A Decade of Yihe and Wanguochun | Savor Three Meals a Day, Rest on a Single Couch, String Together Springtime Jinling with This Homegrown Hotel Brand
Nanjing, among China's mega-cities, is a wonderful and unique presence. It has the grace of the South and the straightforwardness of the North; it embodies the historical atmosphere of the ancient capital of six dynasties and the natural charm of a city embraced by mountains and rivers. Throughout history, Nanjing has produced countless talents, and cultural hubs like the Confucius Temple have brought endless potential for the city's development. In the hotel world, this city has also given birth to a brand that commands admiration, its many domestic hotel industry awards over the years being the best proof. That brand is: Yihe.
I have never been shy about my fondness for this brand, having already checked off all six of its properties. As a hotel brand rooted in Nanjing, it remains my top recommendation for friends visiting Jinling. The four Yihe hotels in Nanjing each have their own distinct style, and staying at Yihe is itself part of experiencing the city's allure—after all, no other hotel brand understands Nanjing better.
Overlooking Nanjing's lake, mountain, and cityscape from the Yihe Mansions district |
"One Yihe Road, half the history of the Republic of China." We often hear this phrase describing the Yihe Road Mansion district in Nanjing. Though slightly exaggerated, it underscores the area's immense historical and cultural value. It was on this foundation that Yihe Hotel named itself, carrying the mission of preserving and promoting Jinling's important cultural heritage—the fundamental reason Yihe stands apart from other Nanjing hotels.
Speaking of which, I must mention the "Yihe Road Mansion District." Centered around the Ninghai Road roundabout in Nanjing's Gulou District, roads like Yihe Road, Ninghai Road, and Mogans Road radiate outward. Within this 378,000-square-meter area, 225 well-preserved mansions of former Republic of China officials remain, making it the area with the most Republic-era mansions in China. Named after Yihe Road, its central axis, the district's 12th area, a renovation model, consists of 26 villas in various styles and received the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2014. And it was here that the protagonist of this article, Yihe Hotel, originated. In June 2013, Yihe Mansions opened, beginning the brand's development in Nanjing and across China, opening the prologue to the Yihe story.
Four years later, Yihe Yangzi Hotel reopened in Xiaguan by the Yangtze River. In 1912, after Nanjing opened as a treaty port, the Yangzi Hotel was the earliest Western-run hotel there. A century later, in 2011, renovation began, and over six years, Yihe Hotel gave the Yangzi Hotel a new face. In this unique French-style castle building, the only one in China constructed with Ming Dynasty city wall bricks, Yihe Yangzi tells another chapter of Nanjing's story to its guests in a completely different way.
The third story began the year after Yihe Yangzi opened. In the Laomendong Historical and Cultural Block, Jiezi Garden, once the residence of early Qing dynasty literatus Li Yu, was meticulously restored to its 350-year-old "world in a pot" classic design. And once again, Yihe Hotel was behind the project. In 2018, Yihe Jiezi Garden Hotel made a stunning debut, reintroducing this garden, which holds an important place in Chinese garden history, and officially signalling a new type of distinctive hotel under the Yihe brand.
Time moved forward, and Yihe's story turned another page. The brand's second label, "Yin Yi" (Seclusion), was grandly launched in mid-2019, described as a "non-daily leisure resort hotel." Its first property, Yin Yi Shuijie Hotel, settled in Bailuzhou Park within the Confucius Temple area. The hotel straddles the inner Qinhuai River, with boats occasionally gliding through; guests and tourists on the boats become each other's scenery, adding a unique charm.
After establishing four properties in Jinling, Yihe Hotel opened two new luxury boutique hotels in the fourth quarter of 2021, venturing beyond Nanjing and even Jiangsu for the first time. Yancheng Dayangwan Yihe Lakeside and Yihe Yunxi Jinshi Di (click hotel names for details) brought the Yihe quality to Yancheng in Jiangsu and Weishan in Yunnan, instantly becoming the top hotel choices in their areas and stealing the spotlight.
Beyond hotels, there's another brand that must be mentioned when talking about Yihe: "Wanguochun Chinese Restaurant." Wanguochun's history in Nanjing is as long as the Yihe Mansions district itself; since the Republic era, Wanguochun was a leading name in Nanjing dining. After fading into obscurity over time, the venerable Wanguochun was picked up by Yihe and revived, with its first Wanguochun Chinese Restaurant opening in Yihe Mansions in 2019, later appearing in other Yihe properties. Today, Wanguochun can be found in four Yihe hotels: Mansions, Jiezi Garden, Shuijie, and Lakeside, becoming a paragon of Huaiyang-cuisine-based Chinese food with a fusion of East and West.
One reason Wanguochun is so beloved is its presentation of traditional Chinese cuisine in the style of French dining, enhancing refinement and luxury while maintaining creativity and consistency, allowing guests to taste the freshest seasonal flavours in every season.
Spring Outing: Savor the Good Times
As spring just begins, Wanguochun brings delicacies like spring bamboo shoots, spring chives, celery shoots, Longjing tea, anchovies, and river clams to the table. How could this not be a delightful surprise?
"In the misty March, travel down to Jiangnan." Come, follow my steps as I visit these four Yihe hotels in Jinling and seek out the colors of spring together.
Yihe Mansions, the pioneering work of Yihe Hotel, is a highly reputed boutique hotel in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region. Its location is unique in all Nanjing, integrating 26 celebrity villas from the 12th area of the Yihe Road Mansion District, exuding a profound sense of history. The ochre walls and grey-blue brick villas radiate a charm that belongs solely to time.
What I love about this hotel is its approachability. Without a grand traditional hotel entrance, it feels like a tranquil corner stumbled upon during an afternoon stroll. There's no massive main building; all rooms and public spaces are scattered among the historic villas throughout the district.
Entering the gate, a delicate building named "Shenliu Hall" stands to the left, with a babbling brook at its door—the hotel's front desk. Stepping through the vintage bronze doors feels like entering the reception hall of a Republic-era mansion. Retro sofas and dark wooden tables evoke strong nostalgia. Upstairs is a lounge area where one can daydream, leaf through books, or sit and sip tea, returning to the most leisurely lifestyle.
Unlike many renovated heritage hotels, Yihe Mansions doesn't merely restore the old; its interiors are notably innovative, retaining a Republic-era theme while using modern details to elevate the contemporary guest experience. Moreover, because rooms are spread across different villas, each with almost entirely different interior layouts, staying here is like opening a mystery box—even if you book the same room category, you might end up in a room with its own unique character and charm.
This time I stayed in a very classic villa, arguably the one featured in most promotional photos—Building 18, once the private residence of Liu Jiashu, commander of the Pacification Zone. The villa's original grey brick exterior has been preserved, while damaged pillars were replaced with new ones, yet the charm remains.
This three-story house requires a key card to enter, leading into a shared lounge for the building's few guest rooms. Wall decorations feature rank badges made of Nanjing Yunjin brocade, with patterns symbolising the original owner's military background. Details like this abound throughout the mansions, one of many clever touches in the hotel's design. A short climb up the stairs took me to my room.
The room is predominantly beige with a light palette, and warm lighting beautifully highlights the refined interior. I particularly loved the wooden shutters, which blend Republic-era style with the dual need for light and privacy in old houses. The headboard pattern comes from "Beiping Jianpu," a compilation by Lu Xun and Zheng Zhenduo from the Republic era; the bedside notepad is half-sized Xuan paper crafted in collaboration with Nanjing's Shizhuzhai—another uniquely stylish touch. These details alone are captivating, not to mention the fully custom indoor furniture, from Jingdezhen custom drum stools to the Iranian green marble coffee table, all showcasing exceptional taste.
The bathroom is equally enchanting, with Lefroy Brooks retro brass fixtures, a bathtub, sink, custom Jingdezhen white jade glaze cups, and a specially designed toiletry bag—everything refined, evoking endless imaginings of Republic-era elegance.
But the room's most exquisite feature is its semi-circular balcony. With spring arriving, there's sunshine and vitality, and in a fleeting moment, you can feel the classic fusion of ancient and modern Nanjing.
As a cultural-themed hotel, Yihe Mansions is particularly devoted to spreading culture. Several villas have been set aside for exhibitions, featuring topics like Republic-era clothing, furnishings, educational books, and Xue Yue's anti-Japanese war displays, fully presenting the social atmosphere of the time. Notably, the hotel has collaborated with Jinling Engraving House to offer woodblock printing experiences, allowing guests to try their hand at the art personally.
If there's anything else extraordinary about Yihe Mansions, it's the exceptional dining. You might have noticed the Relais & Châteaux logo in the header image. Indeed, being accepted into this hotel alliance, known for its nearly strict dining standards, is a testament to the restaurant level here. As Nanjing's only Relais & Châteaux member, both Chinese and Western cuisine at Yihe Mansions are worth a special trip.
For Chinese dining, naturally the first Wanguochun Chinese Restaurant, reborn here, is the choice. The villa housing it is called "Dongyinlu," with private rooms available in nearby villas. This is a multi-award-winning Chinese restaurant since its opening.
Wanguochun's Republic-era cuisine is a highly innovative style, blending Huaiyang, Anhui, Shandong, and Suzhou cuisines with Nanjing's local preferences for ingredients and cooking methods. Served in Western-style individual portions, it creates an instant illusion of time travel. This spring, Wanguochun at Yihe Mansions highlights seasonal river and seafood, taking guests on a Jiangnan flavour feast.
The starter of four dried fruits and four cold assortments, all inspired by the "Four Beauties of the Republic of China," is so visually stunning you'll hesitate to pick up your chopsticks. The cold platter's two meat and two vegetarian dishes include a Jiangnan-style fish jelly, hearty scallops, refreshing bitter gourd, and sweet pumpkin—perfectly balanced.
The passion fruit cherry blossom jelly will surely be a lady's favourite. This season's falling cherry blossoms find their way into the dish, with the sweet-sour passion fruit creating an extremely delightful appetizer. After the refreshment comes the rich and intense shredded fish brain with fish maw soup. Shredded fish brain is a test of skill in Huaiyang cuisine; any carelessness results in a fishy taste, but here it's paired with fish maw for pure freshness and smoothness, leaving you wanting more. Spring chive with snail meat and river shrimp is stir-fried with tender seasonal chives, snail meat, and river shrimp, bringing out the ultimate river freshness; paired with Jinling mini sesame balls, it's a stroke of genius, adding complexity to the texture.
Shrimp roe with broad beans and spring bamboo shoots, paired with Jiangnan celery shoots and cured meat, features my favourite seasonal bamboo shoots and broad beans. Broad beans have a very short season, highly prized by Jiangnan locals; mixed with shrimp roe, it's freshness upon freshness with an endless aftertaste. Moon-shaped river clam stewed with eel combines two river delicacies in a deeply flavourful stew, the eel's thick, tender meat providing satisfying texture. Morel mushroom stew with chrysanthemum tofu is a skill-demanding dish and a signature creation here, excelling in both flavour and presentation.
The main dish of Sichuan pepper oil-bathed yellow croaker from the East Fujian Sea uses my beloved Sichuan pepper flavour to highlight the fish's freshness and sweetness; its firm flesh fully demonstrates Wanguochun's pursuit of top-tier ingredients. The finishing touch of flat egg fish balls in pea shoots again uses seasonal pea shoots, leaving a clean, refreshing sensation on the palate as the perfect meal comes to an end.
Opposite Wanguochun is the hotel's century-old Western restaurant, a delicate three-story house. The second-floor main dining area boasts a lovely terrace and exquisite decor, while the third floor's sloping ceiling adds a special sense of ceremony, making it even more solemn.
The Century Western Restaurant's offerings can be considered Nanjing's finest French cuisine, maintaining consistently high standards since opening. I enjoyed a top-notch dinner there. Low-temperature salmon with Kaluga caviar and French pan-seared foie gras with Italian balsamic vinegar are signature appetizers you must not miss at Century; seafood and offal are great tests of a chef's skill, and these two dishes, though classics, reveal innovative flavours.
The main course is a balanced seafood-and-meat duo: turbot with mushrooms and Hollandaise sauce offers a refreshing taste, allowing you to fully experience the turbot's freshness. Angus rib-eye with celeriac puree and seasonal vegetables, a traditional grilled dish cooked to medium, retains a wonderfully balanced texture and locks in the juices, resulting in an incredibly smooth mouthfeel.
Yihe Mansions set the template for the Yihe brand and established its tone and foundation, giving every subsequent Yihe hotel a solid base for growth.
In 2018, Yihe Jiezi Garden Hotel opened in Laomendong, a recently trending tourist area. This was Yihe's third Nanjing hotel, but unlike the first two with their Republic-era charm, it reveals another facet of Nanjing's history. The hotel is built on the foundations of Jiezi Garden, a famous early Qing dynasty garden. After restoration, this former residence and private garden of the notable scholar Li Yu has become one of the most important attractions in Nanjing's southern and Laomendong scenic area.
Thus, within Jiezi Garden Hotel, elements of Li Yu and Kunqu opera form a continuous golden thread, transporting guests back to the vibrant era of the "ancestor of all operas." Even if you're not staying, a visit to Jiezi Garden is highly recommended. Nowadays, it's a ticketed attraction, but hotel guests can enter through a dedicated passage using their room key—a privilege indeed.
In this garden, which occupies less than three mu yet is famed as a "world in a pot," all the elements of a Jiangnan garden are present: fantastical Taihu rocks, winding pavilions and corridors, and lively ponds. Guests can wander in the early morning, completely free of other tourists, enjoying the luxury of having the entire garden to themselves.
The hotel consists of two courtyard complexes, north and south, with a beautifully scenic path between them. As a semi-open classical garden courtyard hotel, it preserves a certain privacy while conveying an attitude of blending with the times. The main entrance lies in the north courtyard on Taojia Lane, with only the three characters "Jiezi Yuan" above the lintel, giving little indication of its identity as a hotel.
The South Garden View Suite I stayed in this time is, in my opinion, the most recommended room category in the entire hotel. The south building sits right next to Jiezi Garden and is only two stories high, making the upstairs rooms facing the garden extremely precious—and the Garden View Suite enjoys exactly this privilege. The suite stretches horizontally along the garden wall; from the bathroom, living room, to the bedroom, the garden is visible everywhere, and it even has a super-large scenic balcony, truly astonishing!
Entering, there's a foyer; behind it, a bathroom with clearly separated functions. To avoid wasting the beautiful window view, the bathtub was deliberately placed by the window. The three-part layout ensures each area's independence, greatly enhancing the feeling of privacy and comfort at home. The simple, back-to-basics Chinese style instantly invites calm reflection.
The bedroom is similarly spacious, with a chaise longue and a long desk flanking the bed, suitable for both leisure and work. On the desk, you'll also find many interesting little items that perhaps best represent the hotel's character.
The most pleasant surprise was discovering a thread-bound copy of "Xian Qing Ou Ji" (The Leisure Notes). Having the chance to read Li Yu's most renowned work in the room closest to his spirit is perhaps the most unexpected reward.
Looking closely, this room has countless exquisite details sewn into its very fabric. "To see the universe in a mustard seed"—this might be the most precious quality embodied in Yihe Jiezi Garden Hotel. There's an artwork framed from a late Qing lithographic edition of the "Jiezi Garden Painting Manual," custom woodblock-printed Xuan paper notepads, a three-piece Yixing purple clay tea set, and even celadon-glazed cups and soap dishes from Jingdezhen! I especially loved the eco-friendly cloth toiletry bag, with a pattern similarly impressed from the "Jiezi Garden Painting Manual"!
The south courtyard is also home to the hotel's main restaurant, Wanguochun Chinese Restaurant: Zhoujin Hall, the second Wanguochun outpost in Nanjing.
Needless to say, the restaurant's environment is elegantly refined, and the dishes are a pleasant surprise after surprise. While similarly showcasing seasonal spring dishes, it still manages its own distinctive features, leaving a deep impression.
The four-flavour cold platter continues Wanguochun's tradition of the Four Beauties cold assortment, again two meat and two vegetarian, both visually and tastefully delightful. Osmanthus sugar taro, a classic Nanjing sweet snack, officially opens the meal.
Green chive and eel soup, a rare eel-based soup, highlights the eel's unique fresh flavour exceptionally well. Eggplant juice with finger lime and peony prawn flower introduced me to the ingredient finger lime—like popping boba on the tongue, yet a completely natural fruit. Zhangshugang chili stir-fried snowflake beef, a classic Western dish done Chinese-style, retains the snowflake fat's richness and the beef's tenderness.
Mendong double-flavour platter (shepherd's purse with spring bamboo shoots, yang cao river clams) is a refreshing seasonal dish not to be missed this season. Steamed late harvest cabbage with scallops contrasts the season's cabbage sweetness with hearty seafood flavour. Jiangnan celery shoot with mandarin fish shreds is a typical homestyle stir-fry, all about that fresh taste. Quick-fried Indian aster turns a usually cold-dressed ingredient into a flash-fried dish; the gentle oil changes the flavour of this common spring ingredient.
Yihe Jiezi Garden's emergence has opened more possibilities for Yihe, aligning with historical culture and the city's developmental pulse, heralding a future where Yihe blossoms in myriad forms.
As the debut of the "Yin Yi" (Seclusion) brand under Yihe, Yihe Yin Yi Shuijie Hotel perfectly expresses the word "seclusion." This hotel is located inside Wuding Gate on the Nanjing city wall, built along the Qinhuai River and nestled beside Bailuzhou Park's gentle waters. Amidst the bustling city yet secluded from noise, embracing nature—isn't this exactly what seclusion seeks to convey?
"Jiangnan, land of beauties; Jinling, the imperial state. Winding green waters lead to vermilion towers rising layer upon layer"—these famous lines from Xie Tiao's "Entering the Court" seem tailor-made for Yin Yi Shuijie. The hotel's location in the Bailuzhou water street area boasts a rich historical background dating back to Sun Quan of the Three Kingdoms, then through Eastern Wu's Zhou Chu, Southern Dynasties' Xiao Yan, Ming Dynasty's Xu Da, and many other luminaries across millennia. Today, Yin Yi Shuijie's day-to-night transition mirrors the march of history, continuing the story in new chapters.
The "Yin Yi" brand focuses on "non-daily leisure resort space hotels." It's not just a hotel but a leisurely block unto itself. With the Ming city wall on one side and the ancient Qinhuai waterway on the other, occasional Qinhuai tourist boats passing through the hotel become a unique scenic feature.
From the moment you step into the hotel lobby, you feel a fresh, elegantly tranquil breeze, effortlessly easing you into relaxation. Every guest room has a view—be it a lush garden, the serene Bailuzhou, or the rippling Qinhuai waters. Scattered across different courtyards, the subtly contemporary new Chinese style instantly lifts you from the rush of reality to savor life's ease.
There are two distinctive suites here that I particularly adore, and my top recommendation is the Yihe Suite where I stayed. I'd call it my dream dwelling in Jinling. I absolutely love leaning against the riverside courtyard veranda, watching the scenery—or the tourists on passing boats watching me; it creates a wonderful sense of crossing through time.
Entry is through a screen, offering excellent privacy. The three functional spaces laid out horizontally along the river all face the Qinhuai directly. The living room is in the middle, with bedroom and bathroom on either side, undisturbed. Pushing open the living room door leads straight to the riverside. I love the Italian pump espresso machine provided; staying here, I'd DIY a fragrant coffee, grab a pack of complimentary snacks from the minibar, sit on the bamboo chair on the veranda, nibble and gaze, letting time slip away—that's living.
The bedroom follows a subtractive approach, with minimal decoration, keeping only the most essential sleep-related facilities. The plain white bedding and integrated dark wood low cabinets in an ancient style complement each other perfectly, resembling a traditional Jiangnan dwelling. The bedroom is steeped in cultural ambiance; the Go board and painting scrolls invite tranquillity.
The spacious bathroom features ample storage and a large soaking tub. The shower stall is set by the window, making the space even more transparent and bright.
The Yin Yi Suite, leaning against Bailuzhou Park, is another room type I highly recommend; its park-facing terrace provides a closer, direct connection with Bailuzhou.
This suite uses an open-plan living room layout, integrating the living and sleeping spaces.
The bathroom adopts the same design as the Yihe Suite, ensuring excellent comfort.
The third outpost of Wanguochun Chinese Restaurant, Louhu Yuan, is also situated on the water street, standing by the river.
I really like the private dining room names—Eastern Fortress City, Zhuangyuanjing, Tongxiali, and so on—all echoing ancient place names of Jinling, the imperial state, continuously soaking guests in the city's cultural origins. Led by Executive Chef Lu of Yihe Chinese cuisine, the restaurant not only continues Wanguochun's quality but also develops specialities like Qinhuai Eight Wonders and Jinling boat cuisine.
For a spring visit, try the spring Qinhuai boat banquet, using river delicacies to weave together the season. The banquet begins with four cold platters and Nanjing-style sweet taro, balancing sweet and savoury, instantly awakening the palate.
Chrysanthemum leaf and anchovy wontons with fish maw—just in time for the seasonal river anchovy. The wontons are stuffed with anchovy, delivering mouthfuls of freshness, truly worthy of being called spring's first delicacy. Spring bamboo shoots with shrimp roe and shrimp balls again uses the season's abundant shrimp roe and the "king of spring vegetables," bamboo shoot, to complement the shrimp's sweetness. Open-flame river delicacy stew with abalone serves as a flavour adjuster; the rich intensity after the refreshing start perfectly primes for the next course.
Spring chive, snail meat, and sesame pouch paired with sweet peas, asparagus, and sakura shrimp—a spring dual flavour—once again cleanses the palate with breathingly fresh flavours; the chive fragrance, snail freshness, and pea sweetness are all tastes of spring. Peppercorn and soy-glazed mandarin fish uses the currently popular Sichuan-Hunan flavours to evoke the unique taste of river fish, the mild numbing from Sichuan pepper and green chili rings beautifully highlighting the mandarin fish's freshness. The meal concludes with Shuijie braised noodles, starting in Jinling and ending in Nanjing.
I've always felt that Yin Yi Shuijie is more a private garden where one can sleep soundly and taste freshness than a hotel. It carries a surreal sense of travelling back to a former dynasty, yet it genuinely leaves sweet and comfortable memories in every guest's heart. Perhaps this is the hotel's greatest charm.
Finally, the most easily overlooked yet most distinctive Yihe hotel. Its "Jinling flavour" fascinates me. The hotel building was originally constructed in 1912; it is Nanjing's only "Western-style castle-like Republic-era building" and was once the renowned Yangzi Hotel of the Republic period. Today, Yihe has revived this century-old classic hotel.
This is a deeply immersive hotel. From the moment you enter, you're completely enveloped in its atmosphere, feeling like you've stumbled into a "Republic-era ball," travelling through time, with the illusion of relearning history in a museum—perhaps that's what makes the Yangzi Hotel special. This season, the cherry blossoms and white magnolias bloom enthusiastically in the courtyard, adding vibrant life.
The Yangzi Hotel consists of two buildings, one large and one small, like a wedded couple. The main building is constructed from "Ming Dynasty Nanjing city wall bricks," so you can even find the brickmaker's name on some walls. As times have changed, Ming city wall bricks are now protected cultural relics, and no new building in Nanjing can ever again be built of city wall "bricks," making this a historical swan song.
Everywhere in the hotel is a fusion of Chinese and Western Republic-era charm. Inside the Renaissance-style French castle exterior are Chinese architectural details and decorations. Western-style fountains, typical castle arches and semi-basements, irregularly arranged dormer windows, stained glass ceilings, mahogany staircases, and Chinese carved railings all vividly display the cultural collisions of the Republic era.
For this stay, I chose the hotel's largest room: the Yangzi Suite. Located on the top floor of the main building, it's the only room tucked under the beautiful red sloping roof. The suite has a very special layout, resembling a Republic-era private mansion. The living room is the most spacious part of the suite.
Pushing open the old-fashioned louvered doors reveals the suite's most charming little terrace, bathed in sunshine and beauty.
Further inside is the bedroom, with a huge walk-in closet in the corner. The four-poster bed is captivating, but even more so is the dormer window, instantly reminding me of the old house I lived in as a child and the times I leaned on the windowsill, peering through gaps at the scenery.
Beyond that is the bathroom, where I particularly adore certain details: the washbasin on a stainless-steel stand, the 15-degree tilted vanity mirror, the claw-foot bathtub—all recreating a strong Republic-era vibe, utterly enchanting.
Besides this suite, the hotel, with only seven rooms in total, has another very special room that occupies an entire separate building, called "Villa Building 12." Although slightly smaller than the Yangzi Suite, its complete private villa offers explosive privacy and is very popular.
The room is on the second floor of this villa, laid out in an L-shape. It maintains the consistent Republic-era style like the other rooms, but what sets it apart is the partitioned, separate workspace, better suited for business travelers.
In this season of profuse blossoms and flying orioles, Jinling is picturesque everywhere. Yihe's four hotels in Nanjing provide visiting guests with perfectly located places to stay. Yihe Mansions and Yangzi Hotel are nestled in the north, close to Xuanwu Lake's rippling waters and Jiming Temple's falling cherry blossoms, and not far from Qixia Mountain's peach blossoms covering the hills and Purple Mountain's majestic terrain.
In the south, Yihe Jiezi Garden and Yin Yi Shuijie naturally become part of the scenic areas themselves. Jiezi Garden's Laomendong, Shuijie's Confucius Temple—staying here lets you experience a different kind of scenery in the early morning and quiet night, free from the crowds. You can also venture a bit farther: to the Grand Bao'en Temple, once the longest-standing temple in Chinese history now brought back through high-tech means; or to Niushou Mountain and Jinling Town, places where visual impact and religious significance coexist, all making for memorable, uplifting destinations.
And I believe that Nanjing is beautiful in every season. Spring has its hundred flowers, summer its breezes, autumn its bright moon, and winter its snow. Let's make a pact: Nanjing, Yihe, we'll meet again in summer!
Note: All image sources from Pan Changyong, Xiu Jian, Khaven
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