Nanjing, China Travel Guide - China's Former Capital | China Travel Vlog

We are in Nanjing, China. Nanjing is the former capital of China, ruling several dynasties until 1949. Just 90 minutes from Shanghai by bullet train, it is a fascinating city to add to your China itinerary. So this is a walking street here in Nanjing where you get all of the boats to go. The boat cruises along the canal. It's hard to believe that this is a Monday night. It feels more like a Friday or a holiday. But no, this is just a typical day here in Nanjing. Time to get on the boat with a thousand other people. Confucius Temple dates back to 1034, but it was rebuilt in 1984 after being destroyed during the 1937 Japanese occupation. Located on the Qinghuai River, there's a maze of walking streets and shops leading to the star attraction, the River Cruise. While we're on our river tour here in Nanjing, we recommend bringing your guide on board with you. We had no idea what the commentary was saying, and instead we simply spent our time enjoying the neon lights and reenactments of famous Chinese folklore. Nuishu Mountain is a new cultural park that opened in 2015 designed to establish a new heritage world of Buddhism culture. There's a shuttle bus that takes you to two stops, the temple first where there's a bamboo forest, and then the palace. The temple is lovely, but don't spend too much time there as the palace is incredible. The Nuishu Shan Cultural Park is quite the spectacle. It's a complex of temples and Buddhas built inside a mountain, and it's pretty extravagant. So the temple that we're in now is 60 meters underground, so that's 180 feet, and this is all an old mining area, so that's what they did is they built all the temples within the mountain, all of the caverns that they mined. Amazing. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like this. Now that was definitely worth coming down 60 meters for. Make sure to give yourself ample time to explore. There's plenty to see, and they even have a vegan restaurant for lunch. On a clear day, the views are incredible. Well, we're heading up to the tomb of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, and I might not be saying that right, so forgive me, but he was the founder of the first Ming dynasty in 1381. How cool is that? You know, China is just full of amazing history. Purple Mountain is another way to spend a day in Nanjing. It houses the Shaoling Mausoleum from the Ming dynasty and the father of China, Dr. Sun Yat-sen's mausoleum. The Shaoling Mausoleum is a beautiful complex of gardens, ponds, and bridges housing the rulers from the Ming dynasty. The 1,800-meter sacred way is lined with sculptures of elephants, lions, and camels guarding the tombs. It's a very impressive entrance. Visiting Dr. Sun Yat-sen's memorial is a very different experience from the peacefulness of the Ming tombs. He was the father of the Republic of China, and he led the rebellion that put an end to the monarchy system that ruled for 2,000 years. People flocked to Nanjing to pay their respects. So we're going to see the tomb of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, and he is like the George Washington of China, so this is a pretty special place to visit. Well, this place is more popular than the Ming tombs. It's just filled with people. It's quite an exciting place to be. Obviously, it's very important being the father of China. He started the revolution. He helped people decide that their mind and body are important to take care of themselves. And obviously, it's a very special and sacred place. Look at all the people. So we're here at the memorial of the Nanjing massacre that happened in 1937. It's a very touching and moving memorial to the 300,000 people who died during the Japanese occupation of Nanjing in 1937. Around me are pictures of all of the victims who died during the occupation. It was a real slaughter. It was women and children and families. And this was during an eight-year war that happened, so it was a very bloody, terrible time. At the time of the occupation, Nanjing was still the capital of China, making it a strategic point for invasion. The Japanese army committed atrocities on civilians, families, and even children. The memorial is a massive complex. Displays depict the event, the war crimes tribunal, and there are indoor and outdoor exhibits. A poignant memorial exhibits the skeletal remains of bodies that were uncovered between the 1985 and 1998 excavations. So we're going to learn the art of burning incense today. Who knew that it was an art form? I didn't know that. There's an actual way to do it, and we're going to show you how. I bet it involves a lighter. Incense plays a large role in Chinese tradition, and at the Porcelain Tower, we learned how to make an incense stencil to create an atmosphere of peace and relaxation. Followed by a tea ceremony, we managed to learn of two very important Chinese ceremonies at one time. So that was an interesting ceremony. I was expecting to burn solid, a stick of incense, but what it is is we made our own little lotus leaf of incense by dropping the incense into a little... I can't think of the word. Stencil. Yeah, by dropping it into a little stencil. So, I think we did okay. The Porcelain Tower was considered one of the seven medieval wonders of the world, but like many historic buildings in Nanjing, it was destroyed. In 2015, the new tower was rebuilt, and today visitors can visit the museum and witness excavations that took place in 2008. It is believed that the remains of Buddha were found on these grounds. Going to the top of the tower also offers great views of the city of Nanjing. Nanjing has the longest city wall in the world, and it is known as the Other Great Wall of China. At 600 years old, it is also the most well-preserved. The wall was made by the best brick makers in the land, and each brick has the inscription of origin which bears the responsibility for the quality of the bricks. When visiting Nanjing, it is not to be missed. So, we're here at Taichung City Wall, and we're going to learn calligraphy, Chinese calligraphy. And it really is an art form, let me tell you. Anybody can come here and do this, and it's all in the way you hold the brush. No, I messed that one up. Well, I totally did it wrong. Normally you're supposed to do it this way, but I did it along here. So our teacher, she said, lying in bed is so happy. So I came up with something anyway. Well, this is my masterpiece work of art. I'm telling you it's going on display in my place. I'm going to make everybody look at it and admire it. I love you. I love you too. Make sure to subscribe to our videos and ring the bell. You'll get updates each week from another destination around the world.