Nanjing Travel Guide for Independent Travelers

Nanjing is a mysterious ancient city that has stood in the East for thousands of years. It is the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties, and the magnificent aura of the emperors is dazzling. During World War II, it suffered the crazy massacre of the Japanese invaders, all of which left a profound impression on Nanjing. Below is a travel guide for independent travel in Nanjing.

Most of the time, people’s travels are just walking between attractions. I like the kind of travel where I can roam freely in the streets and alleys of unfamiliar environments.

Because only there can I get close to and feel the real life and folk customs of the local people. For me, this kind of travel is what can be called a soul journey.

Every time I go to a place, I like to eat the local food. In terms of authentic taste, nothing beats the various snacks hidden in the streets and alleys.

So, finding food is another one of my interests when traveling. Following the directions of the mobile phone navigation, we first found a food street called Mingwa Corridor.

The street is not very big, with shops lining both sides, large and small, with many shops arranged in a row. Chinese and Western styles are interwoven with each other just right.

If you don’t deliberately look for it, ordinary tourists really can’t find this place. In the midst of being dazzled, we suddenly saw a long queue in front of a shop.

We went closer to find out it was a cooked food shop specializing in selling ducks. The people queuing up were all local residents, some old and some young, patiently waiting to buy roast duck.

Nanjing independent travel travel guide video

We asked the residents who were queuing up and learned that this duck shop has been in business for decades, and its reputation is excellent. They introduced that the roast duck here is very delicious, the skin is crispy and the meat is tender, the appearance is oily and shiny, and the taste is unique.

How could I miss this delicious food? I hurriedly joined the tail of the long queue, with immense excitement, looking forward to tasting the delicious food that the local residents loved.

Finally, I got the delicious food after a long wait. I took a sniff, and the sweet smell of duck made my mouth water. I picked up a piece and put it in my mouth. The crispy and oily duck skin was full of flavor.

The dipping sauce is sweet with a salty taste. When combined with the tender duck meat, it produces another taste. For a while, the aftertaste lingers for months. The locals say, “Nanjing people can’t live without duck for a day.” I said, “With this duck, I can give up rice.”

Walking along the street, we were attracted to a shop called “Golden Chestnut” again. The shop was small but there were a lot of people queuing up. The queue went out in an S-shape for a long distance. 

It’s not easy to do business like this

Some people came all the way from afar, specially for this shop. The shop has a rule that each person can only buy 50 yuan worth of chestnuts at a time. They won’t sell you any more than that. Moreover, the owner only sells seasonal chestnuts for a year.

Indeed, good wine needs no bush. This proverb is fully reflected in this small shop of less than 20 square meters.

When the seasonal chestnuts are sold out, the owner also takes a break for half a year, until the next year’s fresh chestnuts are on the market.

The owner said, “This is to ensure that the roasted chestnuts taste good.” Conscientious work, upright conduct, the business philosophy of Nanjing merchants can be seen at a glance.

The owner has another special feature, that is, he does not open a chain store or franchise, and does not sell it online. There is only this one store in the whole of Nanjing, and it is deeply hidden in a small alley.

Even more awesome is the owner of this shop. He specially posted a notice to inform customers that if they want to buy more after buying, they must go to the end of the queue and re-queue to buy, otherwise it will not be recognized. 

What a badass notice

I think, so far, except for the dissemination of government decrees, no social group has dared to post such a badass notice to customers. As the saying goes, “One trick can make you eat all over the world.”

To be honest, the roasted chestnuts in this shop are really delicious. Every time I eat halfway through the chestnuts, I have to quickly put the bag away, otherwise I won’t be able to stop.

We are fortunate to have found this fragrant roasted chestnut through our mobile phones and to have eaten the delicious food that only the Nanjing people know.

Often, what you deliberately arrange may not be what you want, and what you discover by chance may be what you have been yearning for.

Leaving Mingwa Corridor, we used mobile phone navigation again to find another scenic spot in Nanjing – Laomendong, a place that is no less magnificent than Confucius Temple in terms of both appearance and architectural style.

But it just doesn’t have the popularity of Confucius Temple. Laomendong’s overall architecture is based on the original old houses, and it is repaired to be antique. If you ignore the artificial traces, you can still vaguely see the marks left by the years.

It’s a little colder than Confucius Temple

It is said that a champion was born in Laomendong. In front of an old house, there is still a plaque erected in those days, with a stepping stone on each side.

The streets of Laomendong are horizontally and vertically aligned, neatly arranged. Even if you have no sense of direction, you don’t have to worry about getting lost here.

Walking slowly along the criss-crossing streets, you will be amazed by the old houses that appear from time to time.

They have gone through decades of vicissitudes, some even dating back to the late Qing Dynasty, and still stand tall today, using their remaining bodies to tell the stories of their past glory. Each encounter is awe-inspiring.

It can even make people imagine, imagining what this family was doing at that time, what it would be like to live in that house.

There are also many shops in Laomendong. Perhaps it was the wrong time we went, there was very little traffic and business seemed cold. The staff in each shop were all bored sitting there playing with their phones.

Laomendong

As the night deepens and people disperse, Laomendong stands there quietly, guarding its old houses, silently and uncontested, like an aged mother, low-key and meaningful.

Bidding farewell to Laomendong, we returned to the hotel. Thinking back to all the places we’ve been these past few days, we’ve all covered them on foot. Apart from having to take the subway, we have been walking all the time.

This process is something that you can’t enjoy by taking a bus or joining a group tour. Although it’s tiring, it’s full of surprises and adds a lot of fun to the whole trip.

On this kind of trip, you can stop anytime and chat with the locals for a few words. You can also buy good things that you find randomly.

You can even sit down on the ground, according to your mood, and watch the scenery around you. Watch the people coming and going in a hurry, imagine what they do at work, and take a stroll in the ancient capital by the way.

Nanjing, not only has the characteristics of the South, but also the dietary habits of the North. This is probably related to the Qinhuai River.