Please answer a question about the following article about Nanjing:

Nanjing has been the educational centre in southern China for more than 1700 years. There are 75 institutions of higher learning till 2013. The number of National key laboratories, National key disciplines and the academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering all rank third in the nation. It boasts some of the most prominent educational institutions in the region, some of which are listed as follows:

How long has Nanjing been considered the education hub of southern China?
more than 1700 years