NANJING’s Busy Roads

I spent most of my time in China in Nanjing where I attended Nanjing Normal University to study Advanced Chinese.Nanjing is the capital of Jiangsu Province in southern China. Its a great city with a population of over 5 million people spread across its huge metropolitan area.

Nanjing is set in pretty surroundings with the Zijinshan (Purple Mountains) on one side and the mighty Yangzi River on the other. Having both a major river port and being a major stop on the Shanghai-Beijing railway has made Nanjing prosperous. The tree lined streets in the centre of town offer heaps of great restaurants and shops. The central business district is rapidly growing higher with everyday.Despite its recent growth phase Nanjing still boasts many significant historical sites. Nanjing is the site of the infamous Nanjing Massacre. Today there is a memorial which houses many moving exhibits as a tribute to those that died in the Japanese atrocities. Nanjing is also home to Sun Yat-Sen’s Mausoleum and not to far away from that is the site he once made his home. The city itself contains many buildings built by Europeans in the concessions as well. These buildings are generally well maintained and a stroll through one of these neighbourhoods is interesting. Having been a past capital city of china in the Ming period and before also means that Nanjing has many ancient buildings of note. These include the Ming wall and the ancient gates at various points around the city.

Nanjing – Climate
Summer in Nanjing can be very hot.� The temperature tends to hover at or above 30 Degrees C during the day and can often reach above 40 Degrees. By contrast the Winters are very cold. Some days may have top temperatures of less than 0 Degrees and there was quite a bit of Snow when I was there. However most days are all right with temperatures between 2 Degrees and 10 Degrees. The seasons in between are quite pleasant in Nanjing and it stays quite dry.

Nanjing – Eating
I found that the best restaurants were the Sprite Outlet on Guangzhou Lu in town for Chinese and also the Black Cat Cafe for Western food. The Rood Door on Ninghai Lu was also good. Its not far from the Gates of Nanjing Normal University.

Nanjing – Fuzimiao
On the South side of Nanjing you’ll find Fuzimiao. Fuzimiao is a city within a city. Its a great modern entertainment district with hotels, night-clubs and some of Nanjing’s best restaurants. One of my favourites there was the Din Shan Food City. It serves fine traditional Chinese food. Its relatively expensive by Nanjing standards, but the quality is excellent. It makes a great place for a special occasion. You can find it facing the square in the centre of the Fuzimiao district.Fuzimiao is also very popular with tourist shopping and sight seers. There are a multitude of market type stalls selling all varieties of artefacts. Its a good place to pick up a piece of traditional Chinese artwork or even some jade trinkets. However the best jade can be found at the government jade shop on Zhongshan Dong Lu.
Nanjing’s Jin Xing Hotel is a relatively new and modern hotel. It offers Western style accommodation with en-suite bathrooms in all the rooms. There’s plenty of hot water and the rooms are temperature controlled. Its also within walking distance of the centre of town and also to Ninghai Lu and the University district.� Its probably worthwhile inspecting the room before you stay, as with anywhere in China. Its also a good idea to bargain with the desk staff. Depending on your length of stay and the time of year significant discounts can be obtained. However usually you would expect to pay around $40-50 USD for a room. I would also recommend asking for a room on a higher level to ensure a quieter stay.