Nanjing Things to Do

About 1100 meters in lenght,the Sacred Avenue Section is one of the most outstanding parts of the Xiaoling Tomb.It is divited into three section.The first section runs 618 meters from southeast to northwest.Along this section are 24 stone animals-six kinds in 12 pairs.
They are the lion,xiezhi,camel,elephant ,kylin and horse.
The second section runs 250 meters from south to north.Standing along this section are a pair of stone sacrificial colums,two pairs of civil officials and two pairs of military officials.
Third section runs 275 meters from southwest to northeast,The main relics in this section include the historic site of the Lingxing Gate,the Inner Imperial River and Imperial River Bridge.

Also known as Dragon&Phoenix Gate.Lingxing Gate is an important ceremonial building on the sacred way of the Ming Tomb.It was originally built into a towering pailou(a decorated gateway) with six pillars and three entrances.Its column base and drum-shaped bearing stone date back to the Ming Dynasty.In 2006,The Administration of Dr.Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum carried out a series of archaeological activities to renovate this building,bringing its original appearence back to its life.

The Dongling Tomb(East Tomb) is located about 60 meters to the east of the tomb palace area of the Xiaoling Tomb.
It was built for Zhu Biao,the oldest son of Zhu Yuanzhang.With archaeological excavation,a "ruins park"is now on the orginal site.Protecting and displaying cultural relics in the form of ruins is an advanced method commonly adopted worldwide.Instead of changing the original structure of building remains,it aims to restore their historical environment and maintain a feeling of history for the ruins by the greatest extent.

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In 2004, My wife and me with her goodfriend and her boyfriend ,our two couples went to Niushou mountain by bus of Xin-shan line. First went to a park under the mountain,we could got the sight of the whole mountain's silhouette, the Niushou mountain adjoins the Zutang mountain, and the famous two mausoleum of Nantang dynasty lies in that mountain two. Eventually, we got to the top of Zutang mountain under the drizzle. That it my first and the last safari in Nanjing city by hike. some good scence is worth to see, such as the temple, at that time it was being built, the bambooes,the trail in the forest, the mausoleum,the lake,the villa on the hill,etc. now, I guess it must be need the tickets to go around it.

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With an ingenious,primitive,simple and elegant design,Plum Blossom-viewing veranda was built in 1947 under the order of Sun Ke.The site used to be the graveyard of Wang Jingwei,a big traitor to China.In january 1946,the tomb was expladed and varenda was built here for visitors to rest and enjoy a distant view of plum blossoms.The veranda itself has also become a scenic spot in the plum blossom hill even since the tablet and the couplet of the veranda were both inscribed by Sun Ke,the initiator of the building and son of Dr.Sun Yat-sen.

I was there in April 2008. I loved Nanjing! My friends and I visited Zhongshan National Park. It was so beautiful there. Besides the mountains and trees, there are plenty of parks there where you eat picnic and walk around. Sun Yat Sen Mausoleum, Ming Tombs (similar to the one in Beijing with the row of guardians), pagodas, pavilions, etc. We went around the park with one of the cart operators (US$20), which was great since my friends had young kids and one of their mom's went with us.

Zhongshan is out of the city so you'll have a take a taxi to get there and back(that's what we did). We did see tourists there but all Chinese tourists. I didn't see any Westerners.

Other places I visited when I was there...Nanjing Massacre Museum, Zhonghuamen (Ming Dynasty City Wall ), and the Confucius Temple and Qin Huai River area. I was only in Nanjing for 2 days. Could have seen more but with the kids and grandmother we got slowed down. I had a great time though. Nanjing is really developing. You will be amazed at how the city is, esp considering its recent history.

This is the place where you can visit the grave and statue of Dr Sun Yat-Sen. The Lobby of Saccrificial Hall is a big hall which places his statue in the center of the hall. There are wordings on the wall of the hall. Design and architectual of the hall is really impressive. Walk further in to the Coffin Chamber to see his coffin.
There is also another place, Ming Xiao Ling, within the mountain. You can visit this place for its rectangular Citadel and Ming Tower. The Big Golden Gate and Palace Gate is a must during the visit in Ming Xiao Ling. Statue of animals and people can be found along the walk path to the palace.

We were then at the Nanking longest Bridge - ³¤½­´óÇÅ. It was built in 1968, its a double-deck railway bridge designed and built by the Chinese. 4,589 m long, 15 meters wide carriageway, railway bridge 6,772 meters long, 14 meters wide, thisplace was so windy and nice.