China＇s Contested Capital： Architecture,Ritual, and Response in Nanjing

After over a decade of civil war, the Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek established something of a national government in 1928. This marvelous book explores how they built up Nanjing as China＇s new capital city over the following decade. Musgrove argues that the Nationalists＇ city planning, public building architecture, mausoleum of Sun Yat-sen and other memorials, and new state rituals all promoted the new government＇s legitimacy, even though that government remained relatively weak and divided. In line with more favorable views of the ＂Nanjing Decade＂ that have come to replace an earlier generation of historiography, Musgrove believes that the government＇s accomplishments in building up Nanjing were real and significant, albeit limited.