Following several great waves of migration that took place during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern dynasties, the Tang, Song, Ming and Qing dynasties, and the Republic of China, southern and northern cultures became closely integrated in Nanjing. Later, the city's cultural development after the founding of the People's Republic of China brought together the cultural essence of different regions, thereby forming a unique local traditional culture. The Nanjing dialect has undergone a number of changes during this time. In the early days, Jinling was part of the Wu region. The local phonetic system was the Middle Chinese Wu variety, which had been initially assimilated by the Central Plains Han language. With the mass migration of aristocratic Han clans from the Central Plains to southern China during the Jin dynasty, the elegant speech in the Central Plains and the Wu dialect were gradually incorporated to form Jiang–Huai Mandarin in Nanjing. Nanjing was instituted as capital during the Ming dynasty, when a phonologic system based on the phonology of the Nanjing dialect was established as the standard national language. This formed Nanjing Mandarin, which remained commonly used until modern times. The Beiyang government adopted a standard form based on the Beijing dialect as the national language. Nanjing Mandarin, the official standard language of the Han language varieties, gradually disappeared from the stage of history during the period of the Republic of China.

Nanjing is home to more than 10 kinds of traditional folk arts forms and folk songs and dances, with a long history and distinctive characteristics. Baiju originated during the Ming and Qing dynasties from workers in brocade loom rooms singing and calling out in the Nanjing dialect. These folk songs and Jiangnan ditties gradually developed into a form of quyi. The origin of the name "baiju" comes from performers not receiving any pay for their show ("bai" here means "free", and "ju" means "a show"). Nanjing pinghua (storytelling) and Nanjing baihua (crosstalk) are both popular forms of folk art in urban Nanjing and the surrounding areas. In addition, Jiangning District's Fangshan Drum Dance, Gaochun District's Wuchang Dance, Lishui District's Tiao Dang Dang, and Qixia District's Dragon Dance are all folk dances that began during the Ming and Qing dynasties. They have all been included as part of the first batch of the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Nanjing.

Furthermore, Nanjing's traditional craftsmanship is also renowned nationwide. The craftsmanship of Nanjing Yunjin Brocade originated during the period of the Six Dynasties, reaching its peak during the Qing dynasty. It got the name "Yunjin" because its patterns and weaves are as beautiful, elegant, and colorful as clouds at sunset. It ranks first among the "Three Famous Brocades" of China. The "Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Painting and Calligraphy" produced by the artist Hu Zhengyan during the last years of the Ming dynasty is renowned both in China and internationally for its exquisite craftsmanship, and is an epoch-making work in the history of printing in ancient China. Famous traditional folk craftsmanship also includes gold foil, paper-cutting, Jinling Engraved Block Printing, the making of Chinese folding fans, and the making of velvet flowers. In 2009, Craftsmanship of Nanjing Yunjin Brocade, Jinling Engraved Block Printing (China Engraved Block Printing Technique) and Chinese Paper-Cut were inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Nanjing also has a very unique cuisine culture. Around the time of the Qingming Festival, wild vegetables frequently appear on the dining tables of people in Nanjing, with the eight most common wild vegetables in spring referred to as the "Eight Land Delicacies". As depicted in "the Eight Aquatic Delicacies appear when the osmanthus blossoms becomes sweet-scented", the "Eight Aquatic Delicacies" refer to the eight most common wild vegetables found around the Mid-Autumn Festival. As the people of Nanjing love to eat duck, Nanjing Steamed Roast Duck and Nanjing Salted Duck have earned Nanjing the nickname of the most duck-obsessed city in China, as well as the reputation that "duck delicacies in Nanjing are unparalleled". Additionally, alongside the sound of oars and the sight of lights from boats on the Qinhuai River at night, snacks at the Confucius Temple containing the unique flavors of Nanjing have also gained a far-reaching reputation and become an indispensable part of Qinhuai culture.

The Qinhuai Lantern Festival in the first lunar month of the year, spring outings on Niushou Mountain, plum blossom viewings on Meihua Mountain, autumn outings on Qixia Mountain, mountaineering at the Double Ninth Festival, and the antique market in the Chaotian Palace all represent parts of the traditional lifestyle of Nanjing people. The International Plum Blossom Festival of Nanjing, China, the Grape Festival of Jiangxin Island, the Yuhua Stone Art Festival, the Jasmine Flower Festival, the Linggu Temple Sweet Osmanthus Festival, the Crab Festival of Gaochun District, the Longpao Crab-Roe Soup Bun Festival of Luhe District, and the New Year's Eve bell-ringing ceremonies... all bloom in new splendor amid the inheritance of traditional culture.

Historical Sites Nanjing is blessed with a multitude of historical sites. Existing and famous sites featuring ancient cultures in Nanjing include the Hulu Cave Ancient Human Fossil Site at Tangshan, the Shenxian Cave Ancient Human and Vertebral Fossil Site, the Xuecheng Ancient Culture Site, the Beiyinyangying Ancient Culture Site, the Niutougang Ancient Culture Site, the Dianjiangtai Ancient Culture Site, and the Hushu Ancient Culture Site. More specifically, the Hulu Cave Ancient Human Fossil Site at Tangshan is the only ancient human fossil site to be discovered in the southeast part of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China, dating the history of human activity in the Nanjing area to 500,000 years ago. In 473 BC, a city was built southwest of what is currently Zhonghuamen after the Wu State was annihilated by the Yue State, marking the commencement of Nanjing's history as a city. The existing city sites include Shitoucheng Site, the Site of the Capital of the Six Dynasties, the Site of the Palace of the Six Dynasties, the Nanjing City Wall and its 13 gates, hundreds of ancient tombs, the Qianfoyan Grottoes, the Mausoleum Stone Carvings of the Southern Dynasties, the Yangshan Quarry, and Tianfashenchen Stele. Shitoucheng Site is what remains of the facilities of the Six Dynasties for city defense, and it was also the largest and most important walled city on the periphery of Jiankang during the period of the Six Dynasties. The Site of the Capital of the Six Dynasties is historically and regionally distinctive in terms of its structure, layout, construction philosophy, and defense system, and it also plays a critical role in the history of the development of ancient capitals of China. The Site of the Palace of the Six Dynasties is the most remarkable representative of the palace systems and the architectural art from the period of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern dynasties. As for Nanjing City Wall, not only is it the longest wall in China, but it is also one of the largest brick city walls in the world. Among all the ancient tombs in the Nanjing area, the Xiaoling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty is the most famous, since it declared the first application of the new systems for building imperial tombs in the Ming dynasty and is the most well-preserved ancient emperor's mausoleum in China. Qianfoyan Grottoes is a masterpiece of the art of Southern Buddhism from the period of the Six Dynasties, and is commonly referred to as "Little Yungang Grottoes". The Mausoleum Stone Carvings of the Southern Dynasties are also noteworthy; not only are they a masterpiece of stone carving art in ancient China, but they are also a gem among the whole world's art treasures. Yangshan Quarry is both extremely magnificent and arguably the largest "stele" in the world, and Tianfashenchen Stele is one of the Four Famous Stelae of the Wu Kingdom. There are also many modern and contemporary historical monument sites in Nanjing that are influential and of great significance in China. These include the Jinghai Temple, the Site of the Heavenly-King Palace of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the China Modern History Museum, the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, the Meiyuan New Village, the Yuhuatai Martyrs' Cemetery, the Victory Monument of Crossing the Yangtze River Campaign, and the Memorial Hall Commemorating the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre Perpetrated by Japanese Invaders.