thumb|300px|Map of Jiankang as the capital of the Southern Dynasties. Drawing by Chen Yi of the Ming dynasty
Jiankang (), or Jianye (), as it was originally called, was the capital city of the Eastern Wu (229–265 and 266–280 CE), the Eastern Jin dynasty (317–420 CE) and the Southern Dynasties (420–552), including the Chen dynasty (557–589 CE). Its walls are extant as ruins in the modern municipal region of Nanjing. Jiankang was an important city of the Song dynasty. Its name was changed to Nanjing during the Ming dynasty.
History
thumb|A [[pixiu from the Yongning Tomb of Emperor Wen of Chen (). Qixia District]]
Before the Eastern Jin the city was known as Jianye, and it was the capital of the kingdom of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. It was renamed Jiankang during the Jin dynasty, in order to observe the naming taboo for Emperor Min of Jin.
Renamed Jiankang in 313 CE, it served as the capital of the Eastern Jin, following the retreat from the north due to Xiongnu raids. Jiankang remained the capital of the Southern Dynasties: Liu Song (420–479), Southern Qi (479–502), Liang (502–557) and Chen (557–589). It rivaled Luoyang in population and commercial activity, and at its height, in the sixth century, it was home to around one million people.