Departing from Shanghai: A 5-Day Self-Drive Trip to Nanjing, Wuhu, Hefei, Zhenjiang in 2011 (Xuanwu Lake, Sanhe Ancient Town, Qixia Mountain, Longchang Temple)

For the 2011 National Day holiday, I chose several cities along the Yangtze River bordering Anhui and Jiangsu provinces, covering a total distance of 1304 kilometers. Anticipating traffic jams during the National Day drive, I set out early at 3 PM on September 30, but unexpectedly, it took 2 hours just to get from my home in Pudong through the city center of Puxi to the expressway. After finally getting on the expressway, I hit severe traffic jams twice on the Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway, first in the Suzhou section and then in the Changzhou section—the highway was like a parking lot. I didn't arrive in Nanjing until midnight on October 1. The approximately 300 km drive from Shanghai to Nanjing took 9 hours, which was utterly miserable. Another miserable thing was that I didn't use GPS at the time, relying solely on a paper map to drive from Nanjing to Ma'anshan, and inexplicably got a ticket for running a red light on a national highway.

September 30, 2011 (Nanjing weather: overcast, 16–22°C)

Departed home at 3 PM, driving through Shanghai city to the expressway.

17:34, arrived at the Shenhai Expressway Beiqing Highway Toll Gate, cumulative distance 37 km.

18:08, arrived at the Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway Huaqiao Toll Gate, cumulative distance 54 km, expressway toll 10 yuan.

20:20, arrived at the Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway Meicun Service Area for a short break, cumulative distance 135 km.

23:45, arrived at the Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway Huanglishu Service Area for a short break, cumulative distance 290 km.

October 1, 2011 (Nanjing weather: overcast, 15–20°C)

0:00, arrived at the Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway Nanjing Toll Gate, cumulative distance 302 km, expressway toll 110 yuan.

0:50, checked into Jinjiang Inn Nanjing Railway Station Branch 2, member discounted rate 188 yuan/night, cumulative distance 324 km.

On the morning of the 1st, I first bought Nanjing's specialty salted duck. This was at a Gui Hua Ya (Osmanthus Duck) shop on Heyan Road. The best Nanjing salted duck is produced by the Gui Hua Ya Group, which has many outlets in the city. The vacuum-packed version tastes mediocre—you should buy the freshly cooked salted duck to eat right away.

The salted duck was 17.8 yuan per jin (500g), making Nanjing's prices feel quite reasonable.

Jinjiang Inn Nanjing Railway Station Branch 2 is on Huangjiawei Road north of the railway station. Since the hotel is in an entrepreneurial park, it's very quiet.

There were several RVs parked, which made me envious.

This picture was taken on Zhongyang North Road; ahead is the Beijing-Shanghai Railway leading to the Yangtze River Bridge, and above is the Shanghai-Nanjing Intercity Railway.

Driving past the Nanjing Urban Planning & Construction Exhibition Hall.

On October 1, I visited Jiming Temple, Bailuzhou Park, and Xuanwu Lake in Nanjing.

Jiming Temple Road in front of the temple, with the Nanjing municipal government on the east side.

Jiming Temple entrance fee 5 yuan.

The municipal government across the road, a nationally protected historical building.

From Jiming Temple, you can see the ancient city wall of Nanjing to the north and Zijin Mountain to the east.

The pagoda was under repair.

The Nanjing municipal government building.

Bailuzhou Park, entrance fee 20 yuan.

It was rare to find a parking spot at the park gate. In the photo below, the second car on the left is my 'Little Ai'.

Exiting the park, walking under the ancient city wall.

The Wudingmen city wall to the east of Bailuzhou Park.

The metro station at the intersection of Zhongshan South Road and Shengzhou Road; it's a short walk from here to Fuzi Miao (Confucius Temple).

Driving north along Zhongshan South Road toward Xinjiekou, you can see the bronze statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen at the intersection.

Nanjing's parasol trees grow very distinctively.

The Nanjing Urban Planning Exhibition Hall next to Xuanwu Lake Park.

Xuanwu Lake Park.

17:40, refueled at a Sinopec station on Shanxi Road in Nanjing, 220 yuan at 7.45 yuan/liter, cumulative distance 355 km. Anhui province uses ethanol-blended gasoline, so I filled up in Nanjing, and planned to play in Wuhu and Hefei before returning to Nanjing to refuel with unleaded gasoline, avoiding mixing ethanol gasoline en route.

19:17, 205 National Road Nanjing Toll Gate, toll 20 yuan.

19:36, checked into Jinjiang Inn Ma'anshan Jiefang Road Branch, member discounted rate 161 yuan/night (including double breakfast), cumulative distance 411 km.

October 2, 2011 (Wuhu weather: overcast with light rain, 15–19°C)

Jinjiang Inn Ma'anshan Jiefang Road Branch.

I originally planned to visit Caishi Ji, but gave up because the weather forecast changed from cloudy to light rain. I went straight to Guangji Temple in Wuhu, planning to visit Caishi Ji when passing through Ma'anshan on a future trip to Jiuhua Mountain.

From Nanjing to Ma'anshan, and then to Wuhu, I didn't take the expressway but used National Road 205. Ma'anshan's biggest enterprise is Ma Steel (Magang), so driving on 205 feels like passing through the Ma Steel factory area.

There are many railway tracks along the way—dedicated lines for Ma Steel.

On National Road 205.

Dangtu Bus Station beside National Road 205.

Another toll gate, charging 10 yuan for non-local plates, but they didn't stop my car—I "sneaked through" without paying.

Entering the Wuhu area along 205.

Passing by the Huizhou Merchants Museum in the Wuhu city area.

Wuhu's Guangji Temple, entrance fee 5 yuan.

Wuhu Guangji Temple is known as 'Little Jiuhua'.

Fenghuang Food Street in Wuhu city.

The time-honored Gengfuxing restaurant.

I wanted to take nice photos of the food at Gengfuxing, but unexpectedly the staff stopped me.

13:45, arrived at Wuhu Yangtze River Bridge Toll Gate, toll 20 yuan.

Wuhu Yangtze River Bridge.

14:23, arrived at the Hewu Expressway Yongzhen Toll Gate, cumulative distance 488 km.

14:40, arrived at the Hewu Expressway Fushan Service Area for a short break, cumulative distance 520 km.

15:50, arrived at the Hefei Ring Expressway Baohe Avenue Toll Gate, cumulative distance 606 km, expressway toll 55 yuan.

Checked into Jinjiang Inn Hefei Lujiang Road Branch, member discounted rate 143 yuan/night, cumulative distance for the night 643 km.

In the evening we had Anhui cuisine in Hefei. We found a well-regarded restaurant called 'Luzhou Taitai'. Even at past 9 PM, the hall was fully packed and there were still people queuing at the door. However, because we weren't familiar with Hefei's roads and many intersections in the city center prohibit left turns, it took nearly an hour just to find the restaurant.

October 3, 2011 (Hefei weather: overcast to cloudy, 14–20°C)

Jinjiang Inn Hefei Lujiang Road Branch.

Lujiang Road in front of the hotel is a one-way street from west to east; you need to enter from Jinzhai Road.

On October 3, I visited Mingjiao Temple, Xiaoyaojin Park, and the Sanhe Ancient Town in Feixi.

Mingjiao Temple, entrance fee 10 yuan.

In front of Mingjiao Temple is the most bustling commercial area of Hefei.

Xiaoyaojin, free entry.

Zhang Liao, the Wei general who gained fame at Xiaoyaojin during the Three Kingdoms period.

11:45, arrived at Hefei Ring Expressway Baohe Avenue Toll Gate.

12:15, arrived at He'an Expressway Shucheng Toll Gate, cumulative distance 693 km, toll 20 yuan.

Sanhe Ancient Town, just strolling around the old town is free.

Yang Zhenning's former residence.

14:15, arrived at Hesu Expressway Shucheng Toll Gate, cumulative distance 701 km.

16:30, arrived at the Hening Expressway Wuzhuang Service Area for a short break, cumulative distance 841 km.

16:40, arrived at Hening Expressway Wuzhuang Toll Gate, cumulative distance 842 km, expressway toll 70 yuan.

On the Hening Expressway.

16:55, refueled at Hening Expressway Tangquan Service Area, 290 yuan at 7.45 yuan/liter.

17:15, arrived at Hening Expressway Xingdian Toll Gate, toll 15 yuan.

17:28, exited Hening Expressway, cumulative distance 878 km.

17:34, arrived at Nanjing Yangtze River Tunnel, toll 10 yuan.

Around dinner time, we drove in Nanjing's city center; we reached Fuzi Miao but couldn't find parking, so we switched to Hunan Road for dinner.

20:25, arrived at Nanjing Second Yangtze River Bridge Toll Gate, cumulative distance 920 km, toll 20 yuan.

20:55, checked into Jinjiang Inn Nanjing Dachang Jingjiu Road Branch, member discounted rate 143 yuan/night, cumulative distance for the night 943 km.

October 4, 2011 (Nanjing weather: cloudy, 15–22°C)

This photo was taken from the window of the Jinjiang Inn guest room. Nanjing Dachang is a chemical industrial zone on the north bank of the river, home to Yangzi Petrochemical. In the early 1930s, the patriotic industrialist Mr. Fan Xudong built China's earliest chemical base here—the Yongli Ammonium Plant, then called the largest factory in the Far East. The name 'Dachang' (meaning 'big factory') stuck from then on.

Jinjiang Inn Nanjing Dachang Jingjiu Road Branch.

On Xinhua Road in Nanjing Dachang.

On National Road 328.

On Nanjing Ring Expressway.

Nanjing Second Yangtze River Bridge, bridge toll 20 yuan.

On October 3, I visited Qixia Temple in Nanjing, as well as Longchang Temple on Baohua Mountain and Xijin Ancient Ferry in Zhenjiang.

Qixia Temple, entrance fee 20 yuan.