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Two kilometres due south of Gulou along Zhongshan Lu lies the main commercial centre of Nanjing, Xinjiekou , centred on a huge traffic circle adorned by a statue of Sun Yatsen. As the geographical centre of the city, you are certain to pass through here, whether for shopping, dining or simply catching buses. Teeming with banks, hotels and department stores, the traffic circle itself does not contain any specific sights, but the streets are lively and quite major sights lie within walking distance. Shortly to the east, about fifteen minutes' walk from Xinjiekou, and a short block north, on Changjiang Lu (running into Hanfu Jie), are a couple of fascinating buildings. The first of these is an otherwise obscure government building at 292 Changjiang Lu, the Tianchao Gong (Palace of the Heavenly Kingdom; daily 8am-4.45pm; Y10), located in the Suzhou-esque Xu Yuan Garden . From a historical point of view, this is one of the most interesting buildings in China. Tianchao Gong and Xu Yuan were both built more than six hundred years ago as the private residence and gardens of a Ming prince, and were subsequently turned into the seat of the provincial governor under the Qing. In 1853 the building was seized by the armies of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and converted into the headquarters of Taiping leader Hong Xiuquan. Later, after the overthrow of the Qing, it became the Guomindang Government's Presidential Palace. It was from here, in the early decades of this century, that first Sun Yatsen and later the arch-enemy Chiang Kaishek governed China. Visiting the palace today, you'll see exhibitions of the Taiping Uprising and of the life and times of Sun Yatsen. Even the hated Chiang Kaishek appears in a few photos. The surrounding garden is a favourite destination of Nanjing families and can get very crowded at weekends. A short walk east is the Meiyuan Xincun (daily 8am-5pm; Y8), the former office of the Chinese Communist Party, headed by Zhou Enlai, based here during the time of the Guomindang government. The Communists and the Guomindang held a failed series of peace talks here in 1946 and 1947, which broke down soon thereafter into civil war. The museum is well worth a visit of only to observe the bitterly anti-GMD slant of the explanations (most of which are in English.) There are one or two fascinating photos, including a little-known snap of Chiang Kaishek and Mao Zedong standing chatting together. In the other direction from Xinjiekou - about 1km to the southwest - on Jianye Lu (bus route #4 from Fuzi Miao), is the former Ming palace, the Chaotian Gong , now containing the Municipal Museum (daily 9-11am & 2-5pm; Y14 including the court rites show). The large square that houses the palace, bounded by a high vermilion wall on one side and a gateway protected by tigers on the other, is supposedly the site of the ancient Ye Cheng (Foundry City), built in the fifth century BC. During the Han dynasty, the square also served as a meeting place where peasants could gather to offer sacrifices to the heavens or ask for a fruitful harvest. The palace was subsequently built here in 1384 by the Ming, and used by nobles to worship their ancestors, as well as for audiences with the emperor - hence the name Chaotian, meaning Worshipping Heaven. Later it became a seat of learning and a temple to Confucius, before becoming a tiny museum, which contains a few excellent bronzes. In the palace square, there is additionally a display of Ming-dynasty court rites (daily 11.15am-12.15pm), showing the emperor's entrance surrounded by courtiers, eunuchs, guards and dancing girls. It's touristy and amusing rather than seriously educational, but quite an elaborate show.
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