Ankara in Chinese Imagination: Turkish Capital and Its Influence on ‘Temporary Capital’ Chongqing

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On 13 October 1923, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey officially designated Ankara as the capital of the newly established Republic of Turkey. Ankara became the focal point for the implementation of Mustafa Kemal’s nation-building efforts. In December 1937, Nanjing, the capital of the Republic of China, was occupied by the Japanese Forces. the Nationalist Government decided to relocate the capital to Chongqing for similar reasons with Turkey back in 1923. To promote the decision of relocating the capital to Chongqing among the population some Chinese writers and journalists drew parallels between the situation in China and the precedent of Turkey’s own capital relocation. This article aims to investigate the parallels that existed in the context of the relocation of these respective capital cities. Specifically, how the Republican China’s decision to relocate its capital from Nanjing to Chongqing was influenced by the precedent of Turkey’s capital relocation in 1923.