Discover a Different Jinling: Waiting for a White Snake Romance in Nanjing

📍 Nanjing · 👁 1 reads · ❤️ 70 likes

Two years ago on National Day, my best friend and I took a spur-of-the-moment trip. Since then, this city has become part of my story. The memories of Nanjing are etched deep in my heart, bared and unfiltered. I never expected that two years later, I would set foot in Nanjing again. When I reunited with this ancient capital of six dynasties, the spring vitality here had already rooted itself in my soul. From then on, in Jinling, I began a solitary wander…

In March 2020, I came to seek a job recommended by a friend. In just three days, I met a dozen Nanjing friends. We were strangers brought together by chance, all guests in a foreign land.

I recall that poem we recited countless times in middle school: “So lovely is the South, with landscapes I once knew well. At sunrise, river blossoms blaze redder than fire; in spring, the river water is green as indigo. How can I not remember the South?”

Years later, with a heart that once leaned northward, I finally realized how beautiful the South truly is!

If you love tranquility and understated elegance, I can stroll with you through the old Nanjing of white walls and dark tiles. Laomendong overflows with the flavor of old Nanjing—to trace the past, start here.

⛰ [Attraction Guide] Address: Intersection of Gutong Alley and Jianzi Alley, Qinhuai District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province.

Transport: Bus routes 701, 706 to Junshi Alley; Metro Line 1 to Zhonghuamen, then walk north.

Opening hours: All day

Ticket: Free

Laomendong is a cluster of ancient-style buildings, where sesame cakes, sugar figurines, and kites evoke traditional life. You can taste almost all Nanjing specialty snacks here. The cozy ambiance, colorful wall tiles, light green plants, age-old vines, and corner pendant lamps—all set a mood. Wandering through the streets of Laomendong, you feel the slow pace of life. There are queues for Xiao Zheng’s crispy sesame cakes, Xianheng Tavern, delicious plum blossom cakes…

Through the glass, you can almost smell the stinky tofu; the temptation of food often makes us lose our resistance.

Strolling carelessly through the narrow lanes, I stumbled upon a fat cat, adding a lazy charm to these blue-brick alleys.

A friend suddenly remarked: “With a hundred thousand strings of cash around my waist…”

“Riding a crane down to Yangzhou,” I blurted out.

In the Southern Dynasties, four hundred eighty temples stood; how many towers and terraces in mist and rain? Speaking of the first temple, we must start with Jiming Temple.

⛰ [Attraction Guide] Address: Ancient Jiming Temple (No.1 Jiming Temple Road, Xuanwu District)

Transport: Metro Line 1 to Gulou Station, then walk about 1.3 km; or buses 201, 2, 3, 11, 20, 24, 31, 44, 48, 52, 67, 70, 140, 304, etc. to Jiming Temple Station—route 304 stops closest.

Opening hours: 07:00–17:00

Ticket: 10 RMB

I wanted to pray for a love story, to encounter under Jiming Temple a romance like that of Lady White Snake.

Jiming Temple is not large, nestled next to a stretch of Ming City Wall on a small hill. With a group of friends, I walked under cherry blossom trees; a fine drizzle drifted by now and then, decorating the gray sky.

Through the lens, a young couple accidentally entered my camera frame, their image frozen in the shot.

My heart stirred, a warm current surged, and I remembered the scenes of him and me back then.

I captured a post-90s scenic spot guardian, standing steadfastly in the spring breeze to hold onto the romance of the season.

Cherry blossoms, prayers, romantic retro vibes. The Cherry Blossom Avenue at ancient Jiming Temple quietly put on its pink attire in March. That touch of rosy hue intoxicated the misty azure rain and enchanted the hearts of passersby.

From the Huomeng Pavilion of Jiming Temple, I gazed at Xuanwu Lake, sipping tea amidst mountains, water, city walls, and forest, with blooms filling my eyes.

The mountains are the Purple Mountains; the walls, the Ming City Wall; the willows, the misty willows of Taicheng; the water, Xuanwu Lake.

Flowers bloom and wither, filling the city; the city gates close and open, intoxicating all.

⛰ [Attraction Guide] Address: Xuanwu Lake Park

Transport: Metro Line 1

Opening hours: Open all day, free entry

Ticket: Free

Xuanwu Lake Park is a very large inland lake, breathtaking at sunset. Many Nanjing residents love to take walks here; it's also dotted with historical relics—truly a treasure garden.

After the drizzle, Xuanwu Lake turned a shade of azure. I thought, such pink and white beauty will become a memory—like an ink wash painting. I was a figure in the painting, enveloped in a moist haze. A friend adjusted my clothes and asked, “Are you cold?”

I said, “No, not at all. This is refreshing.”

Riding the little train around Xuanwu Lake, I toured most of this picturesque park, feeling its beauty with my heart.

With a heart toward the sun, I bloom like a flower. This scene, this moment, so perfect.

My friend’s smile was like honey, healing the hearts of all of us. She never felt self-conscious about being slightly chubby; she was meticulous and caring toward everyone, always confident, cheerful, lively, and sunny. This greenness—this freshness—is a gift of youth. The beauty of Xuanwu Lake permeates every inch of air.

I long to experience a rain with you, then wander by the lake, boats drifting on the water, us leaning on each other inside.

You know, youth is a poem, with endless stories to write.

Frozen on the lawn of Xuanwu Lake Park, five young people moved from strangers to familiar friends.

While the garden brims with spring colors, I record the hues of the season.

The clusters of hydrangeas, full and lustrous.

Perhaps the bees are not gathering nectar, but spring itself. They collect spring and deliver a dose of sweetness to every person who loves life.

Jinling’s beauty is nowhere more enchanting than at Back Lake. Here I felt the spring breeze caress my face and inhaled faint traces of incense. Content and at ease.

I have been to the phoenix-like reborn Fenghuang Ancient Town, so I can better appreciate the low-key shyness of Stone City by day. But when dusk falls and the moon rises, the dimly lit streets enchant a flood of travelers.

If you’re lucky, you might catch the Lantern Festival at Laomendong and feel the brilliant lights.

In central Nanjing, high-rises everywhere light up in a sea of lights. The later the night, the more alluring it becomes, striking the dreams of modern youth.

The night at Confucius Temple glitters, with music and dancing filling the air.

The insta-famous road at Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum draws countless visitors to check in. Time passes; alone, I admire it in solitude.

An underground food court at night.

A friend captured me strolling the street. Walking the Nanjing streets at night, I wavered about the future.

⛰ [Attraction Guide] Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders

Ticket: Free admission

Opening hours: 8:30–16:30 (Tuesday to Sunday)

Transport: Nearby bus/metro stops: Jiangdong Wanda Plaza (routes 7, 7 section, 37, 39, 57, 82, 161, 186, 312, 803, 807, D7); Jiangdongmen (7, 7 section, 37, 61, 63, 161, 170, 186, 807); Jiangdongmen Memorial Hall (7, 7 section, 37, 61)

On August 15, 1985, the Nanjing Municipal People’s Government established and opened the Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders. The site is located at the Jiangdongmen mass execution site and mass burial ground, hence also called the Jiangdongmen Memorial Hall.

History never fades; it forever reminds the world to move forward. Backwardness invites bullying—that is the lesson history teaches us. Looking back at the path China has walked, every step is history. China continues to develop, rapidly and vigorously, yet we must never forget our history.

Borges once said, if there is a heaven on earth, it must look like a library.

The library is open year-round (closed on Mondays for facility maintenance, staff training, and internal meetings; closed on Chinese New Year’s Eve).

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 a.m.

Nanjing Library feels just like Nanjing itself—through the misty air of the six-dynasty capital, you can sense its gentle, restrained elegance, like a gentleman.

Among the many landmarks of Nanjing, it lacks the bustling liveliness of Confucius Temple or the solemn gravity of Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum. Instead, in a corner of our hectic lives, it provides a bright, warm, quiet space for introspection and reading, suffused with the faint fragrance of books, showing the quiet, earnest faces of this city’s people as they study and read.

Two years ago in October, it was late autumn. The golden and powdered capital of six dynasties, what I remember most is Jinling.

Nanjing is a city of autumn—crisp air, neither cold nor hot, scenery beautiful. Ancient and profound, it seems the lingering charm of a thousand-year capital floats in the very air.

Every autumn, it’s a world of red maple. Inside the temple, red maples, gingkoes, and the ancient temple mingle with autumn hues, breathtakingly beautiful.

Address: Inside Zhongshan Scenic Area, Xuanwu District, Nanjing

Sifangcheng Transport: Metro Line 2, Xiamafang Station

Zhongshanling Station Ticket: 30 RMB

Opening hours: 7:30–18:00

The Stone Statue Road at Ming Xiaoling is called “Nanjing’s most beautiful autumn road.” On either side stand ancient stone statues over 600 years old. Red and yellow fill your eyes; as leaves flutter down, stories of emperors and generals drift into your heart.

What stunning sight does Meiling Palace offer in autumn? Viewed from above, it looks like a gem pendant on a necklace. People praise it as the “Heart of Purple Mountain,” calling it Chiang Kai-shek’s love declaration to Soong Mei-ling.

Address: Zhongshan Scenic Area, Xuanwu District, Nanjing

Transport: Buses 3, 20, 202; Metro Line 2, Xiamafang Station

Ticket: 70 RMB

Opening hours: 6:30–18:00

In the narrow alleys, every open courtyard reveals the lonely, thin figures of the elderly. An old man sits on a stone stool in front of his house, smoking a long, slow cigarette. An old woman perhaps clatters pots and pans in a worn kitchen, or holds a small bowl eating a solitary meal under the shady eaves, or sits indoors on a wooden chair chatting with a companion about trivial daily affairs.

Nanjing’s metro system is unique: every line, every station, encapsulates a historical story.

But today’s young people have long grown accustomed to using the metro as a place to unwind their exhaustion, after all, this journey bridges the workday commute.

Everyone seems weary, everyone’s head is lowered, lost in their own world…

There are several food streets in the Yiwu Small Commodity City. The shop owner was haggling with customers, wearing an understanding expression.

My friend and I stayed at a hotel near Xiaoshi. A photo to mark our first arrival in Nanjing.

Whose dog is this, its dazed gaze seeking favor from whom?

One of China’s four great museums, the Nanjing Museum. I am here, in Nanjing.

Nanjing Impressions, founded in 1994, is a classic restaurant brand showcasing unique Jinling cuisine to Nanjing locals. While retaining the rich folk-style ambiance of the original Xinjiekou outlet, it has also innovated and elevated.

At Nanjing Impressions, ubiquitous couplet lanterns, costumed waiters moving between tables, fill the space with traditional Chinese folk charm.

On April 5, 2020, colleagues treated me to a meal at the Confucius Temple branch. Its decor is elegantly antique, recreating the look of late Qing and early Republic tea houses and taverns. Being there felt like stepping back in time.

Traditional Qinhuai snacks are heavy on oil and sugar, not ideal for modern diets. Over the past two decades, Confucius Temple snack vendors have gradually developed new varieties. Recently, the “Qinhuai Eight Delicacies” list was adjusted—scallion pancakes, five-color cakes, shredded chicken noodles, thin-skinned dumplings, smoked fish silver-thread noodles, and sweet osmanthus mini rice balls were replaced by new additions like small shaomai, tea crisps, braised tofu, duck blood soup, steam-pot black chicken, fried stinky tofu, plum blossom steamed cakes, and yuhua stone rice balls.

Duck-oil crispy sesame cakes are golden, plump, and not greasy. Sesame-oil blanched dried tofu threads are fine as silver, loose and not clumped. The soybean sprouts in braised tofu are perfectly shaped like ruyi scepters. The duck blood in duck blood soup is a rich reddish-brown, dotted with chopped scallions.

Five people, each with a skewer of grilled gluten—so satisfying.

Nanjing duck blood vermicelli soup.

Pan-fried beef buns, a lingering aftertaste. 2.5 RMB each, the satisfaction of biting into real meat.

Today’s Nanjing has risen again, having carved history into its very bones through suffering.

Now Nanjing is also a modern metropolis, with skyscrapers and brilliant lights.

The high-rises of Xinjiekou highlight our smallness; the silhouette of Zifeng Tower always appears in the sky where you gaze; the ultra-modern architecture of Hexi pleases the eye.

Underfoot, eight metro lines connect every corner of Nanjing.

Living in Nanjing, steeped in historical charm, you can’t help but absorb a touch of artistry. Overlooking Nanjing from Purple Mountain, watching the great river flow east, seeing the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge span the water—it adds a heroic spirit to your heart.

This is my second visit to Nanjing, and the city where I’ve stayed the longest. I believe, planting dreams in this land, the future is surely worth looking forward to!

Travelogue Contents:

1. Strangers met by chance, all guests in a foreign land

2. The first temple of the Southern Dynasties, in misty rain of the South

3. Poetic charm in lakes and mountains

4. A dream in each misty rain, a lovesick journey through Jinling

5. Nanjing’s nights

6. Condensed historical sentiments

7. A book-scented heaven for literati

8. Ming Xiaoling in autumn

9. In Nanjing, I am a Nanjing local

10. Nanjing Impressions: delicacies of Jinling on the tongue

11. Afterword: Nanjing, Nanjing