Nanjing has been a capital six times. Dynasties rose and fell here. The city remembers.
This AI-generated film imagines a man from the Ming dynasty — which made Nanjing its capital in 1368 — walking through the city as it is today. The song is Nanjing Nice (南京来事), a contemporary tribute to this ancient place. It is in Chinese. No subtitles. No translation needed. Some things you just feel.
The Ming dynasty man walks on — through the streets and landmarks of Nanjing as it is today. Prosperous, modern, alive with people.
Chinese cities are meant to be lived in closely. Neighbors know each other’s business — and frankly, they prefer it that way. There is noise, there is density, there is the constant hum of people who have chosen to be near each other. This is not a flaw. This is the point.
But Nanjing is also a city of mountains, lakes, and gardens. Its ancient heritage sits alongside the highways, the buildings, and the crowds without any sense of contradiction. In Nanjing, the old and the new do not fight each other. They simply coexist, as they always have.
A City That Holds Its History Lightly
Most cities that carry this much history become museums. Nanjing did not. It remained a place where people actually live — where the Ming city walls are part of the morning run, where Xuanwu Lake is where you go on a Sunday afternoon, where the past is present not as spectacle but as texture.
The man in this film does not look lost. He looks at home. That is the point.
Where You Come From
As a guqin player, the first thing is a love of life — and a love of where you come from. This is not uniquely Chinese. East or West, when people introduce themselves, they say where they are from. Tom from Los Angeles. Rose from London. The place is part of the person.
I am from Nanjing. So was my teacher’s father. So, in a way, is this music.
The City Behind the Qin
Seven String Qin is based in Nanjing. This is not incidental. The guqin has always grown best in cities like this — cities with long memories, layered culture, and people who understand that some things are worth keeping.
If you ever come to Nanjing, you will understand immediately. The city has a way of making the ancient feel current, and the current feel ancient. It is a good place to play the qin.
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