Self-driving tour in Nanjing: the historical imprint of the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties

Beihai City, also known as "Pearl City", is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is located at the southern end of Guangxi and on the northeastern shore of Beibu Gulf. Beihai is an important starting port of the ancient "Maritime Silk Road" and one of China's earliest foreign trade ports.

Leshan City (Sichuan dialect pinyin: No2san1; local pronunciation: [nʊʔ3sã55]), formerly known as Jiazhou and Jiading, is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China, located in the south-central part of Sichuan Province. The city borders Zigong City and Yibin City to the east, Liangshan Prefecture to the south, Ya'an City to the west, and Meishan City to the north. It is located in the southwest of the Sichuan Basin, with the Chengdu Plain in the north, the hilly area of ​​central Sichuan in the east, and the Xiaoliangshan Mountains in the southwest. The terrain is high in the southwest and low in the northeast. The Minjiang River runs from north to south, merges with the Dadu River and the Qingyi River in the urban area, and then flows out of the city to the southeast. The total area of ​​the city is 12,720 square kilometers, with a population of 3.2605 million. The Municipal People's Government is located in the Shizhong District. Leshan is a national historical and cultural city and an excellent tourist city in China. The famous Leshan Giant Buddha is located on the south side of Lingyun Temple on the east bank of the Minjiang River. Mount Emei, one of the four famous Buddhist mountains in China, is located in the northwest of the city.

The central area of Beijing, with many historical sites and cultural attractions. Dongcheng District, under the jurisdiction of Beijing, is located in the eastern center of Beijing. It borders Chaoyang District to the east and north, Fengtai District to the south, and Xicheng District to the west. It lies between 116°22′17″-116°26′46″ east longitude and 39°51′26″-39°58′22″ north latitude. The maximum distance from east to west is 5.2 kilometers, the maximum distance from north to south is 13 kilometers, and the total area is 41.84 square kilometers [57] [60]. As of October 2022, Dongcheng District has 17 sub-districts under its jurisdiction [34]. As of the end of 2023, Dongcheng District has a permanent population of 703,000. [46] Dongcheng District is the area with the most cultural relics and historical sites in Beijing. There are 16 national-level cultural relics protection sites in the district, accounting for 37% of Beijing; 60 municipal-level cultural relics protection sites, accounting for 24% of the city; and 57 district-level cultural relics protection sites. Among the famous 16 new Beijing scenes, the "Tian'an Beautiful Sun" and "Forbidden City Sunset", the ancient and mysterious Lama Temple, the Imperial Academy, the highest institution of learning in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, the "left ancestor and right community" Taimiao and Sheji Altar, the Beijing Ancient Observatory that explores the mysteries of the sky, the bell and drum tower of the Mingjin Leigu Time-telling Platform, the Wen Tianxiang Temple with its righteous spirit, and the Peking University Red Building have long been famous at home and abroad. In addition, there are a number of former residences of celebrities such as Mao Zedong, Mao Dun, Lao She, and Soong Ching Ling. In addition, there are Beijing residential courtyards. [60] In 2024, the GDP of Dongcheng District will increase by about 4.5% year-on-year; the district-level general public budget revenue will reach 19.5 billion yuan; the fixed asset investment will reach 27 billion yuan; the per capita disposable income of residents will increase by about 3% year-on-year; and the energy consumption per unit of GDP will decrease by about 5%. [76]

Ningbo, abbreviated as "Yong", is a prefecture-level city, a sub-provincial city, and a state-planned city under the jurisdiction of Zhejiang Province [127]. It was formerly known as Siming and Mingzhou [234]. It is located in the northeastern coastal area of ​​Zhejiang Province [188]. The terrain is high in the southwest and low in the northeast. It is mainly plains and low mountains and hills. It has a subtropical monsoon climate [201]. As of the end of 2024, Ningbo has jurisdiction over 6 districts, 2 counties, and 2 county-level cities, with a total area of ​​9,816 square kilometers and a permanent population of 9.777 million [75] [229] [231]. Ningbo is a national historical and cultural city [1] and the cultural capital of East Asia. It has prospered because of its port since ancient times. It is the starting point of the "Maritime Silk Road" and one of the earliest cities in China to open ports [203]. It gave birth to the Siming School, Yangming School, and Zhejiang School. Ningbo Tianyi Pavilion is the oldest existing library in Asia [192] [236]. The Ningbo Gang is the largest business gang in modern China [198]. The number of Ningbo-born academicians ranks first in the country [195-196]. Ningbo's history can be traced back to the Hemudu culture 7,000 years ago. The Jingtoushan site pushes the history of Ningbo's humanities back to more than 8,000 years ago. In the first year of the Changqing period of the Tang Dynasty (821), the Mingzhou prefecture was moved to Sanjiangkou and a sub-city was built, marking the beginning of the construction of Ningbo. In the 14th year of the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty (1381), it was renamed Ningbo, which means "when the sea is calm, the waves are calm" [202]. Ningbo is an important central city in the Yangtze River Delta region, a modern marine city, a national comprehensive transportation hub, a national advanced manufacturing base, a regional science and technology innovation highland, a national shipping and logistics center, an important node city for the "Belt and Road" port and shipping cooperation [1], an important member of the Shanghai metropolitan area [131], the first National Civilized City [239], the first pilot demonstration city of Made in China 2025 [110], and has the world's third largest container port and the world's largest port in terms of cargo throughput, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port [205]. Ningbo has formed a modern industrial system dominated by digital industries, green petrochemicals, and high-end equipment, with new functional materials, new energy, key basic components, smart home appliances, fashion textiles and clothing, and modern health as its features, as well as a number of emerging and future industrial clusters with forward-looking layout [235]. In 2024, Ningbo's GDP will be 1,814.77 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.4%.

Jieyang City is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province and one of the four cities in the Chaoshan region. It is a famous hometown of overseas Chinese, located in the southeastern part of Guangdong Province, at the center of the geographical axis between the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Haixi Economic Zone.

Guangzhou City (Guangzhou City, Canton [166]), referred to as "Sui", also known as Yangcheng, Huacheng, and Wuyangcheng, [162] is a prefecture-level city, provincial capital, sub-provincial city, national central city, megacity, [53] a world-class city under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province. It is located in the south-central part of Guangdong Province and the northern edge of the Pearl River Delta [46] [81], with a total area of ​​7,434.40 square kilometers [1] [14]. The common languages ​​are Cantonese and Mandarin. [35] As of March 2025, Guangzhou City has 11 districts under its jurisdiction. As of the end of 2024, Guangzhou City has a permanent population of 18.978 million. [448] Guangzhou City has a significant marine climate, and both the ocean and the continent have a significant impact on Guangzhou's climate. [115] [116] Guangzhou City is a hilly area, with high terrain in the northeast and low terrain in the southwest. [34] As early as the Neolithic period six or seven thousand years ago, our ancestors lived and multiplied on this land. [82] The city of Guangzhou in the Qin Dynasty was named Renxiao City because it was built by the Qin general Renxiao. Its official name is Panyu City. [113] In the third year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1646), Zhu Yuanzhang's descendants proclaimed themselves emperors in Guangzhou, with the reign title "Shaowu". This was known as the "Southern Ming" regime, which lasted only 40 days. [113] On October 14, 1949, Guangzhou was liberated and became a centrally administered municipality. In 1950, it was changed to the leadership of the Central South Military and Political Committee. In 1954, it was transferred to the leadership of Guangdong Province and became a provincial-level city. In 1994, it was upgraded to a sub-provincial city. [226] Guangzhou is the core city of the Guangzhou Metropolitan Area. It is an important central city, international trade center and comprehensive transportation hub in China approved by the State Council. [80] It is an international trade center, a national advanced manufacturing base, a comprehensive portal, and an important carrier of the international science and technology innovation center. [76] [169] [413] Guangzhou's main industries are shipping services, science and technology services, special finance, international trade, professional services and other productive services. [125] Guangzhou is one of the first national historical and cultural cities, one of the starting points of the Maritime Silk Road, and is known as the "Millennium Commercial Capital". It has been a place where Chinese and foreign cultures have blended since ancient times, one of the birthplaces of Cantonese culture, and the headquarters of China's Southern Theater Command. [170-171] In 2024, Guangzhou's GDP will be 3,103.25 billion yuan, an increase of 2.1% over the previous year at comparable prices.

Zhuhai City (Zhuhai City [148]) is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China. [46] It is located in the southern part of Guangdong Province, on the west bank of the Pearl River Estuary. [31] As of July 2024, Zhuhai City has a land area of ​​1,725.07 square kilometers and a sea area of ​​9,348 square kilometers within the territorial sea baseline. It has three administrative districts: Xiangzhou District, Doumen District, and Jinwan District. [162] As of the end of 2023, Zhuhai City has a permanent population of 2.4941 million. [67] The Zhuhai Municipal People's Government is located in the Zhuhai Municipal Government Compound on Renmin East Road. [119] Zhuhai City has Cantonese, Hakka, and Fujian dialects, with Cantonese being the dominant dialect. [32] The main landforms of Zhuhai City include mountains, hills, plateaus, terraces, and plains, with a total of 146 islands. [32] The climate belongs to the southern subtropical marine monsoon climate, which is characterized by obvious alternation between winter and summer monsoons, high temperatures throughout the year, occasional cold spells, but no severe cold in winter and no extreme heat in summer. [84] As early as the Neolithic Age, primitive tribal people lived in Zhuhai City. Most of the area was under the jurisdiction of Zhongshan County (formerly known as Xiangshan County) from the Southern Song Dynasty to the Republic of China. [52] On April 7, 1953, Zhuhai County was established. [74] In 1979, Zhuhai County was changed to Zhuhai City, and a special economic zone was established in 1980. [70] Zhuhai City is the second largest port city in China after Shenzhen. [23] It has four major leading industries: new generation information technology, new energy, integrated circuits, and biomedicine and health, as well as three major advantageous industries: smart home appliances, equipment manufacturing, and fine chemicals. [163] Zhuhai City is one of the earliest special economic zones established in China and the only city in mainland China that is connected to Hong Kong and Macao by land. An important port city, with 5 land ports, namely Gongbei, Hengqin, Qingmao, Zhuhai Highway of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, and Zhuhai-Macao Cross-Border Industrial Zone, and 5 water ports, namely Jiuzhou Port, Wanzai Port Ferry Passenger Port, Zhuhai Port, Doumen Port, and Wanshan Port, a total of 10 national first-class ports. [45] In 2024, Zhuhai City will achieve a regional GDP of 447.906 billion yuan, an increase of 3.5% over the previous year

Hefei City, abbreviated as "Lu" or "He", was formerly known as Luzhou, Luyang, and Hefei [1]. It is a prefecture-level city, provincial capital, and megacity under the jurisdiction of Anhui Province [93-94]. It is located in the eastern part of China, the central part of Anhui Province, and the western wing of the Yangtze River Delta. It surrounds Chaohu Lake and has a total area of ​​11,445 square kilometers [101]. Jianghuai Mandarin is spoken. As of March 2025, Hefei City has jurisdiction over 4 districts, 4 counties, and administers 1 county-level city. As of the end of 2024, the permanent population of Hefei City is 10.02 million. [122] Hefei City has a subtropical monsoon humid climate, with obvious monsoons, distinct four seasons, mild climate, and moderate rainfall; there are three types of landforms in the territory: hilly land, low mountain residual hills, and low-lying plains. [119] Hefei has been established as a county since the Qin Dynasty. In the third year of the Kaihuang reign of the Sui Dynasty (583), Hefei County was restored. From then until the end of the Qing Dynasty, Hefei was the seat of Luzhou, prefecture, and road. In the first year of the Republic of China (1912), Luzhou Prefecture was abolished and Hefei County was directly under the jurisdiction of Anhui Province. In September 1945, the capital of Anhui Province was moved to Hefei. In 1952, Anhui Province was restored and Hefei became the capital of Anhui Province in New China. [16] [111] Hefei is one of the important birthplaces of Chinese civilization. It is named after the Dongfei River and the Nanfei River both originate here. It is an important administrative center, commercial port and military town in the Jianghuai region. It is known as "the right collar and throat of the Huai River, the lips and teeth of the south of the Yangtze River", "the first county of the Jianghuai River, the key point of Wu and Chu", "the former site of the Three Kingdoms, the hometown of Bao Zheng, and the cradle of the Huai Army".