Living in Nanjing - Travel









Parks and Gardens
Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum
Th Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, where Emperor Ming Taizu (respected title of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang) and his queen were buried, lies at the northern foot of Mount Zijin (Mount Purple Gold), adjacent to Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum on the east and Meihua (Chinese Plum) Mountain on the south. With a more than 22.5 kilometers wall, the mausoleum is the largest emperor mausoleum in Nanjing . Most of its ground wood-structured buildings were destroyed in 1853, with the brick and stone buildings still existent including Rectangular city, Inner Red Gate and Jinyue Tablet.
Ming Palace Ruins Park
The Ming Palace was the blueprint for Beijing Palace , consisting of the Imperial City and Palace City with a combined name of Imperial Palace . Ming Palace , situated in the southeast of Nanjing City , used to be Zhu Yuanzhang's imperial palace in the Ming Dynasty. There were the Imperial Ancestral Temple , the state altar and all facilities of the imperial palace. When Zhu Di moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing , he built Beijing Imperial Palace in imitation of Ming Palace in Nanjing . Ming Palace was destroyed in the war at the end of the Qing Dynasty. Now what remain are only some carved stones, building foundation, column base, etc. Before its destruction this palace was a splendid structure and the Imperial Palace in Beijing is said to be modeled after it. The palace was damaged by two fires and fell into disrepair after the Ming court moved to Beijing . The Manchus also looted the palace as did Qing and Western troops during the Taiping Rebellion. Today, all that remains of the former grandeur are some foundation stones, stone lions and the stone screen wall facing the former palace.
The Confucius Temple
Nanjing Confucius Temple , located on the north bank of the Qinhuai river, is the holy shrine of Confucius, the outstanding ancient Chinese philosopher and thinker. The temple was first built in the Song dynasty. The Confucius Temple-centric area is a famous river scenery resort in Nanjing . Over the past 1800 years, it has remained one of most prosperous places of Najing, and rated as one of the top 40 tourist attractions in 1990.
Qixia Mountain
Qixia Mountain , with another name of Sheshan Mountain , is situated 22 kilometers northeast of of Nanjing City . The name originated from the Qixia Stellar House erected in the mountain in South Dynasty. Qixia Mountain was well-known across South Yangtze River , not only for its Qixia Temple , Thousand Buddhas Cliff, Royal Stele and Sheli Pagoda, but also for its deep forests, clean springs and intoxicating scenery, which has created the name of The First Beautiful Mountain in Jinling (another name for Nanjing ). In deep autumn, the red leaves on the mountain look like fire, covering the whole forest, so there is a saying of “Spring in Niushou Mountain and Autumn in Qixia Mountain ?
The Stone City
The Stone City is also called Ghost-Face City . On the remains of the Jinling City built by Emperor Wei of Chu State in 333 BC at a place 500 meters west of the Qingliang Mountain, there was a red rock around 6 meters long and 3 meters wide, like a fierce-looking face with a nose and eyes, which was called “Ghost Face?therefrom. During the Three-Kindom period, Sunquan of East Wu State built a city on what was formerly the Jinling City in 212 AD in order to control the safety of Jiankang (former name of Nanjing), and the city was name as Stone City. In the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang consolidated and fixed the Stone City when expanding the city walls of Nanjing . The Stone City , surrounded by mountains and rivers, was strategically locaed anddifficult of access, and has been renowned as a strategic location since ancient times
Yuhuatai Cemetery for Revolutionary Martyrs
The Yuhuatai Platform, cemetery for revolutionary martyrs, is a famous revolutionary resort and tourism scenic area in Nanjing . The Revolutionary Martyrs Memorial stands at the top of the cemetery for martyrs, with a height of 42.3 meters. This figure indicates that the liberation of Nanjing on April 23, 1949 was won by fearless struggle and sacrifice of numerous revolutionaries.
The Second Spring of Jiangnan (or the south of the Yangtze River ) on the east of the Yuhuatai obtained its name from Luoyou, a poet in South Song Dynasty. It was told that when visiting the Yongning Tempble at Yuhuatai, Luo You found a spring in the temple and quite appreciated the color and taste of the spring water, and thus named it as “the Second Spring? In comparison, the Galu (Sweet Dew) Well, one of the oldest wells in Nanjing , has a history of more than 1,700 years, with its water clean and sweet.
Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum
Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum is situated on the southern slope of the Zijinshan Mountain ( Purple Gold Mountain ) in the eastern suburb of of Nanjing . The remains of Dr. Sun, who was a pioneer of Chinese democratic revolution was buried here on June 1, 1929 . The mausoleum, shaped like an alarm bell, is built at the foot of the mountain. A feeling of respect may be aroused when climbing by the steps.
The Sacrificial Hall is the major part of the mausoleum, integrating the Chinese and western architectural styles. It is 29 meters high, 30 meters long and 25 meters wide. On the door of the hall inscribed the six characters of Nation, Civilian Rights and People's Life. There is a horizontal board inscribed with the words of “Healthy Trends Under Heaven?written by Dr. Sun Yat-sen on top of the middle door. A statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, designed by a French artist, was instituted at the center of the hall. Six relief sculptures were carved at the base of the statue, on which the revolutionary activities of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen were recorded.
Xuanwu Lake Park
In ancient times the Xuanwu Lake was known as Sangpo, Moling Lake , Hou Lake or Kunming Lake . It was said that there emerged a black dragon during the Liusong Period of the South Dynasty, so the lake was named Xuanwu Lake . In the North Song Dynasty, Wang Anshi initiated a new law to replace lakes with fields. In the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang erected high walls and recovered the lakes from fields, so that the Xuanwu Lake became a natural city moat. The Xuanwu Lake Park was officially opened to visitors in 1911.
The Xuanhu Lake is surrounded by mountains on three sides and is adjacent to the city on one side. The park covers an area of 476 hectares, seventy percent of which is water surface. The lake is dotted with the five green islets of Huanzhou, Yingzhou, Liangzhou, Cuizhou and Lingzhou. There is a structured setup of pavilions, platforms, buildings, halls and corridors in the park, with fisheds swimming and boats running, forming a splendid picture. The willows on the Huanzhou islet, the flowers on the Yingzhou islet, the trees on the Cuizhou islet, the Chrysanthemum flowers on the Liangzhou islet and the mountain haze on the Lingzhou islet show their respective features and make the park one of the most favorite attractions of Nanjing citizens.
The World Cultural Relics
Xiaoling Tomb of the Ming Dynasty
Xiaoling Tomb, or the Tomb of Filial Piety, built 600 years ago, is the mausoleum of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Lying at the southern foot of the Purple Mountain , the tomb complex is one of the largest ancient mausoleums of the emperors of in China . The mausoleum consists of two major sections. The first section is from the Gateway of dismounting Horse to the Lingxing Gate at the end of Sacred Way (tomb avenue), of which the approach is 1800 meters long. Historical records indicate that the mausoleum had a grand red wall, 22.5 kilometers long, enclosing the whole tomb area. Unfortunately, this large group of buildings was ruined by wars in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties and the war in which Taiping Peasant Army was suppressed by the Qing Dynasty. All the wooden structures were destrolyed. However, we can still see the exquisite stone carvings from the stone bases and imagine how magnificent it looked like 600 years ago.
Northwards from the Great Golden Gate, a huge roofless stone Golden Gate , a huge roofless stone tablet pavilion can be see, it is the Square Castle , as local people call it. Its top is gone but the surrounding walls and four archways still remain. In the middle of the building, there stands an 8.78 meters stele.
Behind the tablet pavilion (the Square Castle ) is the sacred way, which is lined on both sides with 12 pairs of giant stone animals in 6 kinds. For each kind of the animals, there are one pair standing and the other kneeling. The standing pair is working and the kneeling resting and they are on duty alternately. The real purpose of building these animals is to demonstrate the royal magnificence and the emperor's diginity, to drive away evil spirites and guard the tomb. The first 2 pairs of animals are lions, king of the beasts symbolizing power. The second 2 pairs of animals are called Bi Xie, a unicorn-shaped mythical animal, said to be clever and capable of distinguishing between good and evil. The following pairs of animals include camels, elephants, kylins or Chinese unicorns and horses.
On the south of Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum is the Meihua (Plum Flower) Mountain, which was formerly the tomb of Sun Quan, emperor of Dongwu. The mountain is covered with more than 10,000 plum flowers and it is always one of most attractive resorts for Nanjing visitors who appreciate the flowers in spring. Its