Presidential Palace, Nanjing

A sprawling historic government compound in central Nanjing that served as the seat of the Republic of China's presidency in the early twentieth century and, earlier, as a viceroy's residence and Taiping rebel palace. The grounds combine Western-style office blocks and a colonnaded entrance with a classical Chinese garden of ponds, pavilions and rockeries. Restored offices preserve the desks and furnishings of the republican era. Visitors tour the council chambers, stroll the landscaped Xu Garden and trace the layered history of the site.