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Published: September 2nd 2008
City wall at Xuanwu Lake entrance
The most convenient entrance to Xuanwu Lake is through the triple-arched Xuanwu Gate in the old city wall on Zhongyang Lu.A LITTLE BIT OF PEACE
Today I found the first place in Nanjing that I’ve really, really liked. Xuanwu Lake. It’s on the edge of town, nudging up against the Purple Mountain. It’s full of trees, flowers, walkers and boats. It’s peaceful. I’ve been seeking out quiet here in China, and find very little of it. One park in Shanghai, and now this one in Nanjing.
To get to the park, I discover the Nanjing subway system. Currently there is only one line. It pretty much runs from the Olympic Center to downtown (where our hotel is) and skirts the edge of Xuanwu Lake to the rail station. It worked perfectly for me today. I hopped aboard near the Jingu hotel. The cost of the ride each way was 4 RMB. The only trouble I had was when I emerged back from underground I had no idea which direction I was facing. Of course, there was no sun so I couldn’t look to the sky for any help. I knew the park was close so I wandered a few blocks, looking for a space that seemed devoid of skyscrapers. I found it, and after heading that direction for a few
About Xuanwu Lake
Xuanwu Lake has 5 small islands which are linked by bridges and causeways. There are a variety of attractions, including restaurants, pavilions, an open-air theater, a small zoo, and paddle boats. more blocks ran up into the city walls that border the park. The entrance off Zhongyang Lu is impressive. A step inside reveals a string of lakes and islands, with food stands popping up here and there. Boats meandered lazily around, some powered by human effort and some by motors. It almost looked like home. I staked out a park bench for a few hours and was content. It sprinkled lightly, but sheltered under trees I was fine. I spent most of my time on the one island, the first one, Yingzhou Island. It has the small zoo, the lily pad garden and a rose garden, as well as an outdoor amphitheater near the shore. The park was quiet and lacked the usual crowds I’ve come to associate with China. As a result, most of the restaurants and tea houses were closed. So I stuck with ice cream. I walked around some after reading for a few hours, but found I wore out quickly. I considered renting one of the bicycles most people were riding around, but they were either two- or three-up. They sure looked fun! I wished I would have remembered this place on Saturday and brought Jesse
here inside of the city wall. We would have had a relaxing afternoon riding around in a boat. Next time — if there is a next time — we’ll go to Xuanwu Lake.
At about 4 p.m. I began walking towards the entrance to head back to the hotel to be there when Jesse arrived back from work. My cell phone rang, and Jesse told me he had just learned that because one of his bosses was in China they needed to do a employee-only dinner. A bit dejected, I decided to stick around the park longer, and sat along the shore. A few minutes later I discovered the ant population apparently liked the taste of me. I moved in a hurry. I spied a grove of trees with people resting in hammocks. Ah, looked liked the caribbean — kinda. I got closer, and a man appeared to sell me one. I couldn’t resist at 40 RMB — about $7. He showed me how to tie the hammock to the tree, and I laid down for a few more hours of reading.
A girl came up to me and told me her friend wanted to learn English —
but that was about all she could say. She waved him over and he told me he wanted to learn English. Did they expect me to begin a lesson right then and there? An older man with them stepped closer to look at the pages of my book, pointing to the numbers and flipping pages. He rattled away to me the entire time in Chinese — not that I could understand a word! There was little we could say to each other, but I told them where I was from and that I was visiting Nanjing as my husband was there working. I couldn’t figure out much about them — except they wanted to learn English! I noticed that most of the people around were observing us. Eventually, they faded away.
I got up when the light had faded away, at about 6 p.m., untied my hammock and headed back to the subway. Days are shorter here than at home, not quite as short as they were in the Caribbean, but nearly. The sun is up from around 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., give or take.
NOTHING TO WEAR
I have nothing over here that isn’t short, tight
Boats for rent
There were a variety of boats to rent, from paddle boats to motorized ones. or skimpy. While this type of clothing is the only thing I typically like to wear in the summer, it isn’t working out too well for me right now. My belly is beginning to bulge, and the skimpy clothes need to be put away. I had hoped I’d get one more month out of them, and didn’t have time to go shopping for what I might need before I left for China.
Not only have they ceased to look good, but they are terribly out of place here in Nanjing. The clothing style here reminds me of Europe. Everyone is dressed to the nines all the time. There are no sweat pants in China. Rather I see silk and rayon, more dresses than slacks, and loose shirts with leggings. I’ve seen very few pairs of jeans.
When I leave the hotel I hit up a few of the stores Jesse and I walked past the night before. I find very few larges, as most Chinese women aren’t bigger than a medium. I walk in one lower-level store and discover a back door. It leads into a labyrinth of small shops. The aisles go round and round, connecting these
stores that are hardly larger than bathrooms. Each is staffed by one person. I’m not sure I can bargain, so I don’t. I feel very conspicious here. But I find 3 shirts, all under 100 RMB ($15). They’ll do for now.
SUPPER ON MY OWN
I’m exhausted by the time I make it back to the hotel, and don’t have the energy to leave it again and try to negotiate dinner on my own. So I take the easy way out and head to the hotel dinner buffet. It’s not cheap at 128 RMB, but I know from the varied selection that I’ll be able to find something I can eat. It’s similiar to the breakfast buffet actually, with the same juices and some of the same menu selections. I discover buttered and toasted french bread and a salad with tomato, onions and olives. For $25, I fill up on bruchetta. Jesse can’t hardly stand it when he hears. Apparently, I missed the table where they carve up slices of whatever sort of meat you want. Oops.
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Jiang Tang
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Nanjing is my birth place
Great blog on Nanjing, my birth place. I totally agree with you on Nanjing being a noisy place. When I was there growing up, I heard a lot of quarrels if literally translated will shame the most shameless people on earth. It amounts to a word painting of people's private parts and such. Yack, it's really horrendous and obnoctious. Xuanwu Lake is a nice place to visit. It's a tradition for us growing up in Nanjing to visit Xuanwu lake once a year.One of my lastin memory is an organized event to swim across the lake in memory of the late Chairman Mao. About the people approaching you wanting to learn English. I am kind of surprised. When I was in China, I would talk with a foreigner if I felt that they could have some time to kill, such as in a train. I lived in an era when I witnessed the first arrival of foreigners during the cultural revolution. I remembered the primary school I was attending was selected as a few of the schools that were open to foreign visitors. Being a naughty boy as I was, I was locked up once with other boys in a separate classroom so we wouldn't misbehave in front of the foreign visitors to embarrass my school. Actually my school is next to the Confucius Temple you visited. About bargaining, I think you should do it and it will not offend anyone. Otherwise you will be paying too much. But I don't think you can haggle on the price of food. Thanks for your detailed travel blog on Nanjing.