Nanjing, 1400, 500 thousand inhabitants.
After Chang’an, Kaifeng and Hangzhou lost part of their population, Nanjing became the largest city of China and the world with 500 thousand inhabitants. This happened in the beginning of the 15th century. The port city, located in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, flourished during the Ming Dynasty.
The emperor Yongle sent huge lots of precious wood from this city to Africa. Due to political motives, Yongle moved to Beijing, so that the population of Nanjing began to decline.
