Nanjing and Wuhan – The Only Trip of 2021
I often say: The pandemic that started at the end of 2019 disrupted our peaceful routine. Normally, my family would take one or two long trips a year, but this year, because of my dad’s surgery and some work issues, by the end of October I still hadn’t planned any getaway. In early November, I finally got my annual leave – only to find that the northern cities I’d originally wanted to visit were already too cold, and with serious Covid outbreaks in Shaanxi, Henan, and Gansu, I didn’t dare go there. In the end, I settled on two Yangtze riverside cities I’d been to before but wanted to revisit: Wuhan and Nanjing.
This time I traveled with my mom – eight days in total. My dad, who’s older and had just undergone surgery, couldn’t join us on doctor’s orders. Later he said he regretted it and wished he’d come along. I promised we’d do a family trip together next time. But now the pandemic has flared up again, and restrictions are tight everywhere – especially for government employees like us. Who knows when that next trip will be.
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Below is the travelogue proper – or more accurately, a day-by-day account.
Day 1: November 7, Depart for Wuhan
I’d booked the G406 high-speed train to Wuhan, scheduled to arrive around 3 p.m. The plan was to check into the hotel, rest a bit, then head to the Wuchang riverfront to see the Yangtze River Bridge and the night view, followed by a wander around Hubu Alley to sample some snacks. But the train had a mechanical problem while passing through Hunan, so we arrived an hour late. By the time we got out of the station and reached the hotel it was already past 5 p.m. For this three-day stay in Wuhan I’d chosen the Hanting Wuhan Fuxing Road Metro Station Hotel – a reliable chain, decent quality and budget-friendly. After a short rest, we just visited Hubu Alley for a stroll.
Day 2: November 8, Guqin Terrace, East Lake, Gude Temple, Optics Valley
Guqin Terrace, together with Yellow Crane Tower and Qingchuan Pavilion, is listed as one of Wuhan’s three great sights. I’d visited the other two before, so this time I went to Guqin Terrace. It sits at the foot of Turtle Hill, right next to Moon Lake Park, and is built around the story of finding a soulmate through music. Admission is free. Guqin Terrace isn’t large; an hour is plenty, even with a few breaks. From there, we caught a bus to Gude Temple. In most cities I tend to use public buses and the metro – partly because my salary isn’t huge, but also because I feel a city’s public transport tells you a lot about its urban development and public services. Gude Temple, built in the late Qing dynasty, clearly mixes in a lot of European architectural styles. We snapped a few photos and took another bus to East Lake. I’d been to East Lake before; this time we went to the Listening to the Waves scenic area, where we sat by the water, lost in thought, then walked along the shore.
When we left East Lake, the sky was already darkening – Wuhan’s easterly location means night falls earlier than back home. We headed over to Optics Valley Walking Street, where the lighting is well-designed, the shopping caters to different budgets, and the atmosphere is pleasant. We just wandered around, took a few photos, and that was the day.
Day 3: November 9, Panlongcheng National Archaeological Site Park, Hankou River Beach
Today we visited the Panlongcheng National Archaeological Site Park in Huangpi District. It’s built around the 3,500-year-old Panlongcheng site and consists mainly of a museum and the archaeological area. Because of my job, I’m always keen to visit these well-developed site parks in every city. After the museum, around 11 a.m. with the sun high, my mom and I lay down on the grass like kids on a school trip, just staring at the blue sky. We had a good laugh. A little after noon, we took the metro to Jianghan Road, hoping to find some local street food, but after a long walk nothing really appealed. We ended up at a fast-food chain. After lunch, we walked to the Hankou riverfront and sat by the Yangtze, letting our minds wander. Maybe it’s because my hometown has no big rivers, but I’ve always been drawn to cities with mighty rivers or the sea – it’s even a factor when I choose a travel destination. We sat there a long time, until it was completely dark, before heading back to the hotel. That wrapped up the day.
Day 4: November 10, CCP Discipline Building Exhibition Hall, Former Site of the CCP Central Committee, Cross-Yangtze Museum, then on to Nanjing and Fuzimiao Qinhuai River night view
We packed light this morning, checked out, and set off. 2021 marks the centenary of the Communist Party of China, a huge moment in the Party’s and the country’s history. Party history education was reaching its peak. Even though I’m not a Party member, I felt a bit excited, so I arranged a sort of “red tourism” day for our last day in Wuhan.
The first stop, the CCP Discipline Building Exhibition Hall, wasn’t far from where we’d stayed, so we walked. The exhibition covers the Party’s disciplinary work from its founding to the present, with writings by generations of leaders on inspection and supervision, and jaw-dropping case studies of rule-breaking and law-breaking by senior officials at different times – a good education base for clean governance. After visiting, we took a bus to the Memorial Hall of the Former Site of the CCP Central Committee (use a map app for the route), the only memorial named directly after the CPC Central Committee.
It was just lunchtime when we finished. We ate at a Cailin Ji nearby – the one truly Wuhan-style meal we had in four days. I ordered beef rice noodles and three-delicacy bean curd skin. The noodles were just okay; every southern city has its own version, so I didn’t find them especially remarkable. The three-delicacy bean skin is basically shaomai in a new skin: sticky rice mixed with mushrooms and diced pork, steamed, wrapped in a thin egg crepe, and pan-fried. As a sticky rice lover, I thought it was delicious, but I didn’t dare eat too much. After lunch, we went to the Cross-Yangtze Museum right on the river. It mainly tells the story of Chairman Mao’s famous swims across the Yangtze and the International Cross-Yangtze Festival – lots of photos, few actual objects. There’s an observation deck on the fifth floor with distant Yangtze views.
We’d originally planned to visit the site of the Beijing-Hankow railway workers’ strike, but we ran out of time. We took a bus to Hankou Station. On earlier trips I’d passed through Wuhan Station and Wuchang Station, so this time I deliberately chose Hankou Station, a century-old railway station. After just over two hours, we arrived at Nanjing South Station around 7 p.m., then took the metro to our hotel – the Hi Inn Good House Fuzimiao, a budget brand right by the Fuzimiao scenic area, which was very handy for an evening stroll. After a rest in the room, we went downstairs to the Fuzimiao area, just wandering and taking photos.
Day 5: November 11, Presidential Palace, Six Dynasties Museum, Yunjin Museum, Rain Flower Terrace, Laomendong
“A single Presidential Palace, half of Chinese history” – maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but as a Nanjing icon it still deserves a visit. I’d booked tickets online (adult 35 yuan) and entered by scanning my ID card. Some buildings were under renovation or being re-curated, so we couldn’t see everything.
Afterward we went to the Six Dynasties Museum right across the street (ticket 30 yuan), a site museum covering the six southern dynasties (Eastern Wu, Eastern Jin, Song, Qi, Liang, Chen). The design is very stylish and makes for great photos. Then we took a bus to the Nanjing Yunjin Museum, which felt more like a showroom – the ground floor sells modern yunjin brocade, while the second floor displays the weaving process and a small number of Qing-dynasty pieces. Half an hour is enough. Afterwards we ate at Laoxiangji, a Hefei-based fast-food chain, decent enough. Then we caught a bus to Rain Flower Terrace.
We entered via the south gate, slowly winding our way up past the Qianlong Imperial Stele, Gaozuo Temple, Erquan Back Hill, and the martyr reliefs before entering the Martyr Memorial Hall. After visiting, we walked down past the Internationale and National Anthem reliefs and exited again through the south gate. Nanjing gets dark early; when we came out just after 5 p.m., it was already night. We took a bus to Laomendong, an artsy historic neighbourhood. Here we bought the recommended Xiao Zheng crispy cakes and plum blossom cake. The cakes were cold by then, but both the sweet and savoury ones were still tasty. We strolled, snapped a few photos, and headed back to rest.
