West Nanjing Travel Video Guide

West Nanjing Travel Itinerary

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The west and southwest of the city have a few minor and one major sights to offer. An impressive bastion of the city wall is located at the so-called Stone City towering high above the small Qinhuai River, which runs a little way to the east of the Yangzi. This is part of the original city wall, around two thousand years old. Although it was constantly strengthened and eventually became part of the Ming defences, the original structure, of red rock in places, is still plainly visible along a three-hundred-metre section of the wall. You can see it from bus #18, which runs outside the walls between Xinjiekou and the West train station.

Inside the wall in this area is a sprinkling of small parks, most of which are mobbed by locals at weekends but which still offer, in places, a sense of open space. Hard by the wall itself, the National Defence Park (daily 7am-9pm; Y4) contains specimens of military hardware, while immediately to the east of here, across Huju Lu (just west of the Normal University) is the very pleasant little Qingliang Shan (daily 6.30am-5pm; Y5), atop a small hillock, where Song emperors once kept residence for the torrid summer months. The tiny Wulong Park (daily 7am-5.30pm; Y2), another short walk south of here, is often full of old musicians who gather to sing opera and play traditional instruments.

Farther south, just across the narrow Qinhuai River, lies the entrance to Mochou Hu Park (daily 6.30am-midnight; Y12), which is only worth the rather steep entrance fee during uncrowded weekdays - at weekends, this park is invaded by hordes of loud schoolchildren. An open-air stage juts out into the lake here, with a substantial tea house behind. A clutch of pavilions and walkways includes the Square Pavilion , with a statue of the legendary maiden, Mochou, after whom the lake is named: her name means "sorrow free" because her sweet singing could soothe away all unhappiness. Ming emperor Zhu Yuanzhang once played a pivotal game of chess with his first general in the Winning Chess Building , next to the Square Pavilion. Mochou Hu Park is serviced by bus #7 from Fuzi Miao.

West of the park is the must-see Memorial to the Nanjing Massacre (daily 8.30am-4.30pm; Y5), also served by bus #7. A

visit to this grim, gravelly garden includes a gruesome display of victims' skulls and bones, half-buried in the dirt, as well as a clearly marked (in English) pictographic account of the butchery. See this to understand the incredible sufferings endured by the Chinese people at the hands of the Japanese army during World War II. Hearteningly, the last room is devoted to reconciliation between the Chinese and Japanese peoples with displays of contrite letters written by Japanese schoolchildren.

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