Nanjing, China, combines past and present

The past is never far from the present in Nanjing, China, a Yangtze River city that was the capital of six imperial dynasties. Zifeng Tower, rising 89 floors, keeps watch. (Aimin Tang / Getty Images)

June 7, 2013 4:44 PM PT

Tourists walk across Wende Bridge adjacent to the Confucius Temple. The temple, dedicated to China’s greatest sage, stands near the Qinhuai River and marks the center of Nanjing’s bustling market area, a warren of narrow alleys where everything from silk to mackerel-on-a-stick is sold. (China Photos / Getty Images)

A visitor views the Peace Bell at Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall, a museum that depicts the atrocities committed by the Japanese Army after it invaded China and captured the city on Dec. 13, 1937. (China Photos / Getty Images )