Nanjing: 南京 Massacre Memorial is worth the trip from Shanghai

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Saturday, 2nd January 2010

I proceeded to the Shanghai train station at 9am this morning for the train journey to Nanjing, the former capital of China. Located some 300km west of Shanghai, Nanjing was about a 2-hour train ride via the comfortable ‘D’ Express Trains.

Entering the Shanghai train station was kind of a culture shock as there were people everywhere. Looking at the huge crowds in and out of the train station, I couldn’t help but imagine the ugly situation during the peak travel periods of the Lunar New Year. Even during off peak period like this, the situation was already chaotic.

Arriving at Nanjing Railway station after 11.30am today, the situation was no better. Exiting from the train platform, the station concourse that greeted me was dark. I managed to follow the signs and find my way to the Nanjing Metro to bring me straight to the Xin Jie Kou Station.

The Xin Jie Kou commercial district is Nanjing’s best antidote to the Orchard Road of Singapore. Lined with busy shoppers and modern malls, this was where I found the cleanest public lavatories in the city.

Lunch today was a quick beef tapas takeout from KFC. I could only afford a day trip in the city and therefore decided not to linger around for too long. A good 25 minutes taxi ride later took me to the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall. Located at the western outskirts of the city, the Memorial Hall was big. The exhibits were informative even though at times they were too propaganda against the war crimes to my liking. The Peace Memorial Park though did leave behind a deep impression.

The best thing of the Memorial Hall and the surrounding park were that entry was free. I could linger for as long as I wished. Certainly, this was well worth every effort for me to come all the way from Shanghai.

After spending a good 2 hours at the Memorial Hall, I took another taxi ride to the Zhong Hua Gate. Boy, I was so glad that the taxi rides within Nanjing were very affordable. Constructed during the Ming Dynasty, the Zhonghua Gate and the surrounding city walls were imposing even though they were heavily bombed during WWII. A visit certainly reminded me of the Great Wall of Beijing.

Back at the Xin Jie Kou in the evening, I stopped by a western restaurant for an early dinner before catching the 7pm train back to Shanghai. My day excursion to Nanjing was short-lived, yet fruitful enough to leave an impression.

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