Visiting Nanjing for a Day

Nanjing is a large city, the capital of Jiangsu Province and the site of a number of significant events in China’s history. There are many attractions and places of interest for the visitor. If time is limited and choices have to be made, some prior research and guidance will be helpful. For a day in Nanjing, the following programme could be considered worthwhile.

Zhongshan National Park

A good way to start the day is a walk in Zhongshan Mountain National Park. In fact the visitor could easily spend a whole day on Zhongshan, which covers 31 square km. Amongst its many attractions are the UNESCO World Heritage listed Ming Tomb Scenic Area and a cableway to the mountain peak. However with time of the essence, a choice has to be made.

For the majority of domestic tourists, the main attraction is the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. This imposing structure is reached by 392 steps that climb 70 metres, making it a landmark on Zhongshan. It is the last resting place of the leader who took China out of imperialism. Sun Yat-sen is revered in China despite subsequent political and military events that saw the Communists overthrow the Kuomintang, the party he took to power.

Visitors to the mausoleum should expect crowds, especially on the weekends. But the grounds are spacious and the movement of people is efficient. The Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum complex includes a number of other buildings of interest that the domestic tourist groups readily bypass.

The entrance fee to the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum also provides admittance to nearby Linggu Temple Scenic Area. This is worth the connecting cart-train ride, particularly for the visitor interested in Chinese political history.

The 'Beamless Hall' is a striking brick building. It now houses a potted history of China’s political fortunes from the time of the humiliating Treaty of Nanking in 1842 to the First United Front formed between the KMT and the CCP in 1923. Past the hall the visitor crosses a cemetery for soldiers of the National Revolutionary Army killed in battle, before arriving at the eight storey Linggu Pagoda. On a clear day a climb to the top of the pagoda offers a panoramic view.

Opposite the Linggu Temple Scenic Area is a rather understated mass grave for victims of Japanese atrocities when they occupied Nanjing in December 1937. Those darkest days in Nanjing's history are memorialized across town, in what is a sombre but required experience for the visitor with an appreciation of Chinese history.

The Nanjing Massacre Memorial

The 'Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders' is an extraordinary visitor experience. Over a six week period Japanese troops murdered 300,000 Nanjing citizens, raping and torturing as they did so. This was a war crime of horrendous proportions, and China wants the world to know the real story. This extremely moving memorial leaves no doubt about the impact that event had on the nation and its people.

Not for everyone, the Nanjing Massacre Museum is a place to be visited with respect for the victims and for the story it tells of what war can do to people – those who are badly led, and those who are the most vulnerable.

Mochou Lake

On leaving the Massacre Museum the visitor will be in need of something more cheerful, more representative of all that is good in life. A Chinese garden invariably lifts the spirits, and there is a special one nearby. A short walk back towards town and before crossing Shuiximen Bridge is Mochou Lake.

A pleasant 45 minute stroll takes the visitor around the lake's perimeter path, beautifully landscaped and lined with a great variety of Chinese flora. The lake’s development dates to the Ming Dynasty. There are many historical references here too, such as the pomegranate tree grove planted in 1912 to commemorate the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty. One hardy individual remains, a reminder of Sun Yat-sen's policy of tree planting.

The perfect way to end a busy day in Nanjing, Mochou Lake is truly an oasis in a city that might otherwise leave the visitor with the feeling that the city’s history leaves a pall hanging over it.