Place · city

Jiankang

229–589 · 3rd century · Also known as Jianye

Jiankang was the capital of the southern Chinese dynasties on the site of modern Nanjing. Founded as Jianye, capital of Sun Quan's state of Eastern Wu from 229, it was renamed Jiankang in 313 and served as the seat of the Eastern Jin and of the Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang and Chen dynasties until the Sui conquest of 589. It grew into one of the largest cities in the world and a centre of Buddhism and aristocratic culture.

Jiankang
Image: "Jinling Ancient and Modern Map Research" written by Chen Yi in the Ming Dynasty. · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 profile

Eastern JinFoundation, Socioeconomy, Military, Impact, Decline, Summary

Mentioned in 10 state histories

Eastern WuEastern JinLater QinNorthern LiangSouthern YanHuan ChuLiu SongSouthern QiLiang dynastyChen dynasty

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Jiankang. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/jiankang
MLA
“Jiankang.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/jiankang. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Jiankang.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/jiankang.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Jiankang’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/jiankang (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻