A Mid-Autumn September Trip to Yangzhou and Nanjing
Yangzhou finally got high-speed rail. Last Mid-Autumn Festival in September, grabbing a window when the pandemic was manageable, we took a trip to Nanjing and Yangzhou.
I've been to Nanjing many times, but this time I focused on the national heritage site—the Da Bao'en Temple ruins and the Niushou Mountain Scenic Area.
Day 1, Sept 22: The bus to Da Bao'en Temple was very convenient, and the Jinling transportation card I bought last time came in handy again. Last year I rushed through without visiting the pagoda and the wing rooms. Today I'll stroll around again.
The original temple was all decorated with glazed tiles; now modern glazed techniques recreate the Buddhist...
A gaze spanning a millennium...
Dazzling glazed art. The original Da Bao'en Temple Pagoda was decorated with glazed tiles, but sadly it was destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion.
Beneath the pagoda is the underground palace enshrining relics.
Climbing the reconstructed pagoda, you can see: the late-Qing armory, now a creative park.
The city wall across the moat and the ruins of the Zhonghua Gate.
The corridor is full of artistic ambience.
On one wall, a display case exhibits the works of a Nanjing female artist, Qi Jing—fabric applique paintings; she is also an inheritor of this intangible cultural heritage.
Unique craftsmanship: oil-painting or watercolor techniques plus scraps of fabric—simply beautiful.
In the corridor wing rooms, there is a grand sutra collection chamber.
Hardwood-carved sutra printing plates of all kinds, reflecting their profoundness...
Day 2, Sept 23. Nanjing was once the capital of six dynasties, and emperors were devoted to Buddhism, leaving many temple sites: besides Da Bao'en Temple and Chaotian Palace in the city, the Niushou Mountain ruins in the suburbs are one of them. Take Metro Line 1 to Tianlongsi Station, transfer to bus #712/755, get off at Niushou Mountain Station. The scenic area covers hectares; it's not a short walk to the main attraction, the Heavenly Palace, so there's a shuttle service. From the visitor center, bus costs 10 yuan per person. There are a few stops along the way, but if you get off you have to buy a new ticket to continue.
Gilded lacquer panels inside the pagoda.
And the Four Heavenly Kings carved from nanmu wood.
Up a floor, looking around, I envied the young and agile who climbed to the top on foot—I don't know why the elevator wasn't open.
Looking down at the Buddhist Palace—built inside a huge abandoned pit, the palace has six floors.
Descending the pagoda and heading to the Buddhist Palace—magnificent and imposing.
The underground palace is on the sixth floor, reached by elevator. Entering, you face a jade carving—Scenes of Paying Homage to Buddha.
On a lotus seat, the reclining Buddha slowly rotates automatically.
The corridor walls feature the largest wool-and-silk tapestry in China, which took artisans four years to complete...
Glorious and solemn.
The place where the sacred relics are enshrined.
The marble decoration is on par with Western cathedrals.
It's said 40 billion yuan was spent building the Buddhist Palace scenic area. Tickets are 140 yuan; for those over 70, free.
Near the hotel, the Zifeng Tower annex is a commercial building; the Nanjing Morning Feast hall sells local delicacies. The award-winning wine-infused beef was tasty and looked good.
Day 3, Sept 24. The high-speed train from Nanjing to Yangzhou just started operating, only about an hour—no need for a bus anymore, faster and a bit cheaper. After leaving the station, take Tourist Bus 1. The Jinling transportation card works in Yangzhou too. Bus 1 strings together many Yangzhou sights; though it takes a long loop, it gives a good look at the city. Get off at Hongqiaofang stop, a few dozen meters from Junting Hotel.
After checking in, we again took Bus 1 to see a former Yangzhou salt merchant's mansion—the Lu's Salt Merchant Residence. The house closes for lunch, but there's a restaurant in the compound (reservations required). We ate at the old Yangzhou restaurant just outside, Shizilou, where the lion’s head meatball and wensi soup lived up to their fame.
After lunch, we toured the Lu's Salt Merchant Residence. Over 70? Free entry.
It felt a bit worn and faded, with few visitors. I heard it's going to be renovated; otherwise it wouldn't do justice to its national treasure status... The top Yangzhou salt merchant mansion—Heyuan Garden—is not far from the Lu residence, so we strolled over. Over 70? Free again.
A front garden and rear residence connected by an elevated corridor, an innovation in classical gardens. Because it continued into the Republican era, the owner openly blended Western elements into the architecture.
A small exhibition room introduced the original He family: they rose through the salt trade, but more famous were He Shiheng, a great Republican-era lawyer who defended the Seven Gentlemen in court, and He Shikan, a master who founded a university. Many hardships: the university was destroyed during the war with Japan, and the lawyer suffered injustice when times changed...
Drawing on the essence of Suzhou gardens, a corner of the Stone Mountain House—a famous rockery by Shi Tao.
After the visit, we took Bus 1 again to Dongguan Street.
We sat down on a bench by the ancient canal dock, then wandered this old street from east to west. Marco Polo also visited Yangzhou. The food on Dongguan Street is a feast: old goose, pastries...
The street stretches for two kilometers; midway, we turned right onto the main road and took Bus 1 back to our “home” for the day.
Day 4, Sept 25. The famous Yechun Teahouse was right across the street from the hotel. An old state-owned enterprise, the service was fine, the dim sum quite good; the crab-roe soup dumplings are a must-order. Lots of tourists come for them. After breakfast, we headed to Slender West Lake—Yangzhou's signature sight. Entered via the South Gate and wandered through the West Garden—
Entered Slender West Lake South Gate, over 70 free, just show ID. Checked the visitor map and followed the lakeside path.
The Fishing Terrace in the middle of the lake.
From the terrace, you see the Five-Pavilion Bridge—the symbol of Yangzhou.
The White Pagoda looks like it shares the same master as the one in Beijing.
We strolled onto the Five-Pavilion Bridge.
And then to the Twenty-Four Bridge scenic spot.
Slender West Lake is quite big; to save our legs, we took a sightseeing tram to the North Gate, getting off midway to see the bonsai garden.
Inside—
The grand outdoor compositions.
Walking out of the bonsai garden to the North Gate, enjoying the garden scenery all the way.
Right at the North Gate, Daming Temple, a famous Yangzhou sight, is very close. Monk Jianzhen set sail for Japan from here, but sadly this thousand-year-old temple isn't ancient anymore. The statue of Jianzhen might be an old relic, but the pagoda and main hall were rebuilt later...
Then we rode to Geyuan Garden in the old city: bamboo in front, rockeries in back. A classic Su-style garden built in the late Qing...
The garden uses piled rocks to represent the four seasons. These are the summer rocks...
There are also zodiac-themed Taihu Lake stones arrayed—south of the garden is the residential area.
And just outside the North Gate is Dongguan Street, bustling with tourists. We returned by Bus 1 to the hotel, then walked to the east to eat at Yiyuan Restaurant for another round of Yangzhou cuisine. Nearby are the historic landmarks: Ming-dynasty Siwang Pavilion and Wenchang Pavilion.
After dinner, we strolled back to the hotel, passing Yechun Teahouse and Fuchun Teahouse across the street...
Day 5, Sept 26. Afternoon high-speed train back to Shanghai. Morning breakfast on the hotel's top floor offered a view of Slender West Lake and Daming Temple.
And the new intercity railway line.
After breakfast, we stored our luggage and visited the Shi Kefa Memorial Hall by the moat.
A righteous man, forever remembered. The governor loved Plum Blossom Ridge, so later generations built his tomb (with only his clothing) here. The couplet at the main hall: "A few plum blossoms in the air, tears for a fallen nation; A second-bright moon, the loyal minister's heart."
On the same street, Tianning Temple (now the Yangzhou Buddhist Culture Museum), one of the original repositories of the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries).
I learned something: Emperor Qianlong ordered the compilation of the Siku Quanshu, which had seven sets. Four in the capital: Wenyuan Pavilion in the Forbidden City, Wenyuan Pavilion in the Old Summer Palace, Wensu Pavilion in the Shenyang Imperial Palace, and Wenjin Pavilion in the Chengde Mountain Resort—for official use. To benefit scholars in the south, he ordered three more sets: Wenlan Pavilion at Shengyin Temple in Hangzhou, Wenhui Pavilion at Tianning Temple in Yangzhou, and Wenzong Pavilion at Jinshan Temple in Zhenjiang.
Each set has over 36,000 volumes, 800 million characters, all transcribed so neatly...
What's displayed now is a facsimile edition kept in the National Library, funded by a Yangzhou entrepreneur. The pavilion is also rebuilt; the two southern pavilions and their books were destroyed in the Taiping Rebellion... The Old Summer Palace copy was destroyed by the Eight-Nation Alliance. The three surviving complete sets are now in the Taipei Palace Museum, the National Library in Beijing, and the Gansu Museum, while the Hangzhou set, completed with fillers, is in the Zhejiang Library.
Tianning Temple also hosts an exhibition of works by the famous Qing-dynasty artists, the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou.
Their mastery of painting and calligraphy—as a layperson, I just came to see the spectacle...
There are many high-speed trains from Yangzhou to Shanghai; buy tickets on the 12306 website, just show ID to enter the station. Along the way we passed Nantong, Tongzhou, Zhangjiagang, Changshu...
Just over two hours, and we arrived at Hongqiao Station...
