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Black Dragon Lake

The 395ha/1.5sq.mi Black Dragon Lake in the north of the city occupies a large area of the park of the same name. It contains five small islands interconnected by bridges and causeways: Cherry Tree Island (Yingzhou), Beam Island (Liangzhou), Round Island (Huanzhou), Water Chestnut Island (Lingzhou) and Emerald Island (Cuizhou). The lake gained its name back at the beginning of the 5th C. after a black animal was seen there - supposedly a dragon, but in reality probably a crocodile.

Under the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) Beam Island (Liangzhou) was used to house the largest state archive in China. It consisted of two parts, the register of inhabitants (Huang Ce) and the register of land tenure (Yuling Ce). The archive was manned by over 80 clerks but after a census, which was carried out every ten years, an additional thousand workers would be employed on a temporary basis.

Drum Tower

Built in 1382, the Drum Tower stands in the city center on the west side of the People's Square and is today used for exhibitions of paintings and calligraphy, etc. In the Ming period (1368-1644) it constituted the center of the city, an honor which is now held by Xinjiekou, about 2km/1mi to the south.

Mochou Park

Mochou park is a vast open area in the west of the city, consisting of a pretty lake and pathways. This is a nice place to get away from the city traffic and noise and it is en - routeMochou Park to the Nanjing Massacre Museum. Legend has it that during the Nan Dynasty a poor girl named Mochou married a man in Nanjing in order to get enough money to bury her father. Unfortunately, the girl was so unhappy with her new life that she committed suicide by jumping in the Mochou Lake .

Confucius Temple

The Confucius Temple is in the center of the south of the city in the bustling old town quarter named Fuzimiao after the temple with its many busy shops, restaurants and market streets as well as a regular bird market. An older Confucius temple was built here in 1034. The present temple was built in 1986 after Japanese troops had destroyed the previous building in 1937.

Yangtze River Bridge

The Yangtze River Bridge, 4.6km long, is an impressive construction in the northwest of the city. The bridge was built in 1968 in honor of the capture of Nanjing fromYangtze River Bridge the Kuomingtang by the Communists. The Chinese are particularly proud of the fact that they managed to complete the bridge after Russia withdrew their promise of assistance. The structure and design of the bridge are particularly impressive. There are two decks; the upper level carries vehicles and passengers and the lower carries trains over the huge Yangtse River.

The bridge is uniquely Chinese in style and on the sides of the top deck are statues of soldiers involved in the crossing of the river. Visitors can access the bridge from the Great Bridge Park to the north of Zhongshan Bei Lu.There are elevators taking tourists up to the decks which afford a great view not just of the murky and gargantuan river, but also of the bridge's structure and architecture.

July - August

June - August -> 30(°C) - Summer
December - February -> 0(°C) - Spring

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