- Parks and gardens of Nanjing
- Nanjing landmarks
- Nanjing museums
- Religious buildings in Nanjing
- Delicious points on the map
- Shopping in Nanjing
Translated from Chinese, the name of this large industrial and cultural center means "southern capital". Nanjing really served as the capital: first of the Eastern Jin Empire, and then the rebel leader Zhu Yuanzhang, who proclaimed in the XIV century. the Ming empire. Only in the 15th century did the capital structures and the imperial court move to Beijing, and a hundred years later Nanjing was captured by the Manchus. They brought a lot of destruction, as a result of which the city's architectural monuments were seriously damaged. The city suffered badly in 1937 during the Japanese occupation, when at least 300 thousand of its inhabitants died. The modern metropolis is famous for its sights, museums and memorials, and tourists usually do not have problems with the Where to Go in Nanjing program.
Parks and gardens of Nanjing
Despite the status of an industrial center, Nanjing is a very green city and the abundance of parks in it is another reason why tourists are drawn here.
One of the largest parks is located on the slopes of the Purple Mountain - a natural landmark of Nanjing, towering in the northeastern part of the metropolis. The slopes of the Purple Mountain are also fraught with historical buildings - the tomb of the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the Lingu Pagoda, the largest and oldest observatory in the Middle Kingdom - and the mausoleum of the Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen. A funicular line leads to the top of the mountain, the ascent on which takes about half an hour.
Bailuzhou Park is another great place to go in Nanjing to get some fresh air and admire the masterpieces of oriental landscape art. In ancient times, a garden was located on the site of the park, into the territory of which only high-ranking officials could enter. The famous city wall served as its eastern border. Today, everyone can enter the park for 20 yuan, and Chinese pensioners can enter its territory for free. In the park, whose name translates from Chinese as "The Island of White Herons", you will find a system of artificial reservoirs with bridges thrown over them, graceful sculptural groups in the oriental style, compositions of stones, wooden pavilions with curved roofs, shady palm alleys, wildly blooming flower beds and cozy benches for relaxation.
Nanjing landmarks
Are you composing an excursion program and wondering where to go in Nanjing to get acquainted with both the historical past and the modern present of the former "southern capital" of the Celestial Empire? Don't miss the city's most famous landmarks:
- The largest in the world among its similar structures, the city wall of Nanjing was built in the XIV century. Its length was more than 30 km, of which only a 19-km section has survived to this day. The height of the structure reaches 12 m, but earlier in some areas the wall rose twice as high. Tourists can take a walk along the Nanjing Wall. The attraction is open daily from 8 am to 6 pm.
- The modern tallest building in Nanjing is the Zifeng skyscraper. There is an observation deck at an altitude of 287 m, from where a circular panorama of the city opens.
- The Nanjing Eye, or Nanjing Eye, is a modern and amazingly beautiful bridge over the Yangtze, built in 2014 for the Nanjing Junior Olympic Games. If you are looking for where to go for panoramic photos of the city, go to the Park of Culture and Sports, where the bridge is located. The Yangtze crossing is a pedestrian crossing and is a cable-stayed structure illuminated in the evenings by thousands of colored lights.
- The River View Tower was built by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, who lived six centuries ago. The construction was then abandoned, and work was completed at the end of the last century. From the tower on Lion's Mountain, whose name in Chinese sounds like Yuejiang Lu, a panorama of Nanjing opens. Inside there is a small museum of applied arts and visitors can admire old engravings.
- Among the many historical monuments of the Ming Empire, the Xiaolin Mausoleum, where the first Ming emperor Hongwu is buried, stands out. The name of the complex is translated from Chinese as "The Minsk Tomb of Respect for Parents." The mausoleum was built at the end of the XIV century. The main objects on the territory of the memorial complex are the Great Golden Gate, a stone turtle carrying on its back a stele in honor of the emperor and reaching more than five meters in length, a square stone wall with arches and statues of mythological animals along the Divine Path.
Another mausoleum, worthy of the attention of tourists, is located at the foot of the Purple Mountain. Buried in it is Sun Yatsen, who in the Celestial Empire is often called the Confucius of real politics. The revolutionary leader and founder of the Kuomintang party posthumously received the title of "father of the nation." He went down in history as the creator of the doctrine of the three popular principles, which was based on democracy, nationalism and people's welfare. The mausoleum is a majestic structure, masterfully inscribed by the architects into the picturesque panorama of the mountain range and the surrounding landscape. A jade sculpture of a Chinese national hero is installed in the memorial hall of the tomb, and a wide staircase leads to the mausoleum.
Nanjing museums
The building of the former Presidential Palace houses the exposition of the Museum of Contemporary History of the People's Republic of China. The mansion itself served first as the residence of the governors of the provinces, and then as a workplace for Sun Yat-sen. The collection of the museum contains documents and photos dedicated to the history of the development of the PRC, stages of the revolutionary movement and industrialization. The palace is surrounded by a picturesque park with ponds, bridges and light wooden pavilions. The park looks especially beautiful in spring, when cherry blossoms are blooming.
If you are interested in Chinese military history, be sure to reserve time to visit the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Museum. It is dedicated to the famous Taiping Uprising that took place in the middle of the 19th century. The uprising was started by the Chinese peasants, and it was directed against the Manchu Qing empire and the colonialists. The Taipings are now considered revolutionary heroes, and materials on their liberation struggle are collected in the Nanjing Museum. The exposition is displayed in the former residence of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in Zhang Yuan Park.
Religious buildings in Nanjing
Among the many Buddhist temples in Nanjing, the Lingu Pagoda stands out. One of the oldest in the city, the Temple of the Valley of the Spirits appeared on the slope of the Purple Gold Mountain at the beginning of the 6th century. during the reign of Emperor Wu Di. Initially, the temple was located a little to the west, but over time it was rebuilt and renamed more than once. Finally, he took his place in the XIV century. The pagoda housed the sacred remains of the Buddhist monk and philosopher Xuanzang.
The famous building of the complex is the Ulyan Dian Hall or "Chamber without rafters", built in such a way that its roof is not supported by wooden piles traditional for the Middle Kingdom. Not far from the temple, you can see the turtle-bisi. The mythical creatures Bishi were, according to the beliefs of the Chinese, a cross between a dragon and a turtle. Their stone images of gigantic proportions, holding steles on their backs, were installed in honor of the merits of the emperors.
A 60-meter high pagoda was built near the old temple in 1929, which today serves as an architectural landmark for tourists wishing to find the temple on the side of the mountain. The pagoda was established in honor of the soldiers who gave their lives during the Northern Expedition.
Fans of Buddhist temple architecture will be interested in getting acquainted with the Shelita pagoda, built at the Tsisasy monastery, founded in the 10th century. Shalita is quite small, but the reliefs in the form of stone lotus flowers that adorn it are undoubtedly worthy of attention.
Delicious points on the map
Residents of Nanjing claim that the famous Chinese duck began to be cooked in their city, and the Peking people only appropriated other people's culinary laurels. Salted poultry meat is used very often in city cafes, and you can try the signature dish both in budget establishments and in prestigious restaurants:
- The Renaissance Inn has a well-deserved reputation for its cuisine in Wan Li. The chef of this restaurant specializes in classic Chinese cuisine, so duck and traditional dumplings are cooked here at their best. Be prepared that among the service staff, almost no one even speaks English, and therefore it is best to take an interpreter with you to dinner.
- Nanjing Impressions is a popular Nanjing restaurant with traditional cuisine and typical interiors. Salted duck is served in it, among other dishes, but the local chefs are no less successful in pork in sweet and sour sauce, mushrooms and a dessert made from young bamboo.
Inexpensive Chinese food cafes can be found on Qingdao Lu Street, located north of the intersection of Shanghai Lu and Guangzhou Lu. It is here that homemade noodles, chicken heart kebabs and grilled vegetables are most delicious.
Don't be upset if Chinese food isn't on your wish list. The city has restaurants serving paella, pasta, pizza, steaks, kebabs, steaks, fries and even borscht. In order to find the usual food, just walk the extra few meters along one of the streets where most of the hotels and tourist sites are located. For example, on a small pedestrian street south of Hunan Road, there are KFC and McD's lovely to the heart of a modern person.
Shopping in Nanjing
Most of the world's brands have offices in the Xinjiekou area, a trendy and fashionable part of Nanjing that is worth a visit if you are willing to spend a lot of money. Xinjiekou also has large shopping malls such as Wal-Mart and Watsons, which sell everything from fruit to electronics.
In the southern part of Nanjing, around Confucius Temple, there is a shopping area with the best assortment of souvenirs.
Opposite Confucius Temple you will see the huge Aqua City Shopping Center. It presents goods from H&M, Uniqlo, Zara, Mango and other high-quality, but quite affordable brands.
