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Nanjing, the capital of neighboring Jiangsu Province has had both a glorious and tragic past, but it is still one of China's most important and beautiful cities.

 

More than 600 years ago, when Shanghai was just a small fishing village, Nanjing was decided as its capital in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), making it one of the world's largest cities at the time.

 

It was also the seat of government of five other ancient dynasties and the capital of the Kuomintang government for a decade from 1927. In 1937 it was the scene of the Nanjing Massacre perpetrated by invading Japanese troops. So, Nanjing has seen the best and worst of Chinese history.

 

Today Nanjing is a city concerned above all, like the rest of China, with developing its economy and improving the standard of living of its residents.

 

Yet in its monuments, its relics and silent walls are still hidden stories of China's history, both triumphant and tragic. Today, I explore the city that has been China's cultural center for thousands of years and has seen dynasties and governments come and go.

 

In many ways modern Nanjing is similar to Shanghai. It has always been an important city in southern China and the 21st century will be no exception - it is currently the second largest economy in the area. The first things that strike you on arrival are the highways, the dust and the skyscrapers.

 

Strangely, there also seems to be an unusually high number of weddings taking place, with jewelry shops, limousine rentals and wedding dress shops all eager to do business.

 

Still, amid all the hustle and bustle, you can find, in certain quiet corners, while sitting in old tea houses, or looking at temples in the hilly forested landscape, traces of the jiangnan (regions south of the Yangtze River) - the concentration of all that was refined and sophisticated in China in ancient times.

 

The largest and most beautiful part of the city is the Zhongshan Mountain National Park. Around the Purple Mountain and covering 31 square kilometers, it is a national heritage site. The heart of the park, and the place most tourists head for first, is the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. This majestic piece of architecture is reached after climbing nearly 400 steps up 70 meters to the top where Dr Sun has his final resting place.

 

Lined by tall, stately trees, the mausoleum is awe-inspiring, even on public holidays when thousands of Chinese tourists make their way up the steps. In fact, it is almost like a pilgrimage where ordinary people pay their respects to the founding father of modern China.

 

The rest of the park contains a number of other interesting sites. There is the fifth century Linggu Temple, for example, or the World Heritage Site of the Ming Dynasty tombs. While each of these sites has its own charm, traveling around the park will remind you of the modern context in which they are set.

 

It is as if the historic sites have been made part of a rather tacky and commercialized theme park. There are brightly colored buses to take you from site to site, a cable car carries visitors up to the peak for sightseeing, and everywhere there are crowded tourist agencies and guides touting their services amid restaurants and souvenir shops.

 

However, the original spirit of the place is there if you look hard enough. Climbing to the top of the Linggu Temple, you can see hills and forests for miles around and from the pagoda you can understand how the monks in the past found inspiration there and why emperors chose to make Nanjing their home.

 

Nighttime in Nanjing continues mixing the traditional with the modern and culture with commerce. As the street lights come to life, the center of activity converges around Confucius Temple, which originally was the grand living quarters of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) military officials.

 

It has now been thoroughly commercialized into a tourist and shopping heaven. While a long street outside is lined with shops selling all sorts of souvenirs and other knick-knacks, a 50-yuan (US$6.6) ticket for the Confucius complex itself comes complete with tour guide, comedy performance, and a cup of tea.

 

Despite these modern trappings, however, inside the compound you can still sense an aura of elegance and sophistication. And with some imagination you can see this place as it was in the heyday of the Qing Dynasty, a residence more comfortable and more beautiful than any five-star hotel.

 

For contrasts of a different kind you can visit the former presidential palace of the KMT government. This is a huge compound that encompasses living quarters, state halls, office buildings and even air raid shelters.

 

It is an illustration and reminder of some of the tremendous changes that occurred in China during the turbulent 20th century. The extensive exhibits of the China Modern History Museum tell this story through old photos and artifacts. But if you don't have time to study them thoroughly, a stroll through the buildings of the compound will give you some idea of the confusion and turbulence of the era.

 

Walking down one street you can see styles ranging from the 1930s, to Qing Dynasty gardens.

 

Nanjing is a place of contrasts and an eclectic mix of styles. Partly this reflects the changing fortunes of Chinese history. Partly it is also symptomatic of modern China everywhere where the old clashes with the new.

 

Though the burgeoning tourist industry has, through over-enthusiastic development of business opportunities, obscured some of the original spirit of Nanjing's most famous landmarks, they are still there if you are prepared to look. To best appreciate this city, be prepared to arrive with a your imagination in good working order.

 

(Shanghai Daily by Nancy Zhang July 24, 2007)