Weekend Trip to Nanjing China

I took a short weekend trip to Nanjing, China at the beginning of April 2024.

Nanjing is a former capital of China and has a lot of history.

The Japanese invaded Nanjing during the second Sino-Japanese War and massacred tens to hundreds of thousands of people, something the Chinese still very much remember to this day. A museum devoted to the massacre is one of the main sites to visit. I didn't get to visit due to my flight time, but my friends had time to spend a whole afternoon there. They said it was definitely somber and difficult, and you needed to be in the right frame of mind to visit.

Ancient Wall in Nanjing

As an ancient city, Nanjing is surrounded by an old city wall. These walls are fascinating to visit, and the one in Nanjing is no exception. You do need to buy tickets to enter the wall area, but it is well worth the money.

Not only do you get to go inside the wall and explore the interesting dark alleys and “rooms”, you get to walk along the long wall above the city for miles and miles on end!

Try walking from one gate to another, for example, which may only be a few kilometers.

Sadly I had to head to the airport, so I had no time to take a longer “hike” along the wall. However, my friend brought her (“roll-y”) suitcase and actually walked a large portion of the wall before catching a ride to the airport for her later flight.

Niushou Mountain

Nanjing is full of beautiful mountains, parks and gardens, some of which include the surrounding hills which provide beautiful panoramic views.

We visited Niushou Mountain, a famous Buddhist mountain which includes the famous Usnisa Pagoda.

During the spring the park is full of blooming trees! The blossoms are beautiful and add so much color to the whole park.

The park is big, so even if there are a lot of visitors, you can typically find some quiet space to enjoy the beautiful nature that surrounds you.

Food

Nanjing‘s most famous dish is probably the Nanjing Salted Duck, which you find in most restaurants (and even the airport duty free shop!). Even the Courtyard Marriott, where I stayed, gave me a cute little stuffed duck as part of their welcome gift (so cute!).

Other local foods we tried included stewed eel, xiao long bao (soup dumplings), and more.

Nanjing China xiaolongbao — Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings)

The below dishes all were part of a larger group meal I ate at where I couldn't quite get the names of all the dishes.

Initial Thoughts

I felt like I barely scratched the surface of this amazing historical city before I had to leave. I'm glad I had a chance to walk along the wall and visit at least one park. Next time, I hope to have more time. Hope this initial introductory post gives you a little taste of some aspects of this incredible city.