Tourist Attractions

An ancient capital of China, Nanjing, with its 2,400-year history, is famous nationwide. During the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.) King Wei of the State of Chu built a city, which he named Jinling, in the present-day Qingliang Mountains, and today Nanjing is also known as Jinling. During the following 300 or so years, six dynasties made this city their capital, so Nanjing is also known as "capital of six dynasties." When Zhu Yuanzhang, founder of the Ming Dynasty, made his capital here in 1368, he named the city Nanjing, which it has since been called.

Nanjing is located in the hilly area on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. To its east is the Yangtze River Delta, and to its north the Jianghuai Plain. The Yangtze River flows east from its southwestern region, passing through the northern part of the downtown area. Purple Mountain is the highest point of the city, and the first Chinese-built modern astronomical observatory stands on the peak of Purple Mountain, where one can have a panoramic view of Nanjing, as well as of natural scenery and historical sites in the distance.

To the east of the observatory is the Xiaoling Mausoleum, containing the tomb of Zhu Yuanzhang, founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Thirteen of the Ming emperors are buried in the Ming Tombs in Beijing, which have been called the "largest imperial mausoleum in the world." However, this mausoleum of the first Ming emperor, in the tree-shaded mountains here in Nanjing, has a far more solemn ambience. It was from here that Chen Qi, now vice-president of the Shangmei Branch of the Nanjing Arts Academy, embarked on his artistic career, with his sketches of the mausoleum. Nanjing inhabitants are fortunate, as only 15 minutes' drive away from the downtown area is the Purple Mountain Scenic Area, where they can go to relax in their leisure time.

The Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, built in 1929, is the most magnificent of the mausoleums of China's great figures. Viewed from a distance, one can see its roof of sapphire blue glazed tiles, and long flight of marble steps. The layout of the mausoleum is in the shape of a bell. It covers altogether 3,000 hectares of land, 2,000 hectares of which are forested. From the mausoleum entrance, 392 stone steps lead up to the memorial hall, in the center of which stands a marble statue of Sun Yat-sen. A horizontal board bears four Chinese characters in Sun's calligraphy, saying, "The whole world is one community."

To the west of Purple Mountain is the ancient city of Nanjing, which now stands amidst modern high-rise buildings. The Yangtze River leaves behind it two rivers in the city: one is the Outer Qinhuai River, and surrounds the southeastern and southwestern corners of the city, constituting a natural moat before flowing northward to rejoin the Yangtze. The other is the Inner Qinhuai River, which meanders through ancient lanes, and has a catchment of 24 square kilometers, making up 38 percent of the total area within the city walls. For 1,800 years the area along the Inner Qinhuai River has been a bustling business district, and also the residences of distinguished families.

In order to implement the strategy of "developing the city through commerce and tourism," the Nanjing municipal government has, since 1984, exerted great efforts towards improving the city's infrastructure facilities and renovating its historical sites. In the Qinhuai River area it has built Gourmet Street, Zhonghuamen Castle Square, and Zhonghua Road Commercial Sightseeing Street, which combines Chinese and Western architectural styles.

The location of the Confucius Temple (Fuzi Miao) is on the liveliest section of the five-km-long Qinhuai Street, which is lined with ancient buildings. On the second floor are Chinese teahouses and restaurants furnished in classical style, and on the first floor are stores selling Western fast food and clothes. The street lamps are in the shape of traditional Chinese lanterns, but bear the Coca Cola trade mark. The Provincial Examination Hall of Southern China (Jiangnan Gongyuan) is the largest of its kind in the country, and it houses wax works of ancient scholars taking the provincial examination, in various postures. Some are depicted supine, in a deep sleep, utterly exhausted by their nine-day examination ordeal; some are shown using carrier pigeons to convey their answers. There are some confidently writing their papers, and other candidates, in their 80s, sitting eating cake.

Along the Qinhuai River is the Confucius Temple, where the ancient Chinese worshipped Confucius, and Wuyi Lane, named after the imperial guards who dressed in black. The markets flanking the Confucius Temple are famous for their commodities, such as the gourds made into snuff bottles painted on the inside, Luo miniature sculptures engraved using a microscope, ingenious macrame, purple sand pots, ink stones, silk fans, strangely shaped stones, and branded pictures. Qinhuai snacks have a long history and are in many varieties, including spiced eggs, bean curd in fermented glutinous rice soup, double-flavored cake, ducks-blood soup, and vermicelli soup -- all hugely popular with Chinese and foreign tourists. Boating on the Qinhuai River by night, deep in the city's ancient lanes, visitors may appreciate the tranquillity of this old district. Since Nanjing was early influenced by Western civilization, a combination of Chinese and Western cultures has long been a feature of its urban areas, but in rural areas, a more traditional culture has been preserved. Farmers living on Jiangxin Islet, influenced by the high tide of reform and opening, have rid themselves of restrictive traditional concepts, and begun to engage in trade. They are no longer willing to play a mere supportive role in the market economy, being determined to display their talent and be at the forefront of Nanjing's wider opening.

Jiangxin Islet is in the middle of the Yangtze River in the northern part of the city proper. It has an area of 15 square kilometers and a population of 12,000. The green area of the islet is 45 percent, and its inhabitants have opened a folklore museum, teahouses, a marriage customs exhibition hall, and offer tours, such as a one-day tour of farmer's homes, and a folklore tour.

Zhou Ailing is a capable housewife who also runs a teahouse. She sells not only local "rain-flower" tea, but also "rice crust" tea, "stir-fried egg and rice" tea, and "bean" tea. She has made a wide study of tea-serving ceremonies and traveled Jiangxi and Sichuan provinces in search of ancient tea sets. On one occasion she paid 3,000 yuan for a copper tea set she found in a village of Anhui Province, which is now on display in the exhibition hall of her teahouse. She says proudly that even foreign tourists give the thumbs-up after tasting her tea.

Lu Weisheng, a farmer in his early 40s, runs a rural museum. He formerly had his own small restaurant, and one day overheard a few tourists commenting that, "The scenery of Jiangxin Islet is pretty good, but there are too few interesting places to stop and take a look at." This made Lu Weisheng think about his old farm tools. Why not purchase more and open a museum? So he went to Gansu and Hainan provinces to collect more than 500 farm tools. In his museum, tourists can try their hand at paper-making, printing, husking rice, and pedaling a waterwheel. Last summer alone his museum received more than 20,000 visitors, including pupils attending a summer camp. Visitors all smile at the caption pasted beside the farm tools, "Development is the absolute principle," a quotation of Deng Xiaoping. It expresses a farmer's recognition of a new era and affirmation of social development.

At nightfall from Purple Mountain Astronomical Observatory, the view is of the entire city illuminated by lights of every description. The highway, lined with shelterbelt forest, stretches like a golden dragon for dozens of kilometers out to the eastern suburbs. In the area around Xinjiekou, the busiest section of Nanjing, neon lights on hotels and commercial buildings are impressively up to date, and on the No. 1 and No. 2 bridges spanning the Yangtze River, motor vehicle headlights project an endless ray. Nanjing by night is therefore a world of dazzling lights. When night falls, the huge window on the silver dome of the observatory is opened, and the lens of the astronomical telescope opens wide to explore the mysterious world of outer space.