Nanjing
About Nanjing
Nanjing is a city where imperial grandeur meets riverside melancholy. Skyscrapers rise behind 600-year-old city walls, while plane-lined boulevards lead to misty Qinhuai River teahouses. It is scholarly yet rebellious—once the capital of six dynasties, later the site of modern China's darkest hour, and today a booming tech hub that still fries its duck in 300-year-old recipes. From the Wu Kingdom (229 CE) through the Ming founding (1368) to the Republican era (1912-1949), Nanjing has repeatedly shaped China's destiny. The city protects more than 200 UNESCO-recognized intangible crafts—among them Yun-Brocade weaving, gold-foil beating and the melancholy Qinhuai lantern songs. Its dialect preserves archaic Wu pronunciations, and its cuisine fuses Huai-Yang finesse with rustic river flavors. Local food includes salt-water duck, duck-blood vermicelli soup, sesame-scented duck-oil pancakes, sweet taro 'Osmanthus Garden', and the eight seasonal 'Water Eight Immortals' (water chestnuts, lotus roots, wild rice shoots).
中山陵 | Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum
Marble staircase of 392 steps leading to the father of modern China's blue-tiled tomb, framed by purple maple forests.
南京城墙（中华门段） | Nanjing City Wall (Zhonghua Gate)
The world's longest ancient city wall—21 km of Ming-dynasty brickwork with triple-layered gate tunnels and hidden soldier ramps.
夫子庙—秦淮河风光带 | Confucius Temple & Qinhuai River Scenic Belt
Lantern-lit riverboats glide past teahouses selling salted duck, while Ming-era scholar halls echo with ping-tan ballads.
总统府 | Presidential Palace
From Ming prince's palace to Taiping Heavenly King's palace, then Nationalist government HQ—three eras under one roof.
明孝陵 | Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum
UNESCO World Heritage tomb of the first Ming emperor guarded by stone elephants and camels along the Sacred Way.
侵华日军南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆 | Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre
Stark, minimalist architecture that honors 300,000 lives through survivor testimonies and an underground time capsule.
玄武湖 | Xuanwu Lake
Five islets connected by arched bridges; lotus blooms in summer, plum blossoms in February, city skyline mirrored in water.
南京博物院 | Nanjing Museum
One of China's three great museums—calligraphy, Ming imperial porcelain and a full-size Han-dynasty jade burial suit.
老门东历史街区 | Laomendong Historic Quarter
Restored Ming-Qing alleyways with black-brick arches, craft studios, and courtyard cafés serving osmanthus duck.
栖霞山 | Qixia Mountain
Autumn maple forests blaze red around the 1,500-year-old Qixia Temple and Tang-dynasty stone Buddhas carved into cliffs.
金原鸭血粉丝汤总店 | Jinyuan Duck-Blood Vermicelli Soup
A 30-year neighborhood fixture ladling peppery broth with silky blood cubes and crispy duck gizzards.
八八餐厅 | Baba Restaurant
Pocket-sized dive famous for salt-pepper chicken wings and home-style sauerkraut fish; expect queues.
奇食大不同菜馆 | Strange-Flavor Bistro
'Kung-pao double stink' (chicken + fermented tofu) and chili stir-fried kidneys keep tables packed nightly.
翠竹小馆 | Jade Bamboo Eatery
Stainless-basin bone-stewed bullfrog and crispy pork intestines—crowded, noisy, irresistible.
诚信餐厅 | Integrity Restaurant
1999 veteran reviving lost recipes like fermented-bean steamed fish and crispy pork belly.
龙梅肥肠鱼 | Longmei Intestine & Fish
Fiery copper pot loaded with tender grass-carp fillets and melt-in-mouth intestines.
十月面馆 | October Noodle House
Hand-pulled noodles topped with fist-sized braised pork or crispy pork-belly 'dry-toss' style.
胖子砂锅 | Fatty's Clay-Pot
18-yuan beef-tendon clay-pot with quail eggs and glass noodles—long line, zero décor.
狗耳巷馄饨面 | Gou'er Lane Wonton Noodles
Street-side cart with 7-yuan wonton soup, homemade chili oil and hand-pulled alkaline noodles since 1998.
二娃小馆 | Erwa Canteen
Alumni shrine near NJFU famed for silky sauerkraut fish and iron-plate razor clams.
High value, low price local experiences
南京城墙夜跑 | City-Wall Night Run
Jog 6 km atop 14-metre-high battlements while the Qinhuai River glitters below—free, safe and unforgettable.
云锦手工织机体验 | Yun-Brocade Loom Workshop
Weave a palm-sized silk swatch on a 1.8-m-tall wooden loom used in Ming imperial robes.
秦淮河画舫+评弹 | Qinhuai River Gondola & Ping-tan
45-minute lantern boat ride with live Suzhou storytelling—costs less than a London coffee.
民国旗袍写真 | Republican-Era Qipao Photoshoot
Dress in 1930s silk cheongsam, pose in vintage Packard cars and opium-era alleyways—package under ¥300.
金箔贴金体验 | Gold-Foil Beating Workshop
Hammer 24k gold into 0.11-micron sheets and gild your own bookmark—skill mastered only in Nanjing.
盐水鸭制作课 | Salt-Water Duck Masterclass
Learn brining, air-drying and slicing from a 4th-generation duck master; take home ½ bird.
紫金山天文台观星夜 | Purple Mountain Observatory Stargazing
Peer through 1934 Zeiss refractor at Saturn's rings—ticket cheaper than a cinema seat.
金陵刻经印刷 | Jinling Scripture Woodblock Printing
Hand-print a page from the 1,400-year-old Buddhist canon using carved pear-wood blocks.