Nanjing Attractions

In the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom History Museum, the tale of one of the most astounding rebellions in Chinese history is told. The leader of the rebels, Hong Xiuquan was the self-professed little brother of Jesus and ruled under the name of Heavenly King. He was able to gather an army strong enough to nearly topple the Qing dynasty. Another museum, newly renovated and well equipped, is the Nanjing Museum exhibiting bronze vessels, jade, ceramics and calligraphy.

Sun Yat-sen, who became president of the Republic of China after the Qing dynasty fell in 1911, also made Nanjing the national capital, until the Japanese attacked the city, which remains a sensitive issue between China and Japan. The Japanese soldiers, frustrated by a surprisingly dogged defense by Chinese troops, unleashed their frustrations on the Nanjing's civilian populace when the Nationalist forces were eventually routed. When Japanese forces entered the city on December 13, 1937, an estimated 300,000 Nanjing residents were killed by marauding Japanese in a condoned and orchestrated orgy of rape and murder that lasted six weeks. Bayonet practices on live victims, forcing captives to dig their own graves before being buried alive, indiscriminate slaughter and rape of children and the elderly would terrorize Nanjing. A grotesque competition between two Japanese officers to see who could behead the most victims was eventually called a tie after both claimed over a hundred heads. The victims of the massacre are commemorated at the somber Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall, which is built over the site of a mass grave. Documents, videos and graphic pictures documenting the violence are exhibited, as is the site of the mass grave itself. Sadly, like the Holocaust, revisionists continue to refute the events that occurred and the lack of a formal apology and scant coverage in Japanese history texts remains a point of contention form any in Asia.

Surrounding Nanjing is a 33.5kmlong city wall with an average height of 12mandwidth of 8m, but unfortunately the walls areno longer complete. Built from 1366 to1386, it was one of the longest city walls everconstructed. Zhonghua Men, the most imposing gate, still standsand is open for visits into its cavernous hall.Within the city wall, there are few olderbuildings, and most major historical sightsare on the Purple Mountain on the easternside of the city. The exceptions are the14thcentury Drum Tower and the Bell Tower in the center ofthe city. However, along the Qinhuai River an old neighborhood intypical southern Chinese style has beenrebuilt as a pedestrian thoroughfare. The atmosphere is authentic Chinese marketbustle – loud and bustling, even if thebuildings are new. The area has many shops,teahouses and restaurants which make for agood way to pass a couple hours. Also in thearea is the Confucius Temple, once a center of learning, with animperial examination hall nearby. Thepresent buildings are Qing era or newreconstructions.

The Yangtze River Bridge is the pride of modern Nanjing. The 4.5km-long bridge is a key point for traffic between north and south China. Work on this double-decker bridge commenced in 1961 and was finished in 1968. A ferry link was used to cross the mighty river prior its construction.

History aside, Nanjing is a very pleasant city with almost every street flanked by trees and there are plenty of parks and lakes. The Xuanwu Lake is a popular spot for an outing with pavilions and small pagodas and Chinese families splashing around in boats. Another enjoyable park, though once an execution ground, is also the Martyr's Cemetery a memorial to the Communists who lost their lives battling the Nationalists.