Great Nanjingers

Li Guoding (李国鼎), known as Li Kwoh-ting in Taiwan, transformed the island from an economy based on agriculture to the world’s leading supplier of semiconductors. No wonder he’s referred to as Taiwan's "godfather of science and technology". Born in Nanjing...

Zhang Tianyi (张天翼) was a 20th-century Chinese satirist who went on to become editor of a prolific national literary journal. But, as a left winger and member of the Communist Party, the public needed to enjoy Zhang’s wit through...

George Macartney (马继业) was initially a translator, but one who went on to become a consummate diplomat as Consul General in Kashgar at Britain’s first diplomatic office in the region. Born in Nanjing on 19 January, 1867, to a British...

Zhou Xuexi (周学熙) was a late Qing Dynasty industrialist who, as Minister of Finance, became one of the most powerful men in country and to latterly use that influence in bringing about social welfare and industrial reform which earned...

Ma Shouzhen (馬守真) was the foremost product of the #MeToo movement of the late Ming Dynasty. A courtesan, party animal and a hopeless romantic, she was known as a prolific painter, a benevolent citizen and one of the eight...

Zhu Di (朱棣), the third to be top dog in the Ming Dynasty and often referred to as the Yongle Emperor, brought much that is great to the world, including the Forbidden City. He also remained relevant until very...

Li Yu (李煜) was the final ruler of the Southern Tang state whose greatest contribution was his introduction of the two-stanza form to Chinese poetry. And having his works reproduced in song by one of the most popular Asian singers...

Pauline Woo Tsui was at her core an anti-discrimination activist who sought to correct the wrongs brought on the female sex in many theaters, from the USA to China. Born in Nanjing on 2 October, 1920, Woo’s father in fact...