Lonely Planet China
Page 44
After the pavilion, zip across the bay by cable car (one way/return ¥30/50; h8am-5.10pm) for cliffside walks overlooking the Bo and Yellow Seas. There are also museums (open 7.30am to 5.30pm) dedicated to ancient shipbuilding, regional relics and Qi Jiguang, a local-born Ming-dynasty general who battled pirates.
If you arrive after a heavy rain, keep an eye out for mirages at sea that have appeared every few years. Long ago, this earned Pénglái a reputation as a gateway to immortal lands and compelled Emperor Qin Shi Huang to send ships in search of islands of immortality further east.
4Sleeping & Eating
There are many hotels in Pénglái city, but most travellers visit as a day trip from Yāntái, which has better accommodation choices.
Pénglái city has loads of restaurants; the roads around Zhonglou Beilu, not far from the bus station, are a good place to start.
8Getting There & Away
Pénglái is an easy day trip by bus from Yāntái (¥23 to ¥27, 1½ hours, frequently, 5.30am to 6pm), with the last bus returning at 7.30pm/6pm summer/winter. The bus station (166 Zhonglou Beilu; 钟楼北路166号 ) is a 15-minute walk to the park, near the corner of Zhonglou Beilu and Beiguan Lu (北关路). Pénglái is also served by Yāntái Pénglái International Airport, in between the town and Yāntái, although most people arrive by bus.
8Getting Around
Zip across the bay by cable car. Taxi drivers will go from the bus station to the pavilion for ¥9.
Jiāngsū
Nanjing
Suzhou
Mudu
Tongl
Luzhi
Zhouzhuang
Jiāngsū
Pop 78.9 million
Why Go?
A zip – and an entire world – away from Shànghǎi, lush and well-irrigated Jiāngsū (江苏) spills over as much charm and history as the waters that flow through its sparkling web of canals. The province, which owed its historical wealth to silk and salt production, boasts the Grand Canal as well as elaborate waterways that thread through this Yangzi River (Cháng Jiāng) region. It’s known throughout China for its cute canal towns, enchanting gardens and sophisticated opera and folk arts.
Tourists descend on Sūzhōu all four seasons of the year, but kick-start your day early, go slightly off the main streets, and you’ll see the old-world charm and have the place to yourself. In the lovely provincial capital and university town of Nánjīng there’s a lot that remains relatively undiscovered by outsiders: Ming dynasty heritage, leafy boulevards, superb museums and some fantastic restaurants.
When to Go
AMar & Apr Best time to visit the gardens when flowers bloom in early spring.
AOct Mist-shrouded vistas of gardens and canals in autumn.
ADec Snow-covered views of the pretty canal towns of Sūzhōu in winter.
Best Places to Eat
A Běijīng Kǎoyādiàn
A Motu
A Wúmén Rénjiā
A Element Fresh
Best Places to Sleep
A Nánjīng Time International Youth Hostel
A Hilton Hotel
A Garden Hotel
A Sūzhōu Mingtown Youth Hostel
Jiāngsū Highlights
1 Nánjīng Admiring the Nánjīng Museum's splendid collection, climbing the sturdy brickwork of the City Walls and enjoying the delightfully scenic Míng Xiàolíng Tomb.
2 Sūzhōu Feasting your eyes on the modern Sūzhōu Museum's exhibits, exploring the charming Garden of the Master of the Nets, walking along delightful Píngjiāng Lù and getting a highbrow culture fix with a kūnqǔ opera performance.
3 Tónglǐ Losing yourself in the water town's alleys and canals and examining the eye-opening collection of the Chinese Sex Culture Museum.
4 Lùzhí Relaxing in the charming canalside atmosphere of this water town.
5 Mùdú Wandering this historic canal town's streets and alleys.
6 Zhōuzhuāng Ticking off the ancient bridges and residences of this good-looking canalside settlement.
History
Jiāngsū was a relative backwater until the Song dynasty (960–1279), when it emerged as an important commercial centre as trading routes were opened up by the Grand Canal. In particular, the south of the province flourished: the towns of Sūzhōu and Yángzhōu played an important role in silk production, overseen by a large mercantile class.
Prosperity continued through the Ming and Qing dynasties, and with the incursion of Westerners into China in the 1840s, southern Jiāngsū opened up to Western influence. During the catastrophic Taiping Rebellion (1851–64), the Taiping established Nánjīng as their quasi-Christian capital, naming it Tiānjīng (天京; Heavenly Capital).
Jiāngsū was also to play a strong political role in the 20th century when Nánjīng was established as the capital by the Nationalist Party until taken over by the communists in 1949, who moved the capital to Běijīng.
Today, proximity to Shànghǎi guarantees southern Jiāngsū a fast-growing economy and rapid development, although northern Jiāngsū still lags behind.
8Getting There & Around
Jiāngsū is well connected to all major cities in China. There are numerous flights daily from Nánjīng to points around the country, as well as frequent bus and train connections. Getting to Jiāngsū from Shànghǎi is very easy, as high-speed rail connections head to Nánjīng and Sūzhōu.
Jiāngsū has a comprehensive bus system that allows travellers to get around within the province without difficulty – many of the small canal towns are linked to each other by bus – but travelling by train is most straightforward as high-speed trains zip between the major towns.
Nánjīng 南京
%025 / Pop 8.2 million
Many visitors only pass through handsome Nánjīng (南京; literally 'Southern Capital') when travelling from Shànghǎi to Běijīng (or vice versa), but the capital of Jiāngsū, lying on the lower stretches of the Yangzi River, boasts a rich and impressive historical heritage. It's also one of the cleanest and best-looking cities in China.
The major attractions are the echoes of the city’s brief, former glory as the nation’s capital during its Ming dynasty apogee and then as the capital of the Republic of China. A magnificent city wall still encloses most of Nánjīng, and elegant republican-era buildings dot the centre.
The famous university town's atmosphere is both cultured and relaxed, with wide, tree-lined boulevards, chic cafes and excellent museums, in a fine landscape of lakes, forested parks and rivers. The countless wutong trees afford glorious shade on sunny days and lend the city a very leafy complexion, although summer temperatures are poleaxing.
History
During the Qin dynasty (221–207 BC), Nánjīng prospered as a major administrative centre. The city was razed during the Sui dynasty (AD 589–618) but later enjoyed some prosperity under the long-lived Tang dynasty, before slipping once more into obscurity.
In 1356 a peasant rebellion led by Zhu Yuanzhang against the Mongol Yuan dynasty was successful and in 1368 Nánjīng became capital under Zhu's Ming dynasty, but its glory was short-lived. In 1420 the third Ming emperor, Yongle, moved the capital back to Běijīng. From then on Nánjīng’s fortunes variously rose and declined as a regional centre, but it wasn’t until the 19th and 20th centuries that the city returned to the centre stage of Chinese history.
In the 19th century the Opium Wars brought the British to Nánjīng and it was here that the first of the ‘unequal treaties’ was signed, opening several Chinese ports to foreign trade, forcing China to pay a huge war indemnity, and officially ceding the island of Hong Kong to Britain. Just a few years later Nánjīng became the Taiping capital during the Taiping Rebellion, which succeeded in taking over most of southern China.
In 1864 the combined forces of the Qing army, the British army and various European and US mercenaries surrounded the city. They laid siege for seven months, before finally capturing it and killing the Taiping defenders.
The Kuomi
ntang made Nánjīng the capital of the Republic of China from 1928 to 1937. But in the face of advancing Japanese soldiers, the capital was moved to Chóngqìng in 1937. Nánjīng was again capital between 1945 and 1949, when the communists ‘liberated’ the city and made China their own.
Nánjīng
1Top Sights
1Memorial Hall of the Nánjīng MassacreA4
2Míng Xiàolíng TombF3
3Nánjīng MuseumE4
4Sun Yatsen MausoleumG3
5Zhān GardenC6
1Sights
6Fūzǐ TempleC6
Imperial Examinations History MuseumC6
7Jiěfàng GateD3
8Jīmíng TempleD3
9Jiǔhúashān ParkD3
10Ming Palace RuinsE4
11Míng Xiàolíng Scenic AreaF3
12Nánjīng UniversityC3
13Presidential PalaceD4
14Taiping Heavenly Kingdom History MuseumC5
15Wǔcháomén ParkE4
16Xuánwǔ Lake ParkD2
17Zhōnghuá GateC6
18Zhōngshān GateE4
19Zhōngyāng GateC1
20Zǐxiá LakeF3
4Sleeping
21Hilton HotelA5
22Nánjīng Time International Youth HostelD4
23Orange Hotel (Dashiba)C6
5Eating
24AladdinB4
25Běijīng KǎoyādiànD3
26Dàpái DàngC4
27Element FreshC4
28Héfēng BiàndāngC4
29MotuC6
30Sculpting in TimeC6
WagasC4
31Xiānmǎn Táng Shíguō MǐxiànD4
6Drinking & Nightlife
32Behind the WallC3
33Brewsell'sB3
3Entertainment
34Lányuàn TheatreC5
7Shopping
35Foreign Languages BookstoreC4
36Librairie Avant-GardeC4
8Information
37Angel Flossy-Care Dental CenterD4
38Exit & Entry Administration Service CenterC5
39Jiāngsū People's HospitalB4
40Nánjīng International SOS ClinicE4
Transport
41Civil Aviation Administration of ChinaE5
42DragonairC4
43East Bus StationE1
44Gǔlóu District Service CentreB2
45Nánjīng Long-Distance Bus StationC1
46Train Ticket OfficeD4
47Train Ticket OfficeC3
48Train Ticket OfficeD4
49Xuánwǔ District Service CentreD4
1Sights
East Nánjīng
oNánjīng MuseumMUSEUM
(南京博物院, Nánjīng Bówùyuàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 321 Zhongshan Donglu, 中山东路321号 h9am-noon Mon, 9am-4pm Tue-Sun; mMinggugong)F
This fabulous museum had a massive and lavish expansion in 2013 with a brand new, dramatically modern exhibition block added next to its traditional, temple-style hall. All sleekly designed with lashings of marble and wood, alluring displays abound: from Jiāngsū landscape painting, ancient calligraphy (including sutra scrolls from Dūnhuáng) to sculpture (the Ming dynasty carved wood Guanyin beneath the atrium is gorgeous) and much more. Look out for two magnificent Han dynasty jade burial suits among treasures from a royal mausoleum.
On the 3rd floor there's a spectacular selection of gold and copper Tibetan Buddha statues that belonged to the Qing emperors, as well as some extravagant clocks. Ceramics and Qing dynasty furnishings round out a stunning collection. Several exhibition halls are temporary and will receive new collections down the line.
Zhōngshān GateMONUMENT
(中山门, Zhōngshān Mén MAP GOOGLE MAP )
One of the original 13 Ming city gates in town, located in the east of town. Long walks extend along the wall from here and it’s quite common to see locals walking their dogs or taking post-dinner jaunts along the weathered path; there is no charge for climbing the wall here.
Ming Palace RuinsPARK
(明故宫, Míng Gùgōng MAP GOOGLE MAP ; mMinggugong)
The Ming Palace Ruins lie scattered around peaceful but maudlin Wǔcháomén Park. Built by Zhu Yuanzhang, the imperial palace was reportedly a magnificent structure and served as a template for Běijīng's Forbidden City. Clamber atop ruined Meridian Gate (Wǔ Mén), which once had huge walls jutting out at right angles from the main structure, along with watchtowers.
The ruins lend their name to the nearby metro station (Minggugong).
Wǔcháomén ParkPARK
(Wǔcháomén Gōngyuán; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Zhongshan Donglu, 中山东路 h6.30am-9.30pm)F
Peaceful but maudlin Wǔcháomén Park is home to the Ming Palace Ruins, and usually filled with locals practising ballroom dancing while saxophonists, clarinet players and other musicians gather in the resonant tunnels beneath the gate.
Presidential PalaceHISTORIC BUILDING
(总统府, Zǒngtǒng Fǔ MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 292 Changjiang Lu, 长江路292号 ¥40; h7.30am-5.30pm, to 6pm in summer; mDaxinggong)
After the Taiping took over Nánjīng, they built the Mansion of the Heavenly King (天王府; Tiānwáng Fǔ) on the foundations of a former Ming dynasty palace. This magnificent palace did not survive the fall of the Taiping, but there is a reconstruction and a classical Ming garden, now known as the Presidential Palace. Other buildings on the site were used briefly as presidential offices by Sun Yatsen’s government in 1912 and by the Kuomintang from 1927 to 1949.
MING CITY WALLS
Běijīng will be forever haunted by the 20th-century felling of its magnificent city walls, an act of destruction that left a mere handful of isolated gates. Xī’ān’s mighty Tang dynasty wall – which was far, far larger than its current (still huge) Ming wall – is a mere memory. Even Shànghǎi’s modest city wall came down in 1912. Dàtóng took the dramatic step recently of entirely rebuilding its vast city walls (at enormous cost).
The same story repeats across China, where if a wall survives at all, it may just be an earthen mound. Nánjīng’s fabulous surviving city wall is a constant reminder of the city’s former glories and an exception to the rule. The wall may be overgrown, but this neglect – in a land where historical authenticity has too often courted destruction – has helped ensure its very survival.
The most absolute remnant of Nánjīng’s Ming dynasty apogee, the imposing, five-storey Ming bastion, which measures over 35km, is the longest city wall ever built. About two-thirds of it still stands.
Built between 1366 and 1393, by more than one million labourers, the layout of the wall is irregular, an exception to the usual square format of these times; it zigzags around Nánjīng’s hills and rivers, accommodating the landscape. Averaging 12m high and 7m wide at the top, the fortification was built of bricks supplied from five Chinese provinces. Each brick had stamped on it the place it came from, the overseer’s name and rank, the brick-maker’s name and sometimes the date. This was to ensure that the bricks were well made; if they broke, they had to be replaced. Many of these stamps remain intact.
Some of the original 13 heavily fortified Ming city gates remain, including the Zhōngyāng Gate in the north, Zhōngshān Gate in the east, and Zhōnghuá Gate in the south. You can climb onto the masonry for exploration at several points, for long walks and fantastic views of town.
One of the best places to access the wall is from the rear of Jīmíng Temple. Walk to Jiǔhúashān Park ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; mJimingsi) off Taiping Beilu, looking out over huge Xuánwǔ Lake Park (玄武湖公园) and passing crumbling hillside pagodas along the way. Another access point is at Jiěfàng Gate (解放门; Jiěfàng Mén MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ¥15; h8.30am-6pm winter, 8am-6pm summer; mJimingsi).
South Nánjīng
oZhān GardenGARDENS
(詹园, Zhān Yuán MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Zhonghua Lu, 中华路 ¥30; h8am-6pm; mFuzimiao)
If you don't have time to get to Sūzhōu, visit this delightful traditional Chinese garden at the heart of town. The Taiping Histo
ry Museum belongs to the garden, but it's the garden itself that's the real draw. With willows, acers, magnolias, bamboo, potted bonsai pines and a lovely lawn, the garden is also decorated with courtyards, pools, corridors and rockeries. Admission to the garden includes entry to the museum.
Zhōnghuá GateMONUMENT
(中华门, Zhōnghuá Mén MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ¥20; h7am-9pm)
Zhōnghuá Gate has four rows of gates, making it almost impregnable, and could house a garrison of 3000 soldiers in vaults in the front gate building. When walking through, observe the trough in either wall of the second gate, which held a vast stone gate that could be lowered into place. Horse ramps lead up the side to the wall; also note how the roads immediately north of the gate follow the circular line of the now missing enceinte (瓮城; wèngchéng), a further fortification.
Fūzǐ TempleCONFUCIAN TEMPLE
(夫子庙, Fūzǐ Miào MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Gongyuan Jie, 贡院街 ¥30; h9am-10pm; mFuzimiao)
The Confucian Fūzǐ Temple, in the south of the city in a smartened up pedestrian zone full of restaurants, was a centre of Confucian study for more than 1500 years. But what you see here today are newly restored, late Qing dynasty structures or wholly new buildings reconstructed in traditional style. The area surrounding Fūzǐ Temple has become Nánjīng’s main shopping quarter and is particularly crowded, but is attractively lit up at night.