Nanjing Attractions - Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge 1#

The Yangtze River Bridge, which was constructed between 1960 and 1968, is the third bridge built to span the Yangtze River after the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge and the Baishatuo Yangtze River Bridge (in Chongqing City). As the longest bridge with the dual functions of highway and railway listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, it is the first bridge in China solely designed and constructed by Chinese.

The significant double-deck construction is made up of the main bridge portion which spans 1,577 meters (about 1,725 yards) and the bridge approach which measures 3,012 meters (about 3,294 yards). The upper deck of the bridge is a highway with a span of 4,589 meters (about 5,019 yards). There are sidewalks on either side of the highway and each measures over two meters (about two yards) in width. The lower deck holds a twin-track railway with a length of 6,772 meters (about 7,406 yards) and a width of 14 meters (about 15 yards) that allows two trains to run in different directions.

The bridge has nine piers altogether, among which the tallest one is 85 meters (about 279 feet) with the base area of about 400 square meters (478 square yards), larger than a basketball court. There are 200 cast iron reliefs inlayed on the banisters on the two sides of the highway as well as 150 pairs of street lamps along the sidewalks on the main section of the bridge. Two bridge towers are located respectively at each end of the bridge each with a height of 70 meters (about 230 feet). They contain elevators which enable personal access to both decks of the bridge as well as the watchtowers. Under the southern bridge tower there is a beautiful park.

The bridge at night is extremely charming. The illumination of 1,024 floodlights on the banisters, 540 halogen lights on the bridge towers and 150 pairs of lamps of the sidewalks make the bridge look like a pearl string lying on the Yangtze River.

The completion of the bridge has reduced the river crossing time from about two hours by ferry to the course of only several minutes, which is much more convenient for communication between the two banks of the Yangtze River.

Nanjing Attractions - Zhonghua Gate

Zhonghua Gate (Chinese Gate) is the south gate of Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province. A precious cultural relic, Zhonghua Gate has the double distinction of being the biggest castle-style city gate in China and a structural element of the most complicated castle in the world. It is the castle's magnificent scale, delicate structure, and the great skill with which it was built that bequeath it an important place in China's military and architectural traditions.

Construction of the castle took twenty-one years, from 1366 to 1387. The gate, originally called the 'Gate of Gathering Treasure' carries a legend from the time of its creation in the early Ming Dynasty. According to the legend, when Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), had the gate built, the ground kept sinking. The gate collapsed again and again. It was not until a treasure bowl was buried under the gate that it stood firm. In 1931, to commemorate the revolution of 1911 and the Republic of China (1919-1949) that emerged as a result, the Gate of Gathering Treasure was renamed Zhonghua Gate. In Chinese Pinyin, Republic of China is written as Zhonghua Minguo.
Nanjing was the capital of China during the Ming Dynasty under the reign of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. (Zhu Di, the son of Zhu Yuanzhang, moved the capital to Beijing in 1420.) In 1366, Zhu Yuanzhang began to build a wall around the city of Nanjing to defend it from attack. The Gate of Gathering Treasure (Zhonghua Gate) was built on the site of a previous gate, the south gate of the city built during the Later Tang Dynasty (923 - 936). The new gate, the grandest among the thirteen gates of the new castle, was an architecturally complex structure composed of three closed courtyards and four arched doors serving as the entrance. There were double paneled wooden doors and with additional stone door set behind. If the enemy broke through the wooden doors, they could be separated and trapped in the three closed courtyards upon dropping the stone doors.

Twenty-seven tunnels were built in the castle to store large quantities of food and weapons and to hold approximately 3000 soldiers. Wide and steep ramps were built on the east and west side to allow people to carry materials upward. The entire structure was built with massive bricks mortared together with special cement made from lime, sticky rice juice and tung oil. In order to guarantee the quality of the construction, every brick underwent a strict quality control process. The brick makers and builders were ordered to mark their names on each brick. Even today, it is possible to find Chinese characters and numbers on the bricks. No doubt, this detailed attention to quality of construction is one of the reasons why the condition of the castle remains so remarkably good today.

Nanjing Attractions - Nanjing City Wall

Nanjing City Wall is one of the key historical and cultural remains of Ming Dynasty under state protection. It is a masterpiece of China's ancient architecture. With an original perimeter of about 35 kilometers (22miles), the City Wall has a height 14-21 meters (46-67 feet). The footing has a width of 14 meters (about 46 feet). The present remains have a length of about 21 kilometers (13 miles). Nanjing is one of the few cities in China that still have old city walls, and Nanjing's City Wall is better preserved with most part still remained. Even though it has a history of about 600 years it is still spectacular and of great value in terms of cultural relics protection.

In 1366 AD Zhu Yuanzhang, the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), accepted the suggestion of a chancellor to build the City Wall. After 21 years of painstaking constriction, he wall was finally completed in 1386. According to historical records, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered 118 counties of 20 states in 5 provinces to make bricks. Each brick weighs about 10 kilograms with a length of 40-50 centimeters, a width of 20 centimeters and a height of 10 centimeters. The bricks are inscribed with the names of officials who were responsible for the quality of the bricks. Up to 350 million bricks were used to build the wall.

The City Wall is made up of four parts. From the outside first there is Outer City, Inner City, Imperial City and Palace City. In 1390, Outer City was built with a length of 180 kilometers (112 miles) in a diamond shape to strengthen defenses though it does not exist any more and only the names of the 18 gates are still used now. The City Wall we can see today is mainly the relic of the Inner City.The Imperial City was built to protect the Palace City, which is nicknamed 'Forbidden City' as it is the centre of the four walls.

Located on the Southern Bank of the Yangtze River with abundant rainfall, rolling hills and meandering rivers, it is a difficult task to undertake such a huge project. However, the ancient Chinese conquered all the difficulties with their skills and built the walls by using materials appropriate for the terrain, creating Nanjing's City Wall with ever better scheme, physical feature and supreme location

The wall is an important cultural relic for the inscriptions on the bricks. The inscriptions come in two forms. One is from scholars and officials, the other from the artisan or folk people. The characters of the former is beautiful and elegant and contains the major calligraphic styles, the origin of one of the characters styles even cannot be traced. From here, you can see how Chinese characters developed and understand the multiculturalism of the Ming Dynasty. These inscriptions act like a historical scroll, recording the changes of the wall over dynasties. It provides an indispensable record for the study of Nanjing history.

Nanjing citizens attach great importance to the work of protecting the wall because the wall symbolizes the history of Nanjing. Nanjing Municipal Government built a five-meter wide side path at Jiefangmen Gate for visitors to ascend. Although the completion of the Nanjing City Wall can not compete with the City Wall of Xi'an, it is still the longest one in the World.

Best Time to visit:
The best months to visit are June and December.

Nanjing Attractions - Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum

Covering an area of 80,000 square meters (about 20 acres), Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum is located in the Zhong Mountain Scenic Area in the east suburb of Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province. As the mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the father of the Republic of China, it is considered the Holy land of Chinese people both home and abroad. With deep historical significance, magnificent architecture and beautiful scenery, it is a must see when traveling in Nanjing.

Dr. Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925) was a great forerunner of the Chinese democratic revolution and led by Dr. Sun the Chinese people brought down the corrupt rule of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and ended 2000 years of the feudal monarchy system, which led the Chinese peoples in to a new age.

 

The majestic mausoleum's const ruction was started in 1926 and completed in 1929. The whole Mausoleum Scenic Area represents an alarm bell as seen from the air, symbolizing the noble spirit and heroic efforts of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's devotion to the Chinese people, fight of oppression and wining the independence of China. Facing south, the structures, along with the mountain ascends gradually along with the central axis line running from south to the north and is regarded as the most outstanding mausoleum in Chinese modern architectural history.

Traveling along the marble road, firstly you will arrive at half-moon square in the south of the Mausoleum. It is understated and modest, while endowing grandeur to the Mausoleum. Then at the entrance to the mausoleum stands the great marble Paifang (memorial archway) on which is written 'Bo Ai' meaning 'love'. Through Paifang there is a Passway of 480 meters (about 1574 feet) long and 40 meters (about 131 feet) wide, on both sides of which stand orderly pine and cypresses trees. Continuing forward to the end of the Passway, there is the Frontispiece, standing some 16.5 meters (about 54 feet) high and 27 meters (about 88 feet) wide. The Frontispiece has three archways, each of which has a pair of symmetrical enchased copper gates. Four Chinese characters are inscribed on the lintel over the doorways written by Dr. Sun Yat-sen meaning 'the world is commonwealth', which fully explains the cause he struggled for during his life. Through the Frontispiece is a pavilion made of marble, in which a great stele, 9 meters (about 29 feet) high and 4 meters (about 13 feet) wide, was erected by Kuomintang in memory of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. On the stele there are carved just 24 Chinese characters and no epitaph as people think that there are no words capable of representing this giant of modern China.

Through the Pavilion, climbing along the stairs upward, the Sacrificial Hall is your next encounter. Here is the highest place of the Mausoleum, some 158 meters (about 518 feet) high. The Sacrificial Hall is located in the center of this plateau. It is an Alhambresque construction combining the architectures of both China and the West and is 30 meters (about 98 feet) long, 25 meters (about 82 feet) wide and 29 meters (about 95 feet) high. Around the Sacrificial Hall, there are two 12.6-meter-high (about 41 feet) Huabiao, ornamental columns like those in Tiananmen Square. Entering the Hall, a 4.6-meter-high stone statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen sits in the center. Dr. Sun Yat-sen wears long gown with eyes facing forward, with an open book on his lap, demonstrating the wisdom of the great thinker. At the foot of the statue, there are six embossments exhibiting in vivid pictures Dr. Sun Yat-sen's glorious life and struggles in his revolution of China. The door of the tomb is in the center of the back wall. The whole tomb is a hemispherical in shape, with the marble coffin of Dr. Sun Yat-sen set in the center of the chamber. His white marble statue rests atop the rectangle coffin, under which this historical giant forever sleeps.

Around the Mausoleum there are many memorial buildings such as the Zhengqi Pavilion, Open-air Music Hall, Waxwork Home of Democratic Revolution, the Sun Yat-sen Museum and so on.

Nanjiing Attractions- The Ming Tomb

Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum is one of the biggest imperial tombs in China. It lies in the eastern suburbs of Nanjing City at the southern foot of Zhongshan (Purple) Mountain. Emperor Chengzu, Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Queen Ma were buried there.

Construction of the mausoleum began in 1381 and was completed in 1431. In 1384, Queen Ma died and was buried there. Emperor Chengzu had bestowed upon her the title 'Queen of Xiao Ci' which means 'Queen of Filial Piety and Kindness.' Hence, the name Ming Xiaoling derives from her title.

The mausoleum has two discreet sections: One is the Sacred Way area and the other is the main body of the mausoleum itself.

At the entrance to the mausoleum, you will see the Dismounting Archway. As a gesture of deep respect, visitors would discount their horses and sedans at this point. Not far from the entrance is the Tablet Pavilion called Si Fang Cheng. Here a majestic tablet was erected by order of Emperor Zhu Di, the fourth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, to eulogize his father's merits and virtues. The tablet is carried by Bixi, a legendary animal in the shape of a tortoise. Walking northwesterly across the bridge, you will see the winding 1800-meter long Sacred Way. Its middle section runs east-west and is called Shi Xiang Road. It is lined with several pairs of stone sculptured animals guarding the tomb. Each animal is postured differently and each conveys an auspicious meaning. For example, the lions, king of the animals, show the stateliness of the emperors, the camels, symbol of desert and tropical areas, indicate the vast territory of the dynasty and the elephants imply that the policies of the dynasty are to meet the desire of the grass root and the stabilization of the dynasty. Beyond the animals is a pair of decorative columns called Hua Biao that are carved with dragons. From here the Sacred Way turns into a north-south direction and becomes known at Weng Zhong Road. This location is marked by stone carved statues of ministers and generals. Different from the straight sacred ways in the former dynasties, the Sacred Way at Ming Xiaoling goes in different directions making it unique and unprecedented in Chinese history.

Continuing north along the Sacred Way, you will reach the main body of the mausoleum. There you will start from the Golden Water Bridge (Jin Shui Qiao) and arrive at the main gate named Wen Wu Archway. Outside the gate, there is a stone tablet with words carved in six languages notifying visitors of the importance of the mausoleum. You next arrive at the Xiao Ling Hall, the main structure of the mausoleum. It was rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and was smaller in size than the original. Figures of Emperor Chengzu and Queen Ma are hanging inside on the wall. There are also a variety of sculptures depicting various scenes like the 'Two Dragons Playing with the Pearl', 'the Heavenly Horses Flying in the Sky' and 'the Blazing Sun over the Country'. Then you will come to Fang Cheng (a castle-like building) and Ming Lou (a structure built in palace style with four walls left only). They are both innovations of the Ming Dynasty. The last part is Bao Cheng that looks like a massif and the tomb of Emperor Chengzu and Queen Ma is just beneath.

Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum is renowned for its unique design, its eminent status, its amazing beauty and its magnificent scale. It's the milestone in the historical development of Chinese mausoleums. As an extension of the 'Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it is listed by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site.

Nanjing Attractions- Confucius Temple

The Confucius Temple in Nanjing was originally constructed in the year of 1034 in the Song Dynasty. It was a place to worship and consecrate Confucius, the great philosopher and educator of ancient China. It is also known as Fuzimiao in Chinese. This temple suffered repeated damage and has been rebuilt on several occasions since that time. 1937 was the most destruction when it was burnt to ruin by Japanese aggressors. In 1984 the temple was rebuilt under the support of the local government. During the long process, the original building expanded to be a complex building in the architectural style of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, including the Confucius Temple itself, the Jiangnan Gongyuan (the place of imperial examinations) and the Xue Gong (the Imperial Academy). The complex is still called the Confucius Temple out of habit by locals and visitors.

In front of the Confucius Temple, the Qin Huai River is

flowing. On the south bank of the river, there is the longest screen wall in China whichis 110-meter-long (about 120 yards) and piled with bricks. The Dacheng Hall is recommended on your trip. It is 16.22 meters high (about 53 feet) and 28.1 meters (about 30 yards) wide featuring a 1.5-meter-high (about 5 feet)pedestal. There are two worthwhile attractions found in the inner hall. One is the largest figure of Confucius in China. The other one is the beautiful collection of 38 vivid panels which are made by various jade, gold and silver, detailing the life of Confucius. Out of the hall, you will see the bronze statue of Confucius as well as the white marble statues of his eight disciples.

 

A fantastic insight into how ancient Chinese governments choose officials can be gained from visiting the Jiangnan Gongyuan. It is a sight not to be missed. The development of Gongyuan began in the Southern Song Dynasty (420-589), expanding into the Ming and Qing Dynasties, until in the reign of Emperor Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty. It developed to be the biggest exanimation school in China. The main building of Gongyuan is the three-storied Mingyuan Tower which is surrounded by 20,644 examination cells, called 'haoshe' in Chinese. Now, a specialized museum on the imperial civil examination system is built here. Visitors also have the opportunity to take simulated exams and experience the joys and sorrows of the candidates.

The area around the temple consists of a series of tourist shops, snack bars, restaurants and tea cafes. They all appear to be in the architectural style of the Ming and Qing style. A variety of snacks encompassing eight of the most famous flavours are available for purchase at here. Everyone's individual tastes are well catered for.They are necessary parts of food culture in Nanjing