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Jiangsu Province Attractions

Hunan Road and the Night Market

Hunan Road (湖南路)

Hunan Road is a great place to check out in the evening. It has great food, clothing stores, entertainment, and a public park attached at the end.  Perhaps most importantly, Hunan Road is home to one of the most jam-packed and diversified...

Hunan Road (湖南路)

Hunan Road is a great place to check out in the evening. It has great food, clothing stores, entertainment, and a public park attached at the end.  Perhaps most importantly, Hunan Road is home to one of the most jam-packed and diversified food streets in Nanjing: Lion’s Bridge.

In the evening on Hunan road, it easy to forget it the sun has set, as the street seems almost as bright as the daytime. There are neon lights on buildings, arches above the road, and in the “Light Art Tunnel”.  On Fridays and Saturdays the entire street is blocked off to cars in the evening.

Department store on Hunan Road, Nanjing
Sunning Department Store
 The Hunan Road sign in the daytime
Hunan Road sign.

Night Market (湖南路夜市)

Update: In May 2007 the night market was shut down!

The night market on Matai Jie competes with the Confucius Temple market for the title of best market in Nanjing. The Hunan Road night market is ideal for finding all sorts of cheap crafts, toys, clothes, DVDs, etc. You will have to visit the market yourself to truly comprehend the wide variety of items and the fact that so many items go in and out of fashion so quickly.

Adjacent to the night market is a tiny street full of small vendors selling delicious treats. There is a small store that sells Meihua Gao (plum blossom cake) that is usually swamped by a crowd of ravenous, hungry patrons clawing for Meihua Gao. There are also many vendors selling various kinds of rou chuan (meat kebabs).

For the more adventurous types, try a taste of stinky toufu or some half-developed chicken embryos still inside the egg. Don’t worry, they taste better than they sound.

Selling food on the street in this manner is actually illegal, so the police will come by once every month or so to shut it down. The vendors, obviously undeterred by random police visits, will again setup shop by the end of the night or at least by the next day.

The night market is close to the west end and north side of Hunan Road.

Citizen’s Square

Citizen’s Square is set is right on the western edge of Hunan Road. You can also access the square through a small passageway that is connected to the night market on Matai Jie.

The square features fountains, small man-made lakes, a playground, and an immense TV screen on a building across the street.  Families come here to play with their kids and couples come here for some public displays of affection. To one side of the square is a McDonalds.

How To Get There

Hunan Road can be reached via the subway at Xuanwu Men station (玄武门, Xuanwu Gate). It is also within walking distance of the Nanjing University’s foreign students dorm (Xiyuan).

The night market is was on Matai Jie, which runs perpendicular to Hunan Road.  To be precise, on one side of Hunan Road the road is called Matai Jie and on the opposite side it is called Hubei Road.

Nanjing Union Theological Seminary

Established in 1952, Nanjing Union Theological Seminary was designated the national seminary of the Church of China. Originally it represented a union of twelve seminaries in eastern China until the Beijing Yanjing Seminary joined it in 1962.

Nanjing Union The...
Established in 1952, Nanjing Union Theological Seminary was designated the national seminary of the Church of China. Originally it represented a union of twelve seminaries in eastern China until the Beijing Yanjing Seminary joined it in 1962.

Nanjing Union Theological Seminary has, since its beginning, focused on training pastoral workers, teachers, and researchers. In order to promote overall development of the students in both spirit and theological knowledge, the Seminary emphasizes "spirit, virtue, knowledge, health, and community".

As the only national seminary in China, the structure of Nanjing Union Theological Seminary is similar to that of universities and colleges in secular society. It has two regular programs: the four year Bachelor Degree of Theology and the three year post graduate Master Degree of Theology. In addition, it has a three year correspondance education program. All students are nominated by their regional church and must pass a written test and interview before being admitted to the Seminary.

Nanjing Seminary is on a new campus in Jiangning District. The original campus will continue to be used as a research center. The new campus lies in the center of Jiangning University City and covers an area of approximately 33 acres (125,000 square meters) with an aim of accommodating 500 students. The current design of the new campus includes the following functional areas: worship area (the campus church), teaching and administrative areas, sports facilities, student residence area, and a front garden.

Offical Website (Chinese only)

Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall

The Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre (1937-1938) is located on one of the sites where actual human bones from the victims themselves were excavated.  It is the biggest official memorial place of the Nanjing Massacre, also known as "The Ra...
The Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre (1937-1938) is located on one of the sites where actual human bones from the victims themselves were excavated.  It is the biggest official memorial place of the Nanjing Massacre, also known as "The Rape of Nanjing".  The Memorial Hall holds museum status and is the first museum in China commemorating the War of Resistance against Japan from 1937 to 1945.  It has received over 8 million visitors from home and abroad since its founding in 1985.  In order to increase awareness concerning the massacre committed by the Japanese aggressors, the Nanjing City Committee of the Communist Party of China and the city government have subsidized the museum to allow free admission for all visitors.
 
Upon entering the hall, visitors will see a big bell with an inscription urging people not to forget history. Further along inside, a path of bronze footprints representing 222 witnesses of the tragedy stretches in front of visitors.  A building named "wan ren keng", which means pit of ten thousand corpses, houses the skeletons excavated at Jiangdong Gate.  In the Exhibition Room and Movie Room numerous pictures, audio recordings, and videos document the massacre.  In the Reading Room, there are archives and other materials related to the Nanjing Massacre.
 
The Memorial Campaigns
 
Every year at 10:00am on December 13th, loud air-defense sirens can be heard across Nanjing.  The sirens mark the Nanjing Massacre and remind people not to forget this national humiliation.  Buses and cars honk their horns in remembrance of the 300,000 deaths from the slaughter.  People from all walks of life, from home and abroad, flock to the Memorial Hall to mourn the dead. They hold candles and chrysanthemums, stand in silent tribute, and light candles at night to commemorate the 300,000 compatriots.
 

 
Take bus 7, 37 or 61 to Chanan bus stop (茶南站).  You can see the walls of the Memorial Hall from the bus stop.  Walk forward about 100 meters to reach the gate.  It is also right next to the Nanjing Brocade Museum.

 

Suzhou Museum

Local bus routes: 1, 2, 5, 40, 55, 202, 313, 301, 309, 923, 529.

St. Pauls Church

Established in 1923, St. Paul’s Church is the first official Christian church in Nanjing. The church’s design is meant to imitate the style of European churches in rural areas. It is gothic architecture with...

Established in 1923, St. Paul’s Church is the first official Christian church in Nanjing. The church’s design is meant to imitate the style of European churches in rural areas. It is gothic architecture with  exquisite decoration. The inner structure reflects traditional Chinese style. The walls were built with polished stones taken from Nanjing’s ancient city walls. However, the main structure is built from delicately carved white marbles. Lections were carved carefully on the inner walls and are adorned with some gold foil. A bell tower which contains a bell 2 meters in diameter sits on the roof of the church.

 
Sunday Christian Worship - Every Sunday from 11:00am to noon St. Pauls holds a Christian service in English.  If you go, you should get there by 10:50am.

Jiangsu Province Articles

Top Jiangsu Province Tours

$40 Per Day

Nanjing nightlife tours - Bar crawling

In recent years Nanjing’s nightlife scene has undoubtedly changed for the better.  The 1912 bar district is a common place to start a tour of Nanjing’s nightlife as it features Nanjing’s largest concentration of bars and clubs.  Besides 1912, bars, pubs, clubs, karaokes, restaurants and not-so-mentionable locales are dispersed across the city, especially near Xinjiekou and close to the student population.

Nail Jazz Bar is a light bar with good Jazz muisc, live sometimes, they have over 50 kinds of imported beer from all over the World, the Draft beer Hoegaarden is with special roam and taste, for lady, here have over 100 cocktail to choose, lovely and enjoyable.  The price here is quite as other bars, short cocktail for 28 Yuan, long drink cocktail for 38 Yuan. Hoegaarden draft beer, 38 for 0.3L and 68 for 0.5L.

Behind the Wall - A cozy atmosphere, decent food, live music and cheap margaritas make Behind the Wall a popular hang-out, especially with the foreign student population. Inside, Behind the Wall’s three rooms are linked by over-sized arched doorways, and provide seating for groups of two to ten. Mexican, Latin and Greek cuisine is served. The drink menu is varied and not too expensive by Nanjing standards - margaritas are served for only 15 Yuan from Sunday to Thursday.

Castle Bar - Castle Bar is lively on weekends and can become packed during special events. However, during weekdays staff members often outnumber customers. A good place if you like dancing.

Secco Restaurant and Bar - Great German restaurant and bar in Nanjing, they have a good rang and selection of cocktail made by a German, he is also the manager there, really strict to every cocktail he made, always bring you the best taste.

Finnegans Wake - A traditional Irish bar in Nanjing,offering Kilkenny, Guinness and strongbow cider on draught.

 

Please contact me for daily tour fees, i charge by per tour, not per person.

$50 Per Day

Nanjing Hiking tour with local tour guide Sam

It`s springtime, it`s hiking time!

This tailor-made tour is for people who like nature, history, and hiking!

Ming Tomb (Admission: FreeCNY) - Nanjing became the capital of China when Zhu Yuanzhang founded the Ming Dynasty in 1368.  During his reign, Zhu Yuanzhang built the great city walls of Nanjing, the imperial palace, and his future tomb - the Ming Tomb in Nanjing.  The Ming Tomb is a certified UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a must-see for travellers to Nanjing.

Xuanwu Lake (Admission: Free) - Close to the city center and featuring 368 hectares of water and 104 hectares of land, Xuanwu Lake Park is a favorite getaway for locals.  Well before the sunrise and even after sunset, the park is bustling with visitors. Some come to walk, jog, or fly kites, others to practice Tai Chi, and many more just want to enjoy the scenery.

Nanjing Food Court -  my favorite local Nanjing restaurant, Nanjing people like to go there with family. It`s a resultant with a lot of Nanjing local food and ancient style of decoration, at night they will have Kunqu playing, coolest restaurant ever.

City Wall (Admission: 45CNY) - Nanjing City Wall, constructed during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties between 1365 and 1386, originally stretched over 30km which made it the longest city wall in the world.  Now, with about two thirds of the wall still intact it still remains the longest city wall in China. We could walk on the city wall and feel the history of Nanjing.

*Please contact me for daily tour fees, i charge by per tour, not per person.

$80 Per Day

Relaxing Hot Spring Tour at Tangshan Area

Nanjing Tangshan is famous for the hot spring, hot spring is good for your skin and health, and relaxing your body and get rid of the press.

Maybe you don't like all the tourist attractions in the downtown, here would be one of another option.

This tour will be only visit 2 attractions and the rest will be spend the whole time in the hot spring. Or, if you prefer, you can only go for the spring.

Tour plan would be:

Hotel pick up -----> Yangshan Stele -----> Tangshan Ancient Ape Man Caves -----> Hot Spring -----> Send back to hotel.

 

Since Tangshan is a little town outside of Nanjing city and it`s quite far away, i would suggest to use a private car to drive there directly.