Nanjing, capital of the economically developed Jiangsu Province, is located in the lower reaches of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River. In ancient times, Nanjing was economically prosperous. The city reached its prime about 1,500 years ago, when the Central Plains area was plagued by war, and countless aristocrats, craftsmen, and men of letters escaped to the south of the Changjiang River, boosting the economic and cultural development of the region. Nanjing, then the nation's largest city, became a new, splendid center of culture.

Impressions of Nanjing

Waking up early in the morning, I couldn't wait to go out into the blue sky and lovely sunshine of the city. I was impressed with the luxuriant, age-old phoenix trees found in the urban districts. According to local people, more than 30 percent of the city is covered with trees and grass.

As I walked, I found a food stand and stopped for breakfast. As I enjoyed youtiao (deep-fried twisted dough sticks) with a bowl of soya milk, I felt like savoring the flavor of the city. Visitors who are interested in genuine Nanjing snacks are often recommended to taste soup-stuffed steamed buns and yinsi mian (fine, threadlike noodles) at the Gusu Food Paradise and the Liu Changxing Noodle Restaurant on Zhujiang Road.

Around noon, I arrived at Hunan Road, which is lined with small, exquisitely- decorated stores. A constant stream of people leisurely strolled up and down the street.

Tracing Back History

Xuanwu Lake Park is the perfect destination for those travelers who want to rest while boating on a lake. The major part of the park's enclosing wall used to be the city wall during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and is now carpeted with moss and ivy. It consists of large, thick bricks, many of which are carved with the names of their makers. Xuanwu Lake, the park's principal attraction, is a large expanse of crystal clear water.

Zijin (Purple Gold) Mountain, in the eastern suburbs of Nanjing, is a place of tranquility, where the wind makes a pleasing sound when it blows through the bamboo leaves. As the sun sets, the mountain turns purple gold, hence its name. Viewed from the top of Zijin Mountain, the city's skyline is clear and beautiful.

In the moonlight, the Qinhuai River, a narrow river passing through the southwestern part of Nanjing, carries small boats to their destinations. Brick-structured houses with whitewashed walls and gray roofs line the banks where people get together in twos and threes to enjoy free-flowing conversations.

A Fast-Expanding Enterprise

Nanjing is one of the leaders of the manufacturing industry in China. Among its industrial enterprises, the Nanjing Panda Electronics Group is the city's pride. The group started as the Panda Electronics Company, a state-owned enterprise mainly engaged in the production of simple, electronic products such as TV sets. Since it carried out system reform and technical renovation, and accelerated the readjustment of its product structure, industrial structure, and property-right structure, it has become involved in telecommunications and other hi-tech industries, and is no longer dependent on the production of color TV sets. At present, the telecommunications and information industries make up 80 percent of the group's business structure. Since China's entry into the WTO, the Panda Group has been faced with a new market situation, and has therefore attached importance to attracting foreign investment and cooperating with foreign enterprises. Joint ventures, such as the Nanjing Ericsson Panda Communications Co., Ltd., and the Nanjing Ericsson Panda Mobile Terminal Co., Ltd., have been established and are growing at a fast pace.

At present, the group occupies more than 10 percent of the domestic mobile phone market and exports its products to foreign countries.

Food and Snacks

Most of Nanjing's residents are gourmets, and among the city's local food, salt-cured duck is the most popular. The taste of a salt-cured duck depends on the ingredients of the brine and the quality of the duck. The sweet-scented osmanthus duck, a variety of salt-cured duck, is nationally famous for its unparalleled flavor and thus much more expensive than other varieties.

Roast duck is also popular in Nanjing. Different from Beijing roast duck, Nanjing roast duck is usually cooked at a food stand, and most customers prefer to take it home, along with prepared soup, which contains pine nuts, melon seeds, sesames, and many other kinds of seasonings. Before eating it, people pour the soup on the sliced duck to add a special aromatic flavor to the meat.

Nanjing is also famous for its traditional snacks. If you'd like to taste genuine Nanjing snacks, don't miss the time-honored restaurants in the vicinity of the Fuzi Miao (Confucius Temple). The duck-grease pancakes, the vegetable-stuffed steamed buns, the dried tofu strips, the onion-flavored pancakes, the five-flavored eggs, and the five-flavored beans all satisfy the palate.

Scenic Attractions

The ancient city wall, adjacent to the Qinhuai River, is a historical relic of great importance. It used to embrace 2,000 garrison houses and 24 gate towers, some of which have been well-preserved, including Zhonghua Gate in the south, Yijiang Gate in the northwest, Xuanwu Gate in the northeast, and Zhongshan Gate in the east. It is considered a masterpiece of ancient Chinese architecture.

The Qinhuai River is divided into internal and external sections, and its internal section is a bustling area where restaurants, teahouses, and snack stalls crowd both banks. The Former Residence of Li Xiangjun, a famous song-and-dance courtesan of the late Ming Dynasty, is also a popular attraction in this area. When night falls, you can enjoy the sights along the river while sitting on a small boat rowed by a local girl.

The Zhongshan Scenic Area, with Zhongshan Mountain and Xuanwu Lake as its main attractions, is situated in the northeastern part of Nanjing. In the center of Zhongshan is the Mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. The mountain is also occupied by the Mingxiaoling (the tomb of Zhu Yuanzhang, founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty), the tomb of Sun Quan, founder of Kingdom Wu during the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280), and the tombs of Liao Zhongkai (1877-1925), a democratic revolutionary, and his wife, He Xiangning. In the east are Linggu Park and the tomb of Deng Yanda (1895-1931), a democratic revolutionary. On the northern side, there are the tombs of Ming Dynasty generals, including Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and Li Wenzhong. The nationally renowned Zijinshan (Purple Gold Mountain) Observatory towers on Peak No.3 of Zhongshan Mountain, while the Linggu Temple at the foot of the mountain is where Monk Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) is enshrined and worshiped.

(China Pictorial September 30, 2003)