Nanjing, a city surrounded by mountains, rivers and green trees, is an ancient metropolis of ten different dynasties.

 

Hundreds of thousands of years ago, the ancestors of Nanjing residents lived in caves at Tangshan Hill. Then 5,000 to 6,000 years ago, some of them came to the tableland near rivers and made a living by fishing, hunting and farming.

 

Nanjing took shape at the confluence of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River and Qinhuaihe River. About 2,500 years ago, Goujian, King of Yue State, built a city alongside the Qinhuaihe River and named it Yuecheng. Later ChuState built Jinling at the foot of Qingliangshan Hill. Yuecheng and Jinling were the embryonic forms of Nanjing.

 

The Six Dynasties Period (from the beginning of the 3rd century to the end of the 6th century) was the most prosperous time of ancient Nanjing. After the downfall of Western Jin, North China was reigned by chieftains of some nomads. A lot of aristocrats, men of letters, craftsmen migrated to the south of China, which promoted the development of local culture, economy and technology. As the centre of Chinese traditional culture moved southward, Nanjing became the biggest city of that time and a new culture center in ancient China.

 

In the outer southern suburbs of the city, there stands a natural rock bridge over Yanzhihe River, which is a canal cloven through a rocky hill for transporting cereals.

 

There are a lot of relics of the Ming Dynasty in the urban area and suburbs, such as Zhu Yuanzhang's Mausoleum, Drum Tower, Wumen Gate, Shencemen Gate, Zhanyuan Garden, Mochou Lake, Yangshan Stele, Tianfeigong Stele, Panchi Pool whose water comes from the Qinhuaihe River and the Screen Wall at the Confucius Temple.

 

Church (Catholic & Christian) in Nanjing

 

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Nanjing, commonly known as Shigu Road Cathedral to the locals, is a late 19th-century church that serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nanking. It is located in the downtown area of the city at 112 Shigu Road. First built in 1870 during the Qing dynasty, it was later severely damaged during the Northern Expedition War and had to be rebuilt by the Chinese government in 1928. Since the 1930s it has served as the cathedral for the Archdiocese of Nanjing and is the only Catholic church within the city of Nanjing today. In 1982 it was also listed as a Jiangsu Provincial Historic Site.

 

Buddhist Temples in Nanjing

 

Jiming Temple

The Jiming Temple (Chinese: 鸡鸣寺) is a renowned Buddhist temple in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. One of the oldest temples in Nanjing,[1] it is located in the Xuanwu District near Xuanwu Lake.

 

The temple, which literally means "rooster crowing" was first constructed in 557 during the Liang dynasty and has been destroyed and reconstructed many times. The existing temple was initially constructed during the Ming dynasty[3] during the reign of the Hongwu Emperor in 1387. It was destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion but was rebuilt later.

 

By 1931 most temple buildings had been appropriated as barracks by police and army of the Nationalist government of Republican China. The main hall had been emptied completely apart from the large Buddha statue. Only one hall, near the city wall was still being used for worship. The temple remained popular primarily because of its tea house which was also situated in that hall.

 

QiXia Temple

QiXia Temple, (From Nanjing, take a bus from the small bus station west of the Railway Station metro stop, leave from exit 1 and head 100m past the KFC. The bus doesn’t have a number, instead look for the characters on the front. The fare is Y2.50 and takes about 50mins. Enroute the bus passes through a bucolic village then back onto the highway. Get off when it gets to a second village and stops on a bridge. QiXia Si is back toward the village centre.). A one time retreat for Emperor QianLong, the temple at the foot of maple forested hillside now draws hoards of less exulted visitors to clamber along the network of trails connecting fancifully named pavilions, ponds, tombs and natural stone features. The temple itself is not extensive, having only a pair of identical looking bell and drum towers in front of an austerely large hall, embedded with elegant lacquer-red window frames, containing a relatively contemporary, yet gracefully benevolent looking gigantic Buddha seated on a golden lotus. At the rear of the hall is a pair of intricately carved cabinets of a more impressively authentic vintage housing stone Buddha and Guanyin statues. The temple allegedly has an ancient bone relic purported to be from the historical Buddha, though it is kept well hidden. Further up the hill is a cluster of stone formations bifurcated by a steep canyon, believed to have been split in antiquity by mystical forces, that enables accent up a stair way to a pavilion and a high view over the valley. Higher up the hill are the crumbling remnants of group of buildings used by Qianlong’s army. The best time to visit is during autumn when the maple trees are radiating orange or spring when the peach blossoms are loaded with pink and white flowers.

 

Taoist (Daoist) Temples in Nanjing

 

Nanjing Confucius Temple (Fuzimiao)

The Confucius Temple in Nanjing was originally constructed in the year of 1034 in the Song Dynasty. It was a place to worship and consecrate Confucius, the great philosopher and educator of ancient China. It is also known as Fuzimiao in Chinese. It suffered repeated damage and has been rebuilt on several occasions since that time. 1937 was the most destruction when it was burnt to ruin by Japanese aggressors. In 1984 the temple was rebuilt under the support of the local government. During the long process, the original building expanded to be a complex building in the architectural style of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, including the Confucius Temple itself, the Jiangnan Gongyuan (the place of imperial examinations) and the Xue Gong (the Imperial Academy). The complex is still called the Confucius Temple out of habit by locals and visitors.

 

In front of the Confucius Temple, the Qin Huai River is flowing. On the south bank of the river, there is the longest screen wall in China which is 110-meter-long (about 120 yards) and piled with bricks. The Dacheng Hall is recommended on your trip. It is 16.22 meters high (about 53 feet) and 28.1 meters (about 30 yards) wide featuring a 1.5-meter-high (about 5 feet) pedestal. There are two worthwhile attractions found in the inner hall. One is the largest figure of Confucius in China. The other one is the beautiful collection of 38 vivid panels which are made by various jade, gold and silver, detailing the life of Confucius. Out of the hall, you will see the bronze statue of Confucius as well as the white marble statues of his eight disciples.

 

Mosques (Masjid) in Nanjing

 

Nanjing Caoqiao Mosque 

The Nanjing Caoqiao Mosque was first built in the Qianlong Period(1736-1795), Qing Dynasty(1644-1911). It was rebuilt and removed for many times. The major constructions are the main hall, teaching room, water house, wing-room and other facilities. The temple was used as primary school in the Public of China (1912-1949).

 

Address: 20 Dading Lane, Nanjing, Jaingsu 

 

Nanjing Hanximen Mosque 

The Hanximen Mosque was first built in Ming Dynasty(1368-1644) and was rebuilt in the Tongzhi Period (1862-1874), Qing Dynasty(1644-1911). The existing temple was rebuilt in 1915. The major constructions include the main hall, moon building, water house, teaching room, Pai building and dorm room. The main hall covers an area of 320 square meters and is 8 meters high. It is a Chinese traditional building with Arabic style of windows and doors.

 

Address: 13 Hanximen Mosque Lane, Tangzi Street, Nanjing, Jiangsu 

 

Nanjing Jizhaoying Mosque 

It is said the the Jizhaoying Mosque was first built in the middle age of Qing Dynasty(1644-1911). it is a small masque in scale but it functions well in all aspects.

 

Address: 43 Jizhaoying, Xuanwu District, Nanjing