A One-Day Itinerary for Self-Guided Tours in Nanjing

Nanjing is a city with a rich history and culture, a city with a unique past. It was once the capital of the Six Dynasties and was also the site of a massacre during World War II by Japanese invaders. People here have a unique historical responsibility and an inexplicable passion. Here’s a one-day itinerary for self-guided tours in Nanjing.

Nanjing Metro

The weather in Nanjing is still hot in September. The sun, chasing the tail of late summer, once again shows its power, as if afraid that people will forget about it.

Nanjing, a city that was once the capital of the Six Dynasties and home to ten emperors, is also a place that Emperor Qianlong visited six times during his tours of the south. Its historical status is clear to see.

Our first stop in Nanjing was to visit Purple Mountain. Purple Mountain has always been considered a holy place.

It is said that when Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang chose his tomb, he did so because Purple Mountain had a dragon vein. When he asked his two most trusted ministers for their opinions, he asked each to write down the location in silence. The two ministers both wrote down Purple Mountain. Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang built his mausoleum here.

Speaking of Emperor Zhu, he was truly a man who was devoted to his wife. The name of his mausoleum, Xiaoling Palace, was named after Empress Ma’s posthumous title.

This emperor who killed countless people in his lifetime was deeply devoted to his wife, Empress Ma. Because Empress Ma liked winter plum blossoms, he planted many winter plum trees around his mausoleum. His tough exterior and tender heart make one reflect on another side of this emperor.

The famous Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum is also on Purple Mountain. On the map, the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum is right at the foot of Xiaoling Palace, geographically above it. Further up, you are almost at the top of the mountain. Sun Yat-sen rests here.

Unfortunately, we went on a day when it was closed for repairs. We could only climb the mountain and look at it from outside, peering through the fence. Our disappointment was evident. Perhaps we were not destined to see it.

From the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, we went down the mountain to Meiling Palace, the place where Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling once lived. It was also Chiang Kai-shek’s gift to Soong Mei-ling.

To win the beautiful woman’s heart, Chiang Kai-shek ingeniously created a large heart-shaped necklace on the mountains around Meiling Palace on Purple Mountain, using plants of different colors to distinguish them. Meiling Palace is in the center of the heart.

The center of the circle is Meiling Palace

Meiling Palace is surrounded by quiet, beautiful scenery. The building has three floors and a basement, which was designed for servants and guards to live and wash.

Chiang and Soong’s bedroom was on the third floor, with two rooms, a master bedroom and a guest bedroom. This was the most private space for the couple. If Chiang Kai-shek held a dinner party for any high officials on this floor, it would be a great honor.

The second floor was mainly for receiving guests. There was a small banquet hall. The luxury of the hall would not be out of place even today, which shows Soong Mei-ling’s aesthetic taste and pursuit of perfection.

The first floor was mainly for receiving ordinary people, as well as offices and dormitories for secretaries. It was much more simple than the upper floors, but the fine decoration and good materials were still above the ordinary.

Presidential Palace

Next, we visited the Presidential Palace. Sun Yat-sen declared the establishment of the Nationalist government here and worked here. After Sun Yat-sen’s death, Chiang Kai-shek made it the government’s administrative building and continued to work here to handle daily affairs.

In the feudal dynasties, every governor of the Two Jiang provinces was appointed here. In addition, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom also built a palace here and reigned for ten years.

Therefore, it is difficult to give the Presidential Palace an accurate definition. To this day, the flagpole above the Presidential Palace gate is usually not flown with a flag. It is only flown with a red flag during the New Year, National Day, May 1st, and the day the People’s Liberation Army captured Nanjing. At other times, it is always left bare, which shows how much the government cares about respecting history.

Speaking of this, we have to mention the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, a period of historical significance.

While visiting the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom exhibition hall, one question kept popping into my head: What role did the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom play in the course of history?

With this question, I discussed it with my husband. Finally, after consulting some materials, I learned that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom played a significant role in the course of Chinese history. It also played a leading role in peasant movements in Asia.

Unfortunately, after Hong Xiuquan declared himself king, he ignored state affairs and was obsessed with entertainment in the palace. In addition, his suspicious and cruel nature led to the short-lived reign of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, only lasting ten years.

In the end, Hong Xiuquan could not escape being burned to ashes. It is a pity that such a peasant hero had such a tragic end.

History only gave the Heavenly Kingdom ten years, after which this peasant rebellion was crushed under the vast river of history and gradually forgotten by people…

It is also a good choice to take a night cruise on the Qinhuai River in Nanjing.

Night View of the Qinhuai River

The Qinhuai River is located next to the Confucius Temple, and the two are adjacent to each other. Every night, the Qinhuai River banks are brightly lit, with music and dancing.

The scenic area has arranged special boats to take tourists for a cruise. There will also be performances of high scholars on the banks, recreating the scene of the imperial examinations in the past.

According to locals, the Qinhuai River is even more lively during the New Year, with all sorts of performances, one after another, making it hard to take it all in.

The cultural heritage of Nanjing lies in this. This place is a land of outstanding people and beautiful scenery. Many celebrities and scholars have settled here, as well as high officials and marquises.

In Nanjing, every place, every street name has a real historical story behind it. Even some bridges can be traced back to anecdotes.

Its weight and the suffering it has endured are unforgettable. It encapsulates the history of a nation. What it presents to us today is a modern metropolis.

Nanjing is like a runner, taking over the baton of history and continuing the unfinished chapters of its predecessors.