Must-Go Places in Nanjing
After living in Nanjing for a year now, I’ve fallen in love with it. It’s modern enough to be friendly enough to foreigners, but it’s Chinese enough so it doesn’t feel like a totally international city. Nanjing, or “South Capital,” is located at the top of what is considered the south of China and has served as the on-and-off capital of China through the dynasties and during the Republic of China era, before Chairman Mao led the country. There’s rich history and beautiful places to visit in Nanjing, if you get the chance, so without further do…

Sun Yat-Sen's Mausoleum in the snow on Purple Mountain.
Photo Credit: Alyssa Cokinis
Purple Mountain
Purple Mountain has had many names over the thousands of years of Chinese history—Zhongshan, Mount Jiang, Shenlieshan, Jinlingshan, etc.—but most seem to pertain to the purple-gold color of copper and the rocks. Purple Mountain is a staple of Nanjing, flooding with tourists during National Day Week and other holidays throughout the year. On the weekends, its many paths and sights—Sun Yat-Sen’s Mausoleum, the Ming Tombs, Zixia Lake, the golden giant Buddha and dragon built into the mountain—bustle with the sound of people climbing and exploring the mountain. It’s wonderful to visit in the spring, way too hot in the summer, perfect in the fall, and absolutely gorgeous in the winter for the one snowfall a year. I have so many fond memories of this place: the first climb to the top, the view of the city, walking up to Sun Yat-Sen’s Mausoleum in the snow, and swimming in Zixia lake near the Ming Tombs on a beautiful July day.
(There are several ways to get to different aspects of the mountain. Use line 2 and get off at Muxuyuan to head towards Sun Yat-Sen’s Mausoleum and the Ming tombs. Use line 4 to Jiawangmiao station exit 1 to find a path leading straight to the top of the mountain.)

Confucius Temple: dragon lights at night. Photo Credit: Alyssa Cokinis
Confucius Temple/Fuzimiao Area
Another iconic sight in Nanjing, the Fuzimiao area boasts original and replica architecture from older times, the area once being an imperial university as well as a temple area. But now long withdrawn from its academic and philosophical perspective, tourists pack the area to admire the beautiful lights at night, which make the entire area glow with an infectious, excited energy. Be warned, though: if you’re a foreigner, you’re likely to be stopped or even grabbed on the arm for a picture, rather than just the usual staring. So if you’re uncomfortable dealing with that kind of situation, maybe the Confucius Temple area isn’t the best idea. (If you’re taking the metro there, you can take line 3 to Fuzimiao station or line 1 to Sanshanjie station.)
A statue, poem, and its English translation at the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall. Photo Credit: Alyssa Cokinis
Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall
The Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall is an enormous sight to behold, both because of the trauma it recounts and the sheer size of it. Stretching around several blocks, the Memorial Hall holds a museum with a timeline of the events from the massacre by the Japanese and through their occupation of Nanjing, statues lining the way inside with short poems and their English translations written on them, plaques to honor the lives lost, and a lot of open, empty space for thinking about a history most Westerners won’t learn in their general education. Eye-opening and sad, this is definitely an important, grounding stop on your trip in Nanjing. (If you’re taking the metro there, you’ll want to take line 2 to Yunjinlu and follow the signs for exit 2, which is for the Memorial Hall itself.)
Pillows from way long ago! Just hard ceramic. At the Nanjing Museum. Photo Credit: Alyssa Cokinis
The Nanjing Museum
The Nanjing Museum, located off of line 2’s Minggugong station, is a wonder to behold. Set at the base of Purple Mountain, it is situated inside older architecture. If you’re a foreigner, be sure to take your passport with you, as you’ll need it to enter the museum. The museum itself boasts artifacts from thousands of years ago and several different dynasties and ruling groups. My personal favorite was gawking at the “pillows” used long ago. There are exhibits on artisanship with cooking objects, arches, clothing, etc. Perhaps the neatest part of it all is the basement of the museum, where there is a replica of 1920s Nanjing. You can walk around the narrow cobblestoned streets, immersed in a different time, and even go send a postcard if you want to. All-in-all, there’s so much in the museum that it is pointless to try and explain it all, other than to say it is totally worth it to go! Although if you are into audio tours, you might be out of luck, unless you can understand Mandarin Chinese.
The “old” part of the Presidential Palace. Photo Credit: Alyssa Cokinis