Nanjing

Liyuan Garden

Liyuan Garden is in southwest Wuxi, on the shore of Lihu Lake (formerly Wuli Lake). The garden occupies 5.4 hectares, almost half of which is water area. It is one of the most famous gardens for lake scenery in China

It is said that in the fifth century B.C., Fan Li, a senior official of the State of Yue, retired after having helped his master King Gou Jian defeat the State of Wu. He went boating on Wuli Lake with Xi Shi, a famous beauty, and changed the name of the lake to Lihu after his own given name.

Liyuan Garden, with its pavilions, corridors, and causeways at the lake side, is exquisitely designed and harmonious in color. The most interesting sight is the 1,000 metre long corridor that winds its way through the park. Along the way are inscriptions of ancient calligraphers. There is also a large white wall with numerous latticed openings from where you can view the park at different angles.

In the springtime, when the plum blossoms, the garden is often heavily crowded with local visitors.

The Turtle Head Island

The Turtle Head Island a small peninsular on the Taihu Lake- third largest freshwater lake in China is the best place to view the mist-covered Taihu Lake.
The park in the island take advantage of the natural scenery of the Taihu Lake to create a traditional garden with traditional buildings, luxuriant but well-spaced woods, flowers, exotic rocks along the bank of the lake.

The first thing that visitors will encounter in the park is a memorial arch. Passing through the Jianjin gate and the Lishe gate, you will reach the Changchun Bride, where clusters of cherry trees grow.  In early spring the cherry blossoms bloom in full profusion, deeply red or Chinese white, like colorful clouds and morning fog, splendid and dazzling. These cherry trees are donated by friends from Japan.

Across Changchun Bridge, turn left from another arch you will see a lotus pond, a curved bridge and the Huxin Pavilion. The "depth of lotus" is a good place to view and admire lotus in summer. "Qingfen Islet" is in the center of the lotus pond and connected to the land with small bridge. There are three open halls in ancient style built on the islet named "Songfen Hall".

Dr.Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum

The Dr.Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum was built in 1926 in honor of Dr. Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), who is recognized as the Father of Modern China.  He led the rebellion against the corrupt Qing government resulting in the 1911 revolution which put and end the feudal system. In turn, the Republic of China was founded. The mausoleum is situated at the foot of the south face of Purple Mountain (Zijin Shan), and it has become a must-see tourist destination for all visitors to Nanjing. The construction of the mausoleum is symmetrical, and it serves as a fine example of classical and modern beauty. Entering the mausoleum in sequence is the torii, the corridor, the gateway, the monument, the memorial hall, and finally the tomb. A long stone stairway of 392 steps leads up to the tomb which lies at the rear of the memorial chamber. Outside the memorial chamber there is a tablet featuring the inscription of the “Three Principles of the People”: nationalism, democracy and people’s livelihood, which were formulated by Dr. Sun.  Inside the hall stand black granite poles and a statue of Dr. Sun sculpted from white marble. Within the tomb a prostrate marble statue of Sun seals his coffin, which was buried five meters underground.

Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge

The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge is the first bridge to be built across the Yangtze River in Nanjing, China. It was completed in 1968 and is the first double-decker, double-track highway and railway bridge designed and constructed by the Chinese without outside engineering assistance.

After the withdrawal of Soviet experts following the Sino-Soviet Split, China was thought to be unable to build a bridge on such a scale by themselves, without outside support. The project was undertaken to prove that Chinese engineers were able to overcome this perceived lack of ability.
It's a gigantic masterpiece and includes a bus stop at the top of it, next to a museum. On the western side of the bridge, a new city is currently being developed.

Statue of first Yangtze river bridge at Nanjing scenery on the river It is 6,772 meters (22,212 feet) long and has a span of 160 m (525 feet)--it can take up to 15 minutes to cross during regular traffic periods.

Mingxiao Mausoleum

Mingxiao Mausoleum (Ming Xiao Mausoleum, Mingxiao Tomb) was constructed for the first emperor of Ming Dynasty, the Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. Lying in the south of Zhongshan Mountain (Zijinshan Mountain), the tomb’s construction started in 1381 and took 25 year to complete. It is the resting place for the emperor and his wife, Queen Ma. In 2003, the mausoleum was selected as a site for the World Famous Cultural Heritage.

The royal mausoleum covers a land of several kilometers and its wall extends up to 45 kilometers in length. The area has many historic relics including Sifang Cheng (the Square Town).

Stunnig is the panoramic landscape of dark-green forest, nearby observatory, hiking trails and other historical relics that can be obseved when you are there.
One of the most mysterious legends opened up the possibility that this mausoleum might not be the real tomb where the emperor’s physical body was buried. It was said that after the emperor died, following the memorial service, there were 14 funeral processings going on, carrying 14 coffins to diverse directions at the same time. Nobody knew which one was the true funeral processing that carried the emperor's real corpse to his highly secret tomb.
Accoring to reports, recent archaeological analyses have led experts to believe that the Mingxiao Mausoleum is the emperor’s real tomb and it is still intact without damages from tomb robbery.