Day Trip to Nanjing

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The City of Nanjing has been the capital of China several times in the last 2000 years. The last time was during the rule of Republican China under the nationalist party between 1911 and 1949. The founder of this movement was Dr. Sun Yat-Sen and his Mausoleum can be visited in Nanjing.


I took a day trip with the American Women’s Club to visit a few sites in Nanjing. The day turned out to be rather cold and rainy but we were able to see the sites listed on the tour and remain relatively dry in the process. We took a train from Shanghai at 7:30 in the morning and returned to Shanghai at 9:30 at night so it made for a long day but was very enjoyable and I was able to meet some new people.


Our first stop was Dr. Sun Yat-Sen’s mausoleum. The tomb lies at the top of 392 marble steps containing eight platforms. At the top is a square hall with a life size statue which leads to a round, domed building that contains his sarcophagus inset into the floor. We were not allowed to take pictures in this room.


Our next stop was the Nanjing Massacre Museum. In 1937, when the invading Japanese army succeeded in capturing Nanjing, a large number of civilians stayed behind instead of fleeing. While the government fled, the occupying army proceeded to carry out a brutal campaign of murder, pillage, and rape on the civilian population. More than 300,000 people were killed in the incident. After Japan’s surrender in 1945, the government returned to Nanjing and the city regained its status as the capital of China until 1949. The people of Nanjing have built a fitting memorial to the people of this struggle. It is a very intense experience as they made sure to show the true horrors of war and what the people of Nanjing had to endure. We were not allowed to take pictures at the museum and I most likely would not have taken any due to the intense nature of the presentations.


Our last stop was the City Wall at the Zhonghua Gate. The wall snakes 20 miles around the city and today about 75 percent remains. The gate consisted of four gatehouses. These were destroyed in the 1937 invasion but the three smaller ones have been reconstructed. The courtyards in between were designed to capture enemy forces that breached the main gate.

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Photos

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen
Entrance Gate

View of Platforms
The steps were designed so that you can only see the platforms from the top, not the steps

Steps to top
The wide ramps allowed for soldiers and horses to quickly access the top of the wall.

Court yards
Enemy forces could be trapped in these courtyards if they breached the main gate.

Statue of Soldier
Statues wearing replica Ming-era uniforms are scattered strategically around the gate.