Nanjing, China

Introduction:

Nanjing is situated on the middle and lower reaches of the Yangzi river in eastern China. The city covers an area of over six thousand square kilometers with a population of over 6.2 million.

As the capital of Jiangsu province, Nanjing is an important cultural and education center. The city boasts many of the province’s top universities and colleges. The city’s notable student population consists of both native Chinese and foreigners.

The name Nanjing, which means "South Capital", is reflective of the importance of Nanjing as the capital of six dynasties in China’s fabled history (Wu, Eastern Jin, Song, Qi, Liang and Chen). The Chinese often refer to Nanjing as "Jinling" and/or "Stone City", while some foreigners know it as "Nanking". Officially named Nanjing during the Ming dynasty, it was called "Ning" for short.

Visitors to Nanjing will be impressed by the city’s well-preserved traditional architecture and historical sights. Parts of the original city walls and city gates are still intact, a feature which sets Nanjing apart from most ancient Chinese cities.

food:

Duck blood and vermicelli soup is a traditional delicacy of Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, and is also eaten in other regions of China. A similar dish is also eaten in Poland, Belarus and Lithuania where it's called czernina. Duck blood, vermicelli, dried fried tofu, dried small shrimp, duck gizzards, duck intestines, duck livers, shallots, ginger, sesame oil, caraway, (and possibly some other ingredients) are used to make the soup.

Legend：

It is said that once there was a poor man in Nanjing. He killed a duck and used a bowl to hold the duck’s blood, but accidentally dropped some vermicelli into the bowl. He cooked them together and surprisingly found that the soup was delicious. A rich man heard the story and employed the poor man to cook the dish for his family. The soup has been popular ever since.

Xiaolongbao is a type of steamed bun (baozi) from the Jiangnan region of China, especially associated with Shanghai and Wuxi. It is traditionally prepared in xiaolong, small bamboo steaming baskets, which give them their name.

Xiaolongbao are traditionally filled with pork. One popular and common variant is pork with minced crab meat and roe. More modern innovations include other meats, seafood and vegetarian fillings, as well as other possibilities.

Nanjing Salted Duck is a local duck dish from Nanjing, China. The history of the dish goes back hundreds of years, perhaps to the 14th century, but it grew more famous under the Qing Dynasty.The tender white duck meat has some fat but is not greasy, and in presentation the dish is fragrant and often crispy. Nanjing Salted Duck prepared before and after mid-Autumn is reputed to taste the best, because of duck production during the sweet osmanthus blooming season (osmanthus may be added to the spice mixture particularly in those months). Sometimes the seasonal version of the dish is called Osmanthus Duck.

Legend：

One legend holds that when Zhu Yuanzhangwas the emperor, there was a dispute of sorts, and an edict was issued to kill all the roosters in the city. This solved a noise problem, but the result was no chicken to eat. The people of Nanjing had to eat duck instead, which gave rise to the prominence in Nanjing of duck dishes like Nanjing Salted Duck. Other accounts claim that Nanjing was famed for duck dishes centuries earlier, dating even to the Southern Dynasties (420~589 A.D.).

spots

Confucius Temple is one of the most famous places in Nanjing. It was built to memorize Confucius, and used to hold imperial examination. But now, it is a scenic spot. Confucius Temple is very beautiful. You can taste many famous Nanjing’s food there, and you can also visit the lantern festival by boat on Qinhuai River at night. It attracts many tourists all around the world every year.

Xuanwu Lake is in the central-northeast part of Nanjing Railway Station and Ji Ming Temple. It is surrounded by three mountains in three directions: the Zijing mountain to the east, the Jizhao mountain and Fuzhou mountain to the south and the Mufu mountin to the north. The lake covers 472 hectares.

The Presidential Palace is located at 292 Changjiang Road. Up to now it is over six hundred years old. It was constructed as the Marquis Guide’s Residence and then Prince Han’s Residence in the early years of the Ming Dynasty. The Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong often used here as their temporary Dwelling Palace when they made inspection tour of south China.