How did the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution affect Nanjing?

Nanjing experienced significant hardships during both the Great Leap Forward (1958–60) and the Cultural Revolution (1966–76).1

The impact was particularly severe during the Cultural Revolution, a period in which many of the city's cultural and historical relics were damaged or destroyed. This destruction was part of a broader trend during the era, where magnificent older buildings and their decorations were targeted by the regime, which viewed them as emblems of decadence and moribundity.12

Despite these challenges, Nanjing generally prospered throughout the communist period, eventually transforming into a modern industrialized city and a major regional center for business, finance, and technology.1