Nanjing Favorites

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Favorite thing: While staying in Nanjing one cannot pass up an opportunity to visit the Purple Mountain. This is a large park located on a mountain east of Mochou Lake. The mountain is covered with surprisingly thick vegetation and several worthy attractions the most important of which is the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Mausoleum. To see all of what the Purple Mountain has to offer, you should expect to spend the day here. There is a all included ticket sold here for all the attractions on the mountain. I thought that the price for this ticket, Y80, was rather steep for the reason that none of the attractions was really mind blowing but it was probably economical.
The mountain itself can be scaled either by foot, a very nice walk, or by chair lift. I took this means up the mountain because it saved time. It proved to be the correct move as I spent quite sometime here. I walked down the mountain and had an interesting time doing it. I met a group of Chinese university students who spoke reasonable English. They shared some insights into there country that I appreciated. Even more rewarding was the fact that I was the first foreigner they ever spoke English with outside of school. Sadly it very hazy during my walk on the mountain and my pictures of the scenery suffered for this reason.

Favorite thing: Nanjing has many historical tourist destinations and musuems that can be reached by car, bus or taxis. I had transport and a Shanghainese driver and decided to hire a local tour guide. An English speaking guide is more expensive than a Chinese speaking guide for the whole day. I opted for Chinese as some descriptions cannot be translated.

It definitely worth hiring a local tour guide for the day. Ask your hotel reception to arrange for this free lance service.

Favorite thing: Due to power shortage, the riverside lights of this popular Nanjing tourist spot is not fully lighted after certain hours. This is a famous river where on side, used to be examination halls for poor scholars hoping to become wealthy and powerful mandarins one day and on the other side the red light district of women, song and wine.

So you can take a digitized picture to ensure that you have the correct background where all the lights are lighted to show friends back home. At least it was taken at the actual site.

Favorite thing: The Confucius Temple (Fuzimiao) was originally built during the Song Dynasty and is situated on the north bank of the Qinhuai River. Today, the entire area around the Temple consists of a series of tourist shops, snack bars, restaurants and entertainment arcades all done up in "Ming" and "Qing" style architecture. There is a vaguely kitsch feeling about the area and the Temple itself is a bit of a disappointment but the area is great fun and a very pleasant part of the city to walk around (the only pedestrianised area in the city). Absorb the relaxed atmosphere, have something to eat and take part in the fun! It is particularly interesting in the evenings when a lively street market sets up in the district, and locals and tourists take part in the bargain hunting!

The Song Dynasty was a period of great Confucian revivalism and the temple here is considered to be one of the best preserved of its type in China. During the Ming Dynasty the temple was expanded and became a school for children of the imperial court. The buildings on both sides of the Temple which are now small tourist shops were once individual study rooms for Confucian scholars. The Qinhuai River flows in front of the Temple and there is also a 110-meter-long screen stonewall (the largest in the nation) nearby, which can be viewed from the bridge crossing the river in front of the Temple. A beautiful ¡°Lantern Show¡± is held at the Temple during the 1st to the 18th days of the Lunar Year.

Favorite thing: Visit the Mausoleum of Sun Yat Sen. It is located at the foot of the second peak of Mt. Zijin. Begun in 1926, it took three years to complete.

The vault is more than 700 meters away from the Paifang on the square below which is the entrance to the Mausoleum. The 392 step stairway leading to the vault is 480 meters long and 50 meters wide.

Admission: ¥ 15
Opening Times: 7:00 - 18:30

Favorite thing: Relax! Life can be so much pleasant when you just let the moments passed you by.

From my few trips to Japan during the Cherry Blossoms Festival, it was a v. nice experience to see many workers & professionals alike enjoying the nature (even if it's in the overcrowded city). Life is so much more pleasant if one can enjoy the little moments & make full use of what one has.

On this trip, I was quite surprised to witness the same here in Nanjing. Not that they are not human like the rest of us, but just a preconceived idea about communists, I guess. It's strange in some ways, each of us are brought up with different experiences & teachings, until we actually venture out there ourselves & learned that things can be different, we'll never know how wrong we could be. For this v. reason, I'm thankful I was able to visit many different countries, cultures & talked to many different nationalities. It's life best experiences!

Fondest memory: Aside from being the first time in China that I came across the cherry blossoms, this was also the first time I traveled across a few provinces in China all by myself on the trains. It was an unforgettable experience!

My trip started from Shanghai after meeting up with VTer Jenny (Jiang_Cucha) who had been a gracious host introducing me to the Shanghainese cuisine & special dishes. It was certainly one of the best dinners I've had in Shanghai. Taking the train from Shanghai to Nanjing was the first part of my journey. I was a little apprehensive about Nanjing & the train since it's my 1st time. Not knowing what to expect but having bought the ticket a day ahead it certainly helped in making the journey a much pleasant experience. The train station was very crowded with all kinds of people from all over China; not just city dwellers but also peasants. If anyone should consider taking trains in either China or Japan, do try to lighten up your load as you've to climb lots of staircase to get to the platforms! Anyhow, the ride was smooth for me & the train was much better than I had anticipated. Also, don't bother trying to save on the 'hard seat' as the difference in prices is meagre but huge when it comes to comfort!

Favorite thing: admire the Great Bridge on the Yang Tse.

Fondest memory: The Russians began the bridge but the dispute between China and Russia occured and the engeneers left the country saying : 'You will be unable to finish that bridge'. Chinese workers succeeded the challenge and the bridge is now built.