Is Nanjing Yejianlou Scenic Area Fun and Worth Visiting?

Nanjing Yejianlou is a very famous tourist attraction in China. There are many interesting attractions in the scenic area. In addition to visiting Yejianlou, you can also visit the ancient city wall, the Seven-hole Lion Bridge, the Tianfei Palace, the Jinghai Temple, etc. See below for details.

1、Yejianlou

Yejianlou is themed with Ming culture, divided into three main themes: “Unity, Openness, Development”; respectively displaying the statues of 16 emperors of the Ming Dynasty, the territory of the Ming Dynasty, etc. The scenic area also has five “largest in the country”, namely the porcelain painting “The Complete Picture of Zheng He’s Voyages”, the double-sided embroidery of “The Four Famous Lou Buildings in the Jiangnan Area”, the white marble carving of “Records of Yejianlou”, the Yejianlou tripod, and the lion ridge Yejian relief, with novel ideas, exquisite craftsmanship, and unique characteristics. It fully reflects the long history and rich cultural heritage of Yejianlou.

2、Ancient City Wall

A well-preserved section of the ancient city wall of Nanjing. Zhu Yuanzhang adopted the advice of the senior strategist Zhu Sheng, “Build high walls, store plenty of grain, and wait for the right moment to become king”, and began building the city wall three years before he became emperor (1366). It took a total of 21 years to build a 33.676 km long city wall in Nanjing. Because Lion Mountain is close to the Yangtze River and is the center of Nanjing’s defense line and a military fortress, a 1.5 km long city wall was built on Lion Mountain to strengthen the defense.

3、Seven-hole Lion Bridge

The bridge is beautifully designed, with seven holes underneath. The Lion Bridge crosses Lulong Lake, connecting Chengnan Road in the east and the Yejianlou Scenic Area in the west. The bridge is beautifully designed, with seven holes underneath, reflecting on the water surface, connected to each other, commonly known as the Seven-hole Bridge.

4、Tianfei Palace

Nanjing Tianfei Palace was built in the fifth year of Yongle of the Ming Dynasty (1407), historically known as Longjiang Tianfei Palace. It was built by the court after Zheng He’s first voyage to the West and returned to China, attributing the safe voyage to the spiritual response of the Tianfei deity. It is the highest in specifications and the most magnificent in scale. Every year on the 23rd day of the third lunar month, the birthday of the Tianfei deity, people from all over the world come to the Tianfei Palace to burn incense and pray for blessings.

5、Jinghai Temple

Jinghai Temple is located north of Lion Mountain, east of Tianfei Palace and west of the city wall. It was built by Emperor Zhu Di, the Ming Chengzu, to commend Zheng He’s achievements in navigation. It is one of the ten royal monasteries in the Ming Dynasty and an important historical relic of the Maritime Silk Road and Zheng He’s voyages to the West. On August 29, 1842, the Sino-British Treaty of Nanjing was negotiated here, marking the beginning of modern Chinese history. In November 2012, Nanjing Jinghai Temple was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Maritime Silk Road project.

6、The Statue of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, the First Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Leading His Troops

After entering the Yejianlou Scenic Area from the east gate, there is a tall statue, which is the statue of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, leading his troops. Zhu Yuanzhang was a legendary figure. He was from Fengyang, Anhui, and his ancestral home was in Juyong, Jiangsu. His grandfather escaped from the heavy labor and moved his family from Juyong to the then Sizhou (now within the territory of Sihong County) and later moved to Fengyang County, Anhui. Zhu Yuanzhang was born in Fengyang County in 1328. He was a cowherd boy in his childhood. After the death of his parents, he became a monk at the Huangjue Temple in his hometown at the age of 17. At the age of 25, he joined the Red Turban Army, a peasant uprising led by Guo Zixing, and married Guo Zixing’s adopted daughter, Ma Shi. At the age of 27, Guo Zixing died, and Zhu Yuanzhang became the commander of the army. At the age of 28 (March 1356), he led his troops to capture Nanjing. In 1364, he became the “King of Wu”. In 1368, he ascended the throne and established the Ming Dynasty, with the era name “Hongwu”. He reigned for 31 years. He died in 1398 and was buried at Dulongfu, Zhu Feng, on Zijin Mountain in Nanjing.

7、The “First Lou Building in Jiangnan” Archway

The inscription is by the famous calligrapher Wei Tianchi. The archway stands on the uphill path to the south of Yejianlou. It bears the five large characters “First Lou Building in Jiangnan”, written by the famous calligrapher Wei Tianchi. Therefore, it is called the “First Lou Building in Jiangnan”, because it is the largest of the Four Famous Lou Buildings in terms of size, height, and momentum. It is also the first famous Lou Building going up from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

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