Heading to Nanjing? Bring This Complete Three-Day Guide
Zhu Ziqing once said, walking in Nanjing is like browsing an antique shop, with traces of the times etched everywhere. The ancient capital of six dynasties, the Jiangnan Examination Hall, mooring on the Qinhuai River at night, the thousand-year Buddhist capital, the Republican-era upheavals... Words about Nanjing crowd into the mind, layer upon layer! Seen from afar, they are the mist of history; up close, they are the stupa of Jiming Temple, the ripples of Xuanwu Lake, the gray bricks of the Ming city wall, the archways of the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum—and even more, the reverence, respect, and sighs buried deep in the heart. Now, though the stories of the six dynasties have faded with the water, every hill and river, every bridge and road in Nanjing, even an alley you pass without thinking, still tells legends of the extraordinary. That's why I've always wanted to visit Nanjing—to search for the fragments left behind by the ancient capital of six dynasties, to touch them, to pay my respects, to muse quietly upon the rise and fall of those dynasties, the elegance of the Wang and Xie clans, the glamorous traces of the Qinhuai, and so fulfill my imagination of Jiangnan.
Nanjing, a land of three thousand beauties and an imperial city of the Jinling emperors, has so much to see and do with its profound history. But for first-time visitors, we must choose and recommend. Attractions are concentrated in the main urban districts of Xuanwu and Qinhuai, particularly in three major zones: Xuanwu Lake, the banks of the Qinhuai River, and the Confucius Temple (Fuzimiao). You can cover the main sights in basically three days. For ancient history lovers, visit the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum (¥70), the Ming city wall (¥30), the Qinhuai River (free), Jiming Temple (¥10), and the Da Bao'en Temple Relic Park (¥95). For those interested in the Republican era, see the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum (¥70), the Presidential Palace (¥35), and Changjiang Road (free). For natural scenery, head to Xuanwu Lake (free), Qixia Mountain (¥25), or the Green Expo Garden (free). If you want to take photos in ancient costume, go to Laomendong (free), Jiezi Garden (with accommodation or dining), or Chaotian Palace (¥25 entry).
Below is a three-day itinerary: Day 1, a classical photo route: Nanjing Museum – Chaotian Palace – Laomendong & Jiezi Garden. Day 2, a Buddhist heritage route: Da Bao'en Temple – Niushou Mountain – Jiming Temple – Confucius Temple & Qinhuai River. Day 3, a Republican nostalgia route: Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum – Presidential Palace – Changjiang Road Cultural Tourism Block. This three-day tour basically checks off Nanjing's three main themes.
"Who was it that planted the plantain, so meddlesome? Morning and evening it rustles. It's your heart that's too restless; you plant the plantain and then resent the plantain." Around 1661, the renowned scholar Li Yu moved his family from Hangzhou to Nanjing. Over more than a decade in Nanjing, Li Yu ran a bookstore, established a Kunqu opera troupe, and built Jiezi Garden. After a half-life of wandering untrammeled, settling into Jiezi Garden was like a drifting seed finally taking root. He painstakingly crafted the garden, small yet exquisite, achieving a 'world within a pot.' Between every brick and tile, every flower and tree, every drink and meal, every bed and mat, a mustard seed could hold Mount Sumeru!
Laomendong is the historical name for the area south of the old city in Nanjing. 'Mendong' means east of Zhonghua Gate, stretching north to Changle Road and south to the Ming city wall. Historically, this was a bustling hub of commerce and culture, Nanjing's most developed area for business and residence, home to many high officials and noble families during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and a gathering place of private gardens—such as the famous Xinghua Village, Fenghuang Terrace, Fengyou Temple... and Jiezi Garden, which I recommend to you.
Jiezi Garden was the private garden of Li Yu, a Jiangnan talent of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. In today's terms, Li Yu was a big name in the arts—he loved food, pleasure, writing, painting, and opera. He wrote a high-style guide to living, 'Random Notes of Idle Pleasure' (Xianqing Ouji), and edited a beginner's painting manual, 'The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting' (Jieziyuan Huazhuan). As the first comedy writer in Chinese theater history, he authored 'Ten Kinds of Plays' (Shizhong Qu). He was rigorous in literary theory yet exquisitely attentive to the details of daily life.
Life in Jiezi Garden was arguably the happiest and most carefree time of Li Yu's life. He doted on painting and calligraphy, produced many famous works, and even ran a busy bookshop in the garden, printing and selling books. The later highly revered 'Mustard Seed Garden Painting Manual' derived its name from his residence here—a glimpse of his refined flair. From today's perspective, 'Jiezi Garden' can be seen as Li Yu's own cultural IP.
Because the garden occupies less than three mu (about half an acre), Li Yu jokingly named it 'Mustard Seed.' Under his meticulous carving, it became one of the most classic gardens in history. People look up to Li Yu (pen name Liweng) as they would the North Star; the garden's name, Mustard Seed, can contain Mount Sumeru. Stepping inside is like entering a miniature landscape—compact and exquisite, with rockeries, flowers, and ponds galore.
Li Yu once said, 'At night, I go to bed after the flowers; in the morning, I rise before the birds, for fear of missing a single chirp or a single bloom.' Meaning: 'I sleep later than the flowers at night, and get up earlier than the birds in the morning, lest I overlook the call of a bird or the beauty of a flower.'
Every step reveals a new view, each holding its own charm. The garden has elegant pavilions like Fubai Hall and Qiyun Valley, as well as rockeries described as 'crimson cliffs and emerald waters, dense forests and slender bamboos, singing birds and roaring waterfalls, thatched huts and plank bridges—all the elements of mountain living, not one missing.' Qiyun Valley, Moonlit Stage, Single-Peak Hill, Fubai Hall, Laishan Pavilion—every detail of a mountain retreat is here.
A visit to Jiezi Garden is not only for the scenery but also to hear a classic Kunqu opera, 'The Peony Pavilion.' Every Wednesday to Sunday at 7 p.m., there is a 40-minute Kunqu performance inside the garden—truly wonderful. It's not fully open to the general public, though. To enjoy the opera, you have two options: stay at the Yihe Hotel in Jiezi Garden (off-season rates around ¥700), or dine at the hotel's Zhoujingtang Chinese restaurant's 'Qinhuai Eight Delicacies Buffet' for ¥99 per person.
A figure in flowing green, ethereal as a fairy. It is said that beautiful women hail from Jinling, and indeed they add a splash of bright color to this ancient garden!
A sidelong glance from phoenix eyes brims with elegance; soft melodies and low chants conjure a hundred charms. Two veteran Kunqu performers, with their exquisite voices, truly astonish time itself!
After five hundred years of wandering dreams, finally the dream comes true in Jiezi Garden. The silent garden has at last seen the return of drama; Li Yu's theatrical spirit will endure forever! 'Pity the Fragrant Companion,' art cherishing art, Li Yu's tears, silently fall.
Around Laomendong, there are many creative new restaurants, serving refined Nanjing dishes to suit visitors' palates—well worth a try. Black truffle soup dumplings.
Qinhuai River & Confucius Temple
"Mist veils the cold water, moon veiled in gauze; at night I moor by Qinhuai's wine shops. The songstress knows not the sorrow of a conquered land; across the river she still sings the 'Backyard Flowers'."
Du Mu's 'Mooring on the Qinhuai' has been a living advertisement through the ages, turning the Qinhuai River into the poetry and distant lands of many people's dreams. 'For ten miles of splendor, spring breezes arrive; a thousand gates open onto the river.' The 'Ten-Mile Qinhuai' is the essence of Qinhuai scenery. Along its banks lie the Qinhuai Water Pavilion, Peach Leaf Ferry, White Egret Island Park, Jiangnan Examination Hall, Cuiyuan Park, Xie An Memorial Hall, Li Xiangjun's Former Residence, Zhan Garden, the Barbican at Zhonghua Gate, and other cultural landmarks. Since the Southern Dynasties, the Qinhuai River has been a district where noble families gathered. Banks were lined with taverns, rich with music and wine; countless merchant boats plied the river day and night, and many songstresses lived among them, with light songs and graceful dances, silken melodies floating in the air. Scholars and gentlemen lingered here, and tales of beauties have been passed down through millennia.
After winding through streets and alleys, I soon reached the archway marking the Qinhuai scenic area. That night, clouds overcast, there was naturally no 'pale moon leaning close to people' as Zhu Ziqing described. Instead, the river ports blazed with great red lanterns, the bright night lights magnificent, adorning the not-so-wide Qinhuai River with a dreamlike air.
Many visitors took boat rides on the Qinhuai at night. The flowing water caught the lights, suffused with glitz. I hesitated but eventually did not board a boat; yet I seemed to hear lilting songs, and for a moment I felt dazed.
On the drifting boats, neon lights blinked, their reflections lightly kissing the ripples. I wondered if those boats were once 'seven-plank boats.' Though we didn't board one to relive Zhu Ziqing's experience, I imagine there are no old-time songstresses aboard now, nor the sound of sorrowful zithers.
Times have changed. The pavilions and towers of yesteryear have shattered into the neon-lit reflections, and the Qinhuai women of old have drifted east with the currents. Now, if there were melodies from strings and flutes, they would certainly be spirited and full of charm, enjoyed by all—a different yet delightful flavor!
Arriving at the Jiangnan Examination Hall, I was both awed and moved. The main part of the China Imperial Examination Museum, built upon the hall's site, is on the underground floor. To enter, you walk through a long, dim corridor; its walls are lined with small cubicles, reminiscent of the old examination cells.
The liveliest spot is certainly the Confucius Temple (Fuzimiao), crowded with people. Many might dislike the crowds, but especially after the pandemic, I cherish this lively atmosphere. If Fuzimiao were not a bustling commercial street but merely a garden like the Summer Palace or an ancient temple like Qixia Temple, then as dusk fell, visitors would drift away, leaving dim streetlights and dark alleys. A boat ride on the Qinhuai would lose its charm. So Fuzimiao is not just a scenic spot; it's the living hub of the old city's southern residents. Life here is composed of commerce, culture, and folk customs. What Fuzimiao shows you is a food street rich in Nanjing character yet inclusive of all; it is the Qinhuai riverside life, striving to blend antiquity and modernity. It wants to present to you not a relic or a particular sight, but a city's culture and living condition. It lets you glimpse the old Nanjing.
Nostalgia for old Nanjing is not just for the eyes but also for the stomach. Nanjing Da Pai Dang, founded in 1994, is currently the hottest eatery on the Qinhuai River. Everywhere you see couplets, lanterns, and waiters in period costume threading between tables—recreating the ambiance of late Qing and early Republican tea houses and taverns. The menu centers on Huaiyang cuisine with some Sichuan-style spicy additions, featuring specialties like traditional sweet taro shoots, golden fried dumplings, lion's head meatballs, and duck blood vermicelli soup. As for taste, it's not particularly stunning; the main draw is the bustling Qinhuai atmosphere.
Traditional snacks such as Nanjing-style sticky rice cake, crab roe soup dumplings, and salted egg yolk shaomai—you can't try all Eight Delicacies, but at least sample the classics.
Nanjing's duck blood, made spicy and numbing, particularly suited my palate.
The old restaurants also feature rhythmic Pingtan storytelling... everything exudes the unique ancient charm of Jiangnan.
In the memory of old Nanjing, the Da Bao'en Temple and its Glazed Pagoda belong to a distant past. In the 1990s, Xia Weizhong, a history professor at Nanjing University, searched for the famous 'Da Bao'en Temple Glazed Pagoda' along the Qinhuai River outside the city wall. He found only a stone tablet lying by the road, amid cluttered houses, its half-legible text recording the pagoda's construction.
A curious detail in many popular American TV series has been spotted by netizens: whenever Chinese takeout appears, it comes with an image of a red pagoda. It's printed on all the Chinese food boxes in American shows, movies, even cartoons. This may surprise many Chinese. Besides the Great Wall and Tiananmen, Westerners regard this pagoda as an iconic symbol of China.
That pagoda image is not fictional; its prototype is very likely the Da Bao'en Temple Glazed Pagoda that once stood by the Qinhuai River. At one time, along with the Colosseum in Rome, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the Great Wall of China, it was named one of the Seven Wonders of the Medieval World and seen by Westerners as a symbol of China. In 1655, a Dutch East India Company embassy visited Nanjing, and the accompanying artist Johan Nieuhof made several sketches of the glazed pagoda, which were later published as copperplate engravings in Europe, sparking a 'Nanjing porcelain tower craze.' This tower, so representative of China, became a household name in Europe—so much so that Hans Christian Andersen, who never visited China, included it in his fairy tale 'The Garden of Paradise.' Yet, the Glazed Pagoda had disappeared from Chinese sight for so long that it is less well-known domestically. It was destroyed at the end of the Taiping Rebellion, and for many years afterward, Chinese people only caught fragmented glimpses of its glorious past through the admiring words of foreigners.
After 2004, Nanjing began planning to rebuild the Glazed Pagoda. What started as a simple reconstruction project turned into heritage conservation when excavations revealed a thousand-year-old underground palace.
To protect the tower base and the underground palace, the design team opted for a steel structure with glass, instead of the old 'brick and glaze' construction. Historically, the Glazed Pagoda was transparent all night; monks lit oil lamps inside, and the windows made of shell allowed light to shine through. To recreate this effect, lighting was incorporated into the new pagoda, an artistic technique of evoking reality through illusion.
Strictly speaking, today's Nanjing Da Bao'en Temple is not a temple but rather a museum as an archaeological park. Even as a museum, its spatial design and light-shadow construction are outstanding in China.
Strictly speaking, Nanjing Da Bao'en Temple is no longer a temple; as a heritage park, it's more like a museum. So I truly appreciate its spatial design and lighting—so refined and beautiful. Globally, it's an excellent example of heritage conservation and representation.
Entering the exhibition hall, the first thing you see is a vast archaeological site. To protect the underground ruins, no large-scale construction was possible. Instead, rows of roof-profile pillars evoke invisible temples above the site. Extensive use of glass makes the space airy and reveals the site's original appearance as much as possible.
In front of a 3D Buddha head built from optical fibers and over 8,000 crystal beads, a bronze seated statue of Xuanzang sits in contemplation, facing the Buddha head in a silent gaze. This hall is called 'A Millennium Connection.' Eight glazed pillars on either side signify the Eight Stages of the Buddha's enlightenment. On the walkway, seven lotus sensors bloom one after another as you step, symbolizing the Buddha's 'seven steps giving birth to lotuses.'
Above the hall 'Four Hundred and Eighty Temples of the Southern Dynasties,' a scene of clustered Buddhist monasteries is displayed, while models of major temples line the sides.
In the Nanjing Da Bao'en Temple Relic Park, there are more than ten such exhibition halls, each a modern artistic interpretation of Buddhist culture. Different visitors may have different understandings, but they are all a fresh attempt at heritage preservation and reinterpretation.
From Glazed Pagoda to Glass Pagoda, the Da Bao'en Pagoda has been reborn, transformed. Yet after centuries, whether the Glazed Pagoda exists or not, changed or unchanged, it remains a symbol of Nanjing, deeply rooted in the river of history.
In the ancient capital of Jinling, the countryside boasts 'spring at Niushou, autumn at Qixia.' Niushou Mountain is a work of nature, with its eastern and western peaks standing as natural ramparts guarding Jinling, offering superb scenery. Every spring, the people of Jinling would flock out of the city to enjoy it—a custom that has lasted centuries. Where there are famous mountains and waters, there are temples and shrines. Today, Niushou Mountain has regained its Buddhist splendor.
Nine years ago, the site of the Foding Palace was a huge mining pit over 200 meters in diameter and more than 60 meters deep, with rainwater pooling to 30 meters and a 20-meter-thick silt layer at the bottom. The current Foding Palace was built right over that pit; the project was called 'Mending the Heavenly Gap' (Niushou was anciently named Tianque Mountain), filling in the missing silhouette of the vanished western peak. This massive domed structure has nine floors total, with six built underground within the former pit—showing just how deep it was.
The dazzling exterior of Foding Palace features layered golden patterns forming a huge dome, like a bird's nest on top of gray walls, creating a surreal atmosphere. Beyond the architectural ingenuity and impact, you can admire a host of exquisite top-tier art treasures, jointly created by over 100 master craftsmen, experts, scholars, and inheritors of intangible cultural heritage from across the country, each piece tailor-made for Foding Palace.
In the Relic Hall, under a ceiling canopy about 26 meters high, four painted scenes of the Buddhist paradise merge seamlessly with the background and myriad rays of Buddha's light. In the lofty space with its gorgeous dome, looking up, the celestial realm seems almost within reach, the starry twinkles close enough to touch.
The replica stupa enshrining the Buddha's parietal-bone relic is adorned with gilt, crystal, glass, and gemstones—the seven treasures of Buddhism—enhanced by laser projections, truly magnificent.
When visiting Nanjing, the Presidential Palace is a must-see. This building complex has over 600 years of history, but its time as 'Presidential Palace' is short. Its history dates to the early Ming, when Zhu Yuanzhang built this grand mansion to house the young son of Han King Chen Youliang—Chen Li (titled Marquis Guide)—calling it 'Guide Marquis Mansion.' Later it became the 'Han Prince's Mansion,' then the 'Office of the Viceroy of Liangjiang,' then the 'Heavenly King's Mansion,' and finally the Republican-era 'Presidential Palace.'
Architecture often reflects the historical fate of the people within. Standing before the Presidential Palace gate, gazing at the weathered simplicity of the entrance and the bare flagpole above, one cannot help but let the imagination soar.
Following the flow of visitors through the gate, the first thing you see is the plaque straight ahead reading 'The World Belongs to All.' This is at once a slogan, an ideal, and the lifelong practice for which Sun Yat-sen strived.
Today's crowds and bustle contrast sharply with the solemnity and busy activity of history. The swallows that once nested in the halls of the Wang and Xie clans now fly into ordinary homes—a historical reversal full of the passing of ages.
The buildings along the main axis are grand yet rich in unique details. In the afternoon, sunlight streams through the fretwork under the eaves and falls on the pale yellow walls of the corridor, like a painting.
The most attention-drawing spot is Chiang Kai-shek's office, located in the southeast corner of the third floor of the Zichao Building. It's a suite of three rooms: the central one for daily work, the west room for meetings, and the east room a resting chamber.
Strolling along the long covered gallery, one building leads to another, layer upon layer, much like a mountain path where each peak blocks the next. Turning to go downstairs, you find yourself in the rear garden. The pond in the restored garden lies still, the fountain seemingly asleep, and further east is an air-raid shelter. The visit through the main halls suddenly comes to an end.
Nanjing Presidential Palace is a spot that gives you deeper insight into Republican-era history. In addition to the various historic buildings, there are lakes and gardens interspersed, making the tour never boring. If you are a history buff or particularly interested in the Republican past, the Presidential Palace is well worth a visit.
One Changjiang Road, half of Nanjing's history. This 1,800-meter-long road perfectly carves the city's vicissitudes and vividly shows the ancient capital's spirit and charm. A city's streets are like a book; strolling through them, you can read the city. Nanjing condenses millennia of history; every step in its old alleys echoes with history and offers endless flavor.
If you want to find a street in Nanjing where you can feel 'a thousand years of history on your left hand and a metropolis on your right,' I doubt there is any more fitting than Changjiang Road. Entering the 1912 district, you see rows of pale yellow buildings with a nostalgic charm, very retro and perfect for photos. Not only that, you can even wear a qipao for a check-in visit, as if you've traveled back in time.
It is said that sycamore trees go best with Republican-era buildings, and it's true. Walking along Changjiang Road, with just a glance upward at the dappled light through the sycamore crowns, you can encounter the former National Assembly Hall, the former National Art Museum, the Central Hotel, Meiyuan New Village, the Presidential Palace—encounter half a Republic.
At the beginning of the Republic, cultural figures such as Cai Yuanpei and Lu Xun began advocating for a national art museum, calling out passionately. Art educators and famous painters like Xu Beihong, Liu Haisu, and Lin Fengmian also campaigned widely in support. With strong public opinion, the National Government formally approved a proposal to build the National Art Gallery in March 1935.
The art gallery before you was designed by the renowned architect Xi Fuquan; it's a representative of the New Nationalist style of early 20th-century China, well worth a careful visit.
No other road can claim such distinction without arrogance. If you have only one day to tour Nanjing, come and stroll along Changjiang Road. Then you can tell people: I saw a millennium of Nanjing in just one day.
Since ancient times, many poems describe spring at Xuanwu Lake, and the spring stories hidden within them are stamped with distinct marks of their eras. Through a thousand years of splendor, like a wandering immortal passing, let us follow ancient verses and walk through Xuanwu Lake in spring.
Xuanwu Lake lies in the heart of Nanjing, at the foot of Zhongshan Mountain, one of the three famous lakes of Jiangnan. The well-preserved, towering Ming city wall skirts the lake; the elegant Jiuhua Mountain and Beiji Pavilion, and the antique Jiming Temple all sit by its shore. Gazing into the distance, you see the lush, majestic Purple Mountain (Zijin Shan).
Small boats drift, leisure nets cast. On the time-worn shore, the water ripples like glancing waves. The lake is gentle; for miles, willows blur in haze, adding a touch of youthful grace amid the dreaminess.
Entering Xuanwu Gate, a causeway leads to the first islet, Huanzhou. Standing there, you see the vast lake with its rippling blue waves, willows brushing the banks, a soft breeze blowing.
The majestic green Purple Mountain, the Beiji Pavilion on Little Jiuhua Mountain with its relic of Xuanzang, the pagoda of ancient Jiming Temple, China's most beautiful railway station, and the ultra-modern Sun Palace all set off Xuanwu Lake's beauty, forming an incomparable landscape scroll blending classical and modern beauty.
By the lakeside sits Jiming Temple. Zhu Ziqing said, to visit Jiming Temple, it's best on a drizzly day or a moonlit night. In the haze, that faint antique flavor brews. You can sit upstairs in Huomeng Pavilion, with its row of bright windows, having a bowl of tea, looking out at the ancient, winding Taicheng wall. Beyond it, the clear, bleak Xuanwu Lake resembles a painting by Dadi (Zhu Da). The windows of Huomeng Pavilion are arranged thoughtfully, showing you just enough, nothing more, nothing less.
Distant willows lost in mist, lake mist rising; walking along the green-water, willow-lined shore of Xuanwu Lake, you immerse in the mossy, ancient charm. Amid dark greens and sparse reds, time slips silently by; the wheel of history rolls on, sweeping past millennia of brilliant blades, gatherings and partings.
The Green Expo Garden is a city park 'snatched' by Nanjing people through the opportunity of the National Green Expo. Besides the horticultural park left by the Kunming World Horticultural Expo, it's hard to find such a vast green park in Chinese cities. It perfectly complements Nanjing, a national capital of culture and greenery.
The garden is huge, with 45 attractions: 35 domestic gardens, 5 international gardens, 2 industry gardens, and 3 natural areas outside the embankment. My personal favorite is the Nanjing-Netherlands Friendship Garden, built with investment from Nanjing's sister city Eindhoven as a symbol of friendship. It features a church, windmill, farmhouse, and other very Dutch buildings, like a real Dutch town.
In front of the Dutch cottage surrounded by trees, you feel transported to the Dutch countryside.
Along the paths, lawns stretch. Wandering here, feeling the spring breeze, the warmth of the sun, and the lush greenery, a touch of melancholy arises, longing for a painter far away in the Netherlands.
The earliest tulips have mostly faded, but one or two still dot the bank. Under the blue sky, the thatched cottage reflects in the water; the fragrant grass, that unfaded tulip, and orange flowers in the beds still enjoy the gentle spring breeze.
To commemorate Van Gogh's birthday on March 30, the Dutch Garden held a nearly two-month exhibition. It's open every day from March 12 to May 10, including holidays, with daytime sessions (9:00–18:00) and evening sessions (18:30–20:00). The venue is that same usually locked red-brick farmhouse in the Dutch Garden—not large in size. A whole wall presented a timeline of Van Gogh's life and major works from different periods, clear at a glance.
Upon entering the Dutch Garden, you see signs for the Van Gogh exhibition; posters printed with his iconic 'Sunflowers' clearly direct you. The organizers cleverly placed an Instagram-style photo backdrop at the entrance, with a post as if from Van Gogh wishing himself a happy birthday, with likes and comments from his brother Theo, his patron Père Tanguy, and Gauguin—quite adorable.
To the right is the main exhibition area: a vast golden wheat field, with an easel and a realistic-looking scarecrow in the center. On the distant wall, impressionist-style paintings of rolling wheat fields and toiling farmers seem to burst beyond the wall, extending endlessly. The dazzling scene overlaps with Van Gogh's wheat field series, giving a sense of time travel, as if we're looking at the very landscape Van Gogh painted nearly a hundred years ago.
From the first hall, you enter the second: a nearly faithful replica of the staircase in 'Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles.' The organizers put great care into this, from the iconic vivid blue walls to the blue water jug and brushes on the table, to the clothes and straw hat hanging from the bedpost—a 1:1 copy. I think even Van Gogh himself would do a double-take if he saw it.
On this trip to Nanjing, I picked up a few threads left by the ancient capital and faintly felt its gentleness and beauty. The gilded splendor of old has not faded in the slightest with time.
