Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province and celebrated as one of China's Four Great Ancient Capitals, carries a dignified history spanning ten dynasties and regimes. Shaded by grand French plane trees planted in the early 20th century, the city balances ancient imperial remnants with leafy civic beauty and world-class universities.
The city is crowned by Purple Mountain (Zhongshan), home to the monumental granite and blue-tile Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and the UNESCO-listed Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, the burial place of the founding Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. Nanjing also boasts the longest surviving masonry city wall in the world, stretching over 35 kilometers; climb the Zhonghua Gate fortress to inspect its ingenious triple-barbican military defense gates.
In the evening, gather along the willow-lined banks of the Qinhuai River around the Confucius Temple (Fuzimiao) to admire illuminated traditional lantern-lit architecture. Make sure to sample Nanjing's most famous culinary specialty, delicate and aromatic Nanjing salted duck (yanshui ya), alongside warm duck blood vermicelli soup.
