Memories of Nanjing On April 23, 1949, after the national government abandoned its defense and retreated, there was a brief period of disorder.

Refugees flocked to Pukou. In the first year of the Republic of China (1912), Pukou became a commercial port; the Houjin-Pukou Railway connected to Pukou; this place became a transportation hub. In the 22nd year of the Republic of China (1933), Pukou District was established. On April 25, 1949, Pukou of Nanjing was liberated.

The last session of the Executive Yuan was held in Nanjing. After the completion of the Northern Expedition, the Nationalist Government established the highest-level administrative agency in the country, the Executive Yuan, in Nanjing. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the Executive Yuan moved from Zhongshan 4th Road in Chongqing to the former site of the Ministry of Railways in Nanjing.

On April 23, 1949, small-scale robberies occurred in some streets in Nanjing, mostly by minors. After the cross-river battle began, the Kuomintang authorities made arrangements to retreat and abandon Nanjing on the afternoon of April 22. The Public Security Committee maintains order in Nanjing.

On April 23, 1949, small-scale robberies occurred in some streets in Nanjing, mostly by minors. On the morning of April 23, Li Zongren, He Yingqin and others evacuated Nanjing. In the early morning of April 24, a special agent company of the People's Liberation Army occupied the Nanjing Presidential Palace.

There are a large number of refugees near Xiaguan Railway Station in Nanjing. In the 31st year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1905), the Shanghai-Nanjing Railway was built; the Nanjing Railway Station located in Xiaguan was called Jiangning Railway Station. The railway was put into use in the 34th year of Guangxu's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1908).

Nanjing Daxiaochang Airport, retreating National Government officials. The airport is located in today's Qinhuai District. It was an air base of the Kuomintang and the largest and best aviation base at that time. Daqiaochang Airport was built in 1929 and later became a military airport.

Dwellings outside the Nanjing City Wall During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Nanjing City Wall was continuously maintained. In the third year of Xuantong in the Qing Dynasty (1911), the allied forces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang attacked Nanjing and destroyed the Chaoyangmen Urn City. In the 16th year of the Republic of China (1927), the Nationalist Government proposed to build a new capital;

Passers-by outside the Nanjing City Wall. In the name of the need to build a new capital, the Nationalist Government proposed to demolish the Nanjing City Wall, which met with opposition from all walks of life; the city wall was spared. . When the Japanese army attacked Nanjing, tanks and artillery damaged the city walls in the Zhonghuamen, Guanghuamen, and Taipingmen areas.

Boats on the Nanjing River "Nanjing on the eve of liberation, April 1949."

Photography: Henri Cartier-Bresson"