way we also a way we celebrate the the Chinese New Year or the Middle Autumn Festival. Yeah. That's awesome. So I know that so right now we're in Kunshan near Suzhou and this was a very prominent city for The Silk Road.
• 11:02
  I'm wondering, did Nanjing play a role in this, in trade and the exchanges of goods? Yeah, Nanjing is a very important city in history.
• 11:11
  As you mentioned about the Silk Road, so the Silk is one of the most important products in Nanjing because it used to be the capital, right?
• 11:22
  So the emperors, those officials, they have to wear those pretty clothes.
• 11:28
  So they set up a like a bureau, like closing bureau in Jiangning.
• 11:33
  Uh it's called Jiangning because Nanjing used to call Jiangning.
• 11:37
  Like it has another name. So it has different names in history.
• 11:40
  So they set up like a the Jiangning clothing bureau and they make clothes just uh just just for the empress. So they use good uh good materials like the silk, like the best cotton, and also the uh gold gold uh gold golden lines to make those um You know, the ha Han clothing and the luxury clothes for those for his emperors and his families.
• 12:09
  So I've been to Nanjing once, and something was just very different than all the cities that I've been to. And if you were to give advice to someone on where to travel in Nanjing, Or like one thing to see, what is the thing that stands out to you, or the place that stands out to you to visit?
• 12:28
  I mean, there are so many like places to go because even if like uh there's a called like uh Sun Y Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, it's uh it's a huge scenery with a lot of small like small places to go and there's a lot of museums a lot of natural sceneries so um i feel like just take step by step every people like especially the newcomers they will start from like uh tsing huai river or the Nanjing Museum first and then just try to go to the more like advanced version.
• 13:07
  Maybe they can go to the uh Jiming Temple, Nunshou Temple, or and then they will just go to go into those like uh neighborhoods.
• 13:17
  Like there are some, you know, very, very good snacks because like Nanjing is also famous for its ducks, like the roasted ducks.
• 13:25
  Yeah. And um they go to the neighborhood, they queue in lines and wait for those uh roasted guard to come c come and sell.
• 13:35
  And um yeah. So I mean, like just I I think just explore by yourselves. There's you can maybe you just walk into a corner and you find that it's uh maybe a a house that used to live in like uh used to live used to be the house for those the the officials of either Ming Dynasty or just the officials of the Republic of China.
• 14:00
  Yeah. Yeah, I need to go back sometime.
• 14:02
  Um do you have a favorite emperor or public figure in China that really stands out to you or a Chinese philosopher that you really like?
• 14:13
  Um you mean specifically in Nanjing or?
• 14:17
  It can be specific to Nanjing, but just in general as well.
• 14:20
  Yeah, maybe I think since we are focussing on Nanjing, like maybe we can just uh I think like Soon Ya Sun is is a really prominent figure.
• 14:33
  And as I said, he just um just uh overthrew the Ching Ching dynastry Qin dynasty because Ching dynasty in his uh last period is represents the you know, the poor and you know, it is har semi-colonized.
• 14:52
  Yeah. And so it is important for for to get rid of those traps, like as we learned in like the PoliEcon three hundred one, like those poverty traps and being those countries being colonized in like African country countries. So uh he uh likes uh mister Swan did a really uh great great great job in that.
• 15:13
  And also I think he also has a more pragmatic view on the collaborations with the CCP.
• 15:24
  And yeah, so I mean he he unites the all the power to overthrow the feudal government and just try to bring the pro prosper to Chinese people.
• 15:35
  So that's why I really admire admire him.
• 15:39
  Yeah, he was very significant in China's history.
• 15:42
  Thank you for sharing that. Does he have any quotes that you know?
• 15:46
  By heart? Uh I mean like he used to say like tien chia wi gong it's like uh it's like a Lincoln's for the people, by the people.
• 15:56
  Yeah. So it it means that like the it is important for the the government to serve the pe the interest of its own people.
• 16:04
  like relative just relative to the Qin dynasty is semi colonized, then it may represent the interest of maybe the the f foreign invaders.
• 16:15
  Yeah, I think that's really important. And I think that's a really nice quote. And I want to put it in the description below so that people can see that. In Nanjing, what is the most important thing in people's lives, or what brings them the most meaning in life?
• 16:34
  I mean, like, Nanjing has a lot of cities here in Jiangsu Province, or Zhejiang Province, or Shanghai.
• 16:43
  Like when I grew up the most interest the most important thing is about the I would say the education. Like yeah, like receiving education is um really important part of uh uh of of m my experience of getting up in here and getting up in Nanjing. Like people will like start early and go to different um different different course from after class like to children.
• 17:10
  Yeah. So because I actually I am not so called a native Nanjing people because because as many other Nanjing people that we we moved from my parents they came from Jiangxi province.
• 17:24
  Okay. It's in the also in the southern part of Chin China.
• 17:28
  So um they just work here. and uh they hope uh maybe I can just utilize the resources and also the especially the education resources in Nanjing and um uh try to um actually not to try to fall behind. Like you know, people here nowadays I have those anxieties of not falling behind, right? Yeah. So, I mean the w there there's a really, really good or or people here are really put a lot of emphasis on those education and culture, like that's related to culture, right?
• 18:05
  So um Yeah. That that that's what that that was the first thing come into my mind. So would you say that education they see education as valuable because they want the best for their kid and or children?
• 18:20
  I think so. I think so. Yeah. Because like and for a lot of middle class Chinese they are I think they are anxious. They are ch they're afraid of falling behind.
• 18:30
  It's right. Uh they they climb to the the social ladders and to the to the existing position and they will say, Hey, let's don't make our children just try to fall f uh fall back to where they c came from, right?
• 18:44
  Yeah. Did your parents' work bring them to Nanjing or was it mainly their emphasis or their desire to get you the best education?
• 18:51
  Um they actually they mo move from Jiangxi to Nanjing and uh get a job there.
• 18:57
  They both work in universities. Yeah. So yeah, I think as as as for my mother, I think the the one reason for her to leave where lea leave their ho leave her hometown and go to those big cities in I she pursue her doctoral degree in Shanghai.
• 19:17
  and uh and they she came back to Nanjing just for for a teaching position.
• 19:23
  And um so I think the one reason is that uh they think there's a lot of the more opportunities here in Nanjing. And uh yeah.
• 19:33
  And also Nanjing is a city with a lot of universities and uh Um, yes, so famous university. So, I think the reason why she came here is for the better resources. My sister actually was going to study in Nanjing when she was in college. She's about 28 now, but COVID hit, so she wasn't able to go.
• 19:52
  She was going to go for a semester. So, I'm really sad about that because I think that would have been an amazing experience for her.
• 19:58
  Yeah.
• 20:00
  So now that we're talking about education, I want to ask you about your experience like at DKU and what you think about DKU.
• 20:07
  And I don't know, it's very unique to Ch like in China to have a university like this. So I just want to know your thoughts on DKU and I think that's a really long story to start with. Like, my margin usually came to DKU when it was s only accepting graduates.
• 20:28
  You know, like DKU started early, like in twenty fourteen.
• 20:32
  And uh first it will just just uh admit Graduate applications.
• 20:37
  And then, like, maybe in 2018, it starts accepting undergraduates.
• 20:43
  So, maybe in 2014, my mother came here and she said she took several pictures of those modern classrooms, like with those cameras on and those screens, like what we see in the academic building.
• 20:59
  And at that time, those high technology equipments are not so prevalent in classrooms. So when I saw those pictures, I was I was like, wow, it's amazing, like you can like take those classes when when your professor is on the other side of the Pacific. Right. Yeah.
• 21:18
  So uh I was like uh but after a long period when I tried to decide when I was in my high school and decide which college I should go to, it actually So, you know, like Duke Shan University, DKU, it has a kind of an early action or early decision similar to that. Magnetism is similar to that.
• 21:43
  Like you have to say, you have to go through a process that you just handing your.
• 21:52
  Your statement of purpose, like something like that.
• 21:55
  And also, the inter like a video, self-introduction video.
• 22:00
  And also, after that, they will give you a chance to take the lingual skills English test. Like so, after taking the English test, I was told that I have the opportunity to just To being admitted to Dikunchen University, but I still have to go through the Gokong, like the college entrance examination here in China.
• 22:29
  So yeah, but I As long as I admit, as long as I say I confirm I want to go to the Kwenchen University, if my gaokao score allows me to be ranked within the quota, like I think in Jiangsu is like for arts students, it's like 20 or 30.
• 22:52
  So if I was in that range, I was automatically.
• 22:55
  Admitted to Dikungshan University rather than other universities, like, for example, Nanjing University or some university like that. So I was not quite sure about whether I should go to this university when I was. In high school, but I I feel like there's um kind of uh you know, we say it's a like a yuan fen in Chinese, like uh it's a s uh special connections that lead me to here. So, yeah, because my actually my initial attention is that maybe I go to a uh maybe a top university j here in doma domestic university here in China and then I j maybe go to f go for a master in maybe in the United States but yeah so that's uh that's that that's a story like uh at first I finally came To the Kuwen Chen University, and yeah, I'm so happy that you came. It's I think it's in a wonderful university, and there's so much opportunity and so many amazing students to meet, and the student body is so diverse, it's amazing.
• 24:06
  Yeah. It's actually funny because last semester we learned yuanfen.
• 24:10
  Yeah. Like zai jong wo ichi chi fan sho yuan fen.
• 24:14
  Yeah, yeah. So yeah, I think I had a similar experience coming here.
• 24:19
  I think it was also yuanfen.
• 24:19
  So yeah, it's amazing.
• 24:24
  So do you have anything else that you would like to share about Nanjing?
• 24:28
  Or if not, I always end the podcast with like a favorite quote of yours.
• 24:33
  I know we already did one, but if you have anything else, a quote or a a word of advice for the listeners. I I'm not sure, but it's not a famous quote, it's a bit like a story, since I'm currently in the you know, in this season when people apply for the graduate school.
• 24:53
  So uh there might be a lot of anxieties and um maybe or people may who are like applying for jobs. Currently, they may feel like they are depressed.
• 25:04
  So I heard a story that told by a tutor, like when I was in high school.
• 25:10
  And he told me, like, when there's a there's a like monks in in the temple and the the younger monks they they are trying to just to get rid of those Grasses on the on the field. And uh the but when the older monk monk uh saw uh the younger monk is clearing up those uh grasses, he said, No, it's not the proper way to do so. The proper way to do so is that you plant new things, like plant those maybe the cucumbers. Plant those rice and in the field so that those grasses will not exist.
• 25:48
  So, I mean, like the quote tells me that you should always just do not think too much. You should always do something.
• 26:01
  By doing something, you can reduce your anxiety and you can feel your You have accom accomplished a lot.
• 26:10
  So I think that's a little story I really like.
• 26:14
  And it also motivates me to just not be disturbed by those negative feelings and try to. Focus on your own target. I love that. And it reminds me of the quotes, speak less, do more.
• 26:31
  Yeah. Don't worry too much because where you were three years ago, you would have loved to be where you are now. Yeah. And keep that in mind when you go throughout your graduate applications. Do you know where you want to go or where you're applying to? Uh basically I'm focusing on applying those academic masters in the graduate school, like focusing on the e economics.
• 26:53
  Maybe I'm plan uh planning to pursue a PhD in economics in the United States. So since now the competition is so Terrible.
• 27:04
  So I have to first go through a master and see whether I'm suitable for that.
• 27:10
  If so, I would choose to apply first master and then PhD.
• 27:15
  Okay. Well, good luck, jiayou. Yeah, yeah.
• 27:18
  Thank you so much. Thank you so much for coming on here.
• 27:22
  And yeah, have an amazing day. Yeah, yeah, you too.
• 27:25
  And thanks to the listeners who are listening to today's podcast.
• 27:28
  Bye.