Confucius Temple
Located North Shore of Wende Bridge of the Qinhuai River and also known as the Fuzi Temple, the Wen Temple or the Wenxuan Temple, originally, it referred only to a temple that worships the scholar of the earliest ancient Chinese Confucius, Kong Zi. During the first year of Jingde Era of North SONG Dynasty (1034), a new temple was freshly reconstructed at the site of the Eastern Jin Dynasty Imperial College, and the school of Jiankang prefectural government was moved here, and so, the two, Confucius Temple and the prefectural school, were combined together, and they were collectively called the Confucius Temple. Experienced thousand years of repeated rises and falls, in 1982 it was listed as Nanjing cultural relic protection site, and in 1984 a reconstruction process was gradually launched. After years of development, the Confucius Temple, with Wen Temple and Prefectural School as its main body, has become an ancient building that shows very large and special. It takes the Dacheng Hall as the center, and from the Big Screen Wall in the South, to Wei-Hill, and to Jingyi pavilion of the North, it shows off a central axis, with buildings placed on both sides symmetrically around the axis. The area it covers is about 2.63 hectares. From south to north, it lays out the Big Screen Wall, Panchi Pool, the Square of "World Literati", Kuixing Court, Juxing Pavilion, Lingxing Gate, Dacheng Hall, Mingde Hall, Congsheng Temple, Qingyun Building, Wei Hill, and Jingyi Pavilion. In exception that the Big Screen Wall is located at the south bank of the Qinhuai River, the rest are in the north bank, and the segment of Qinhuai here is called as Panchi Pool. Of which, the Large Screen Wall, inaugurated in the third year of Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1575) with a length of 110 meters and a height of 10 meters, was all built with bricks and the whole length is no. 1 of the kinds in the country. Of the layout of the Confucius Temple, the front is the Temple and the backend is the school (school house), fully reflecting the essence of Confucianism: "Respecting Confucius and Teachers”. The markets are located on the east and west of the temple, forming a unique pattern of Unity of Temple and markets. The Confucius Temple is a core area of Nanjing that reflects the historical beauty of Qinhuai, and now has become the center of the scenic Qinhuai River.
Qinhuai River
Running through the hinterland Nanjing, known as the "mother river", and a tributary of the Yangtze River, the Qinhuai River is divided into 2 rivers at the point of Eastern Shuiguan: one is the city guardian, running around the city and called the Outer Qinhuai; and the other is running through the heartland of the city from the east to west, called the Inner Qinhuai. The total length of the Inner River is 5 km, known as "Ten Li Qinhuai River" in Chinese, and is the essence of the Qinhuai Scenic Belt. The theme of Ancient literatures and poem works is often based on Qinhuai River, and one particularly notable is the poet in the Tang Dynasty, Du Mu, whose poem the “Anchorage on the Bank of Qinhuai” is the most famous. In addition, there are lots of Chinese idioms such as "A Belly-Bared Son-in-Law to Be(坦腹东床)", "Adding Eyes to a Painted Dragon (画龙点睛)" , "Green Plum and Bamboo House (青梅竹马literally means childhood friends)", among others, that all are also out of this place. The "Peach Blossom Fan" by Kong Shangren and the "Scholars" by Wu Jingzi are also with Qinhuai background. On the Qinhuai River, there are gaily-painted boats, which is a combination of carts of the North and ships of the South. The 2 essays both titled “the Qinhuai River with Paddles and Lamps” penned by modern writers Yu Pingbo and zhu Zhiqing, are timeless elegant writing, and were true recording of the Qinhuai landscape.
Jiming Temple (Literally means Cocking Temple)
Located on the Jilong hill, it was built during the era of Chiwu (238 ~ 251) of Wu Dynasty during the Three Kingdom period, and was destroyed when in the collapse of Wu. During the Jianping era of the Southern Song Dynasty (An Dynasty in the history of the Northern and Southern Dynasties in which the emperors are surnamed with Liu as compared with another Southern Song Dynasty in which the emperors are surnamed with Zhao), a man called Wang Hong contributed his residence for construction of a Temple, named Xiyun Temple. When in Qi Dynasty, it was renamed as Jianyuan Temple. In the twentieth year of Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1387), the emperor Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Chongshan Marquis Li Xin to taskmaster the expansion project, and the temple was expanded and titled as "Jiming Temple", a name that has been still used today. In the era of Yongle, the Baozhi Altar of the Linggu Temple was removed here, and an alms unit was built for the Tibetan Karmapa Halima. During the eras of Xuande, Chenghua, and Hongzhi, several renovation and expansion projects had been carried out, thus making it the second largest temple in the Nanking City. During the era of Kangxi and Qianlong of Qing Dynasty, it had been renovated many times, and the Emperor Kangxi had ever titled it the "Ancient Jingmi Temple". When in the Era of Xianfeng, it was destroyed by wars, and was rebuilt in the Tongzhi Era.
During the period of the Republic of China, Abbots Shi Shou and Shi Xia built the Jingyang building. In 1958 it was changed to as an ashram for nuns and monks, the permanent residents was 25. During the "Cultural Revolution" it was impacted. In 1980 it was renovated. As of 2004, it has a total of 100 floors including the Main Hall, Mercy Hall, Maitreya Hall, Sutra Room, Jingyang Building, Yumeng Floor, and Guanyin floor, and has a pagoda, as well as bronze statue of the Pharmacist Monk of Ming Dynasty, together with other artifacts and monuments. On February 19, June 19, and September 19 of Annual Lunar New Year each year, days when Guanyin dharma assembly and Laba festival begins, the crowds of disciples are very popular.
Purple Mountain Observatory
Located 267 meters above sea level of Tianbao, the third peak of Zhongshan mountain, it is the first modern observatory that China has ever built. In 1929 the construction was in preparation, and in 1934 the construction was completed. The observatory was formerly known as the National Purple Mountain Observatory of the Institute of Astronomy of the Academia Sinica. The main buildings include the Observatory headquarters, meridian instrument room, equatorial equipment room, solar spectrograph room, and variable star meter room. Because it is beautiful in building, expensive in equipments, and rich in books and information, it was then called the "No, 1 Observatory in East Asia". After half a century of development, now the Observatory has become an institution directly affiliated to Chinese Academy of Science. In addition to the up-to-date equipments and instruments, it also holds a host of bronze astronomical instruments of sphere celestial globe, armillary sphere, abridged armillary, gnomon sundial, and altazimuth of the Ming and Qing Dynasties that are well preserved and displayed. It also has an Astronomy History Museum, which is used to show to the general public the knowledge of the universe and the ancient history of astronomy.
Xuanwu Lake Park
Located in the northeast of the city Nanjing, and at the foothill of Zhongshan Mountain, it is the city's largest comprehensive cultural entertainment park. The whole garden covers an area of 472 hectares , of which 368 ha. is water, and 104 ha. land. During the Six Dynasties period, it served as Royal families’ training, hunting or reciting place. In the early Ming dynasty, the "Yellow Book Storage" was built there thus it became a forbidden land. In the late Qing Dynasty, it was functionally turned into "Yuanwu Lake Park", opening to public. In 1928, it was renamed as "Continental Park", and in 1935 officially renamed as "Xuanwu Lake Park". There are five “oases”/islets in Xuanwu Lake, forming five scenic spots. There are bridges and embankments interconnecting the oases of which each is with unique grace and unique names, namely, the "Willows and Smokes of Huanzhou Islet", "Autumn Chrysanthemum of Liang Islet", the "Flowers Sea of Ying Islet", the "Clouds & Trees of Chui Islet", and the "Clouds and Mists of Ling Islet". Its main attractions are cenotaph of Guo Pu, Lama Temple, Nuo’na tower, Rose Garden and Children's Playground located in the Huanzhou Islet; Fish Pond, Bonsai Museum, Scenic Spot floor, Peony Garden, Wenji Pavilion, and Lake God Temple located in the Liang Islet; Open-air Bandstand, and Entertainment Facility located at Green Islet; in addition, the largest birds Ecological Park located in Ying Island where viewers can see a total of more than 200 species of rare birds and tens of thousands of birds. The park pavilions, halls, Galleries, and Museums are placed in a picturesque way, somewhere densely and somewhere sparsely; white bridges and stone towers are mixed, somewhere they hide one another, and somewhere highlight each other; clouds and mists above the lake reflect the light of sky; and water waves glitter while boats are waggled, a place so beautiful that is reputed as the "Pearl of the Stone City". There are clippers, amused boats, and luxury ferries paddling on the lake, and you can view the beautiful scenery of the Xuanwu Lake all-round. In 2005, Xuanwu Lake Park is planned to create more attractions such as the Li Yu Cultural Park, Garden Park, and Qingyinge pavilion, among others.
Wuyi Lane (Wuyi, literally means black cloths)
It is located south of the Confucius Temple, with the Egret Island Park in the east, and the Kuchao Street in the west. It is said that Sun Quan, emperor of Wu kingdom, treated it as his garrison, where his soldiers were all in black uniforms, hence the camp is so famed and called as Wuyi camp, hence the Lane came with the name of Wuyi. In Eastern Jin Dynasty, here was a place where aristocratic families Wang and Xie settled as home, hence their children of the nobility was known as "Wuyi Guys” collectively. By the time of Tang Dynasty, these aristocratic mansions have become a ruin. Seeing and feeling, the poet Liu Yuxi wrote the famous sentences in his poem "Wuyi Lane", which reads: "Zhuque bridge and weeds, Wuyi Lane and Sunset; swallows, of the old families of Wang and Xie long ago, flying into the homes of ordinary people".
Jiangnan Examination Hall
It is located the 1st of Jinling Road, east of the Confucius Temple. Originally, it was built in fourth year of Qiandao era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1168), first functionally as a county and prefecture school, latter in the Ming Dynasty, as an examination site for provincial and national examinations. In the early Qing Dynasty, as Jiangsu and Anhui provinces combined together becoming the so called Jiangnan province, the examination place for the Jiangnan Province was settled down at the Nanjing Examination site, and the name of Nanjing Examination Hall originally went. Thereafter, it was intermittently renovated and expanded, by the late Qing Dynasty, its size was subsequently quite large, covering about 70,000 hectares and with 20,644 exam cells for student candidates. In 1918, most of the buildings of the examination halls were demolished and opened up as a market. In 1956, the Chinese Medicine Hospital of Nanjing was established on the site. In early 1989, the existing Mingyuan Building cut out from Nanjing Chinese Medicine Hospital and some surviving ruins of the Examination Hall were part of the preparations for construction of the History Museum of Jiangnan Examination Hall. It is the first thematic museum to reflect the content of the examination system in China, and is divided into three parts: one is for the original historical artifacts, namely the Mingyuan Building and the 22 square stones of Ming and Qing Dynasty; the second is the rebuilt 40 examination cells/units and the exhibitions of imperial examination system, including a large number of valuable literatures, pictures and imperial heritage; the third is the contents with entertaining and participatory nature, visitors can costume ancient cloths, and go into the examination cells to take a exam and may be awarded with a "certificate" and prizes. Mingyuan Building, as the only ancient building of the Jiangnan Examination Hall that remains undestroyed, was built in the fifth year of Jingtai Era of the Ming Dynasty (1454) and was renovated in Daoguan Era of Qing Dynasty. It was the central part of the examination hall, and used by the examination system monitors to monitor the examinees, in order to prevent the deceit of the examination takers. The building is a structure of three-layer wooden floors, with a height of 13.2 meters and an area 280 m2; of which for the second and third floors, they are surrounded all sides by windows. Standing atop, viewers can seen the whole examination halls picture.
General Hill Scenery
It is located between the Hanfu Hill and the Niushou Hill, south of New Qinhuai River, and within the territory of the Tiexinqiao township of the southern suburbs of Nanjing. Historically, the line of the General Hill, Niushou Hill and Hanfu Hill, is a place where was highly contested militarily. During the Southern Song Dynasty, General Yue Fei had led his troops in Niushou Hill to fight against the troops of Jin dynasty. According to the legend, a member of the general Yue Fei men was cut off an arm by the enemy in a battle, and hided under a cliff for recuperation here. For commemorating the anti-Jin hero, the later generations call the hill as the General Hill, and the Cliff as Brokeback cliff. Now, the ruins of the anti-Jin base are still left on the Hill and well-preserved, stretching several hundred meters. The scenic area covers 3.5 square kilometers with quite and beautiful environment, fresh air, and well preserved natural vegetation. It is rich in cultural history and is rated as the state 3A level scenic spots. Now, it has at large, Chilin Trestle Road along Cliff, Green Alamo Bay, Educated Youth Residence, Tea & Leisure Houses, Zigzag Bamboo Gallery, Guanyin Stage, Cuiying Fishing Stool, Forest Park, Bonsai Garden, and Peacock Garden and other attractions, of which, the Chilin Trestle Road is especially most unique. A block of rare cedar trees planted in the water that shade the block out of the sun, together with the winding fir bridge that winds over the waters, and the fir houses, render it becoming a green natural oxygen bar that is hailed as the "Nanjing Jiuzhaigou" by visitors.
Yuhua Pavilion
It is located on Donggang of the Yuhuatai Scenic Area, 54 meters above sea level. The place is where the ancient Yuhuatai ruins existed, and the preaching pulpit of the legendary Yunguang Monk, it is said was located here. During Qing Dynasty, it had a temple called Yunguang Temple which was destroyed in the wars. The Pavilion which was reconstructed in 1996 has 34 meters in height and covers an area of 720 square meters, and the construction area is 1,429 square meters. It is a 3-layer, 4-eaved octagonal pavilion that imitates the classical Ming and Qing style of architecture. Modeled after antique buildings, its wooden lattice and windows, cornices, and ancient and primitive form, seems quite magnificent. There is a stone plaque titled the "Ancient Yuhuatai " hanged on the south wall of the pavilion, and 2 wooden plaques titled “Yuhua Pavilion” hanged over the south and north cornices. On the walls inside the pavilion, a giant ceramic mural titled with “Preaching of Monk Yunguang” is embedded on the wall with 5.7 meters in length and 3.2 meters in height, interpreting the origins of Yuhua, and reproducing a memory of the grand occasions of its past. In the pavilion, there is a preaching stone seat with 99 Yuhua stones scattered around, producing an extravagant preaching scene of Monk Yunguang. Behind the preaching stone seat, a picture titled "Western Journey of Monk Faxian for Buddhist Sutras" with 30 meters in length is hanged over the wall, detailing the story of the western journey of monk Faxian of the Eastern Jin Dynasty to seek sutras, and his scripture translation in the Yuhuatai pavilion after comeback. The elevation of the pavilion is 88 meters above sea level; standing atop and seeing afar, viewers can enjoy the panoramic views of the Yuhuatai.
Mochou Lake Park
It is located in Avenue 35, Hanzhong Gate. Originally known as "Hengtang Pond" or "Shicheng Lake", the lake was so renamed in honor of the girl Mo Chou who lived here. Early in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the Lake was famed in Jiangnan region for its quietness and green water, and reputed the no. 1 spot of Jinling. In the Fifty-eight year of Qianlong era of Qing Dynasty (1793), the governor of Jiangning prefecture, Li Yaodong built new pavilions at the site; with miscellaneous plants and flowers, the scenery was very popular, and the "Smoke and Rain of Mochou Lake" has so far been ranked first in Jinling’s 40 attractions in Qing Dynasty. During Xianfeng era, the building was destroyed, and during Tongzhi era, it was rebuilt. In 1929, it was transformed into a park, and was renovated and expanded after the founding of the PRC, and reopened to public in 1959. The Park integrates architecture, trees, flowers, waters and landscapes into one, and the villas, pavilions, halls, and sheds are randomly placed in a picturesque way. Bamboos, trees, and grasses looking like a carpet, paddles flickering on the lake, and water and waves sparkling, it has not only the style of classical gardens that are full of twists and turns, but also the characteristics of contemporary gardens that are open and clean. The main attractions of the park include the Chess-won Pavilion, Yujin Hall, Shanghe hall, Guanghua Pavilion, Huayan Temple, Waterside Pavilion, Baoyue Pavilion, Begonia Garden, Open-air Stage, Zigzag Veranda, the PLA Martyrdom, etc., and also a host of modern entertaining projects that provide fun for visitors. Since the end of 2004, an amount of considerable huge money has been inputted for repairing the Chess-won Pavilion, thoroughly dredging the lake body, planting lotus, iris, water lilies and other aquatic plants in different water areas, and building up to three kilometers of Lake Road, totally adding 5000 m2 new accessible greenbelt. After the completion of the whole project, the park is expected to cover an area of 56.36 hectares from the original of 58.36 hectares.
Qixia Temple
It is located in the western foot of mid peak of Qixia Mountain (aka Sheshan Hill), northeast of the city. During the Southern Qi Dynasty, the Hermit Ming Sengshao contributed his house for construction of the Temple. In the fourth year of Jianyuan era (482), the Hall of Three West Saints was constructed. During the seventh year of Yongming era (489), massive construction projects were carried out, and the temple was renamed “Xixia Temple”, so the mountain was renamed Xixia Mountain. In the eleventh year of Tianjian era of Liang Dynasty (512), Liaodong Monk Seng Lang arrived and preached the "Three Treatise", thus Qixia Temple became the birthplace of the Buddhism of “Three Treatise”. In the first year of Renshou era of Sui Dynasty (601), a Dagoba was added to the Temple. During the era of Wude of Tang Dynasty (618 - 626), 49 houses were added to the existing ones by the emperor Li Yuan, and the temple was renamed the Gongde Temple, becoming one of the four biggest temples in China. The Tang Dynasty monk Jian Zhen, after the fifth failures to sail to Japan, had settled in the temple on his way back to Yangzhou. Emperor Qianlong had visited the temple 5 times during his southern tours, and contributed funds to add more than 2000 additional rooms. In November of the 5th year of Xianfeng Era (1855) it was destroyed in the war. In 1919, the Monk and Master Zongyang revitalized the Temple. Later, Sun Yat-sen led a donation activity and contributed Silver Dollar 10,000 Yuan himself, followed by a large number of government official donators, and totally help the temple build 213 rooms. In 1963, the building of the "Across-the-Sea Master Memorial" was built. During the "Cultural Revolution", it was negatively impacted. In 1979, it was totally renovated. On November 10, 1982, the Xixia Temple Sangha Training Course of China Buddhist Association was opened, later it was renamed the Qixiashan branch of Chinese Buddhist Academy. In 1983, it was listed as one of the Key Open Temples in the Han Ethnic areas by the State Council. In 1985, the Mirror Lake was restored, and new archway, the living room and the bell tower were built. As of 2004, the entire temple has more than 100 rooms such as Front Gate, Vairocana palace, Sutra room, Jade Buddha room, among others, covering a building area of 10,000 square meters.
Tangshan Hot Spring Resort
Situated in the Tangshan County, east suburb of the Jiangning District, the Tangshan Hot Spring Resort is one of the four major hot spring sanitariums in China. The springs are mainly located in slope areas on the east and southeast side of the Tangshan Mountain.
There are a total of seven to eight springs formed by surging water up from 2km deep underground. The springs, with an average temperature of 50 to 60 ℃ all year round, are crystal and clean. The water of the springs contains over 30 kinds of microelements and mineral substances such as potassium, calcium and magnesium, which are helpful to the treatment of some chronic diseases like arthritis, dermatosis, rheumatism and high blood pressure. The resort has been an attraction for many celebrities and scholars for many years. During the Republic of China era, some politicians even intended to build their villas here. Today, the resort has been equipped with hotels of different class, bath facilities, hospitals and sanitariums.
Jiangxin Islet (Jiangxin Zhou)
Lying on the Yangtze River southwest of Nanjing city, the Jiangxin Islet is not far from the Shangxin Brook flowing side by side on the river bank. Covering an area of 15 sq. km., the islet is also called Meizi Zhou (梅子洲) or Longen Zhou (龙恩州). Owing to the wet and pleasant climate, the islet is covered with lush green trees that have earned it the reputation of being “an emerald in Jinling”.There are mainly 5 industrial zones on the islet including a vineyard, an orchard, a vegetable garden and an aquaculture base, each of which stretches several thousands of acres. Those zones have been taken good care of and feature beautiful countryside scenery and natural ecological landscape. The islet is also the place to host the annual grape festival. With an increasing number of people become fond of a “green” style of traveling on the islet, tourist sites like a local gourmet street and a folk culture street have been built successively. Among the most-recommended sites are the Lu Agricultural House, the Jiang Workshop, the Qigen House, and the Jiang Village Agricultural Garden. The islet is also home to many historical and cultural relics such as the remains of the garrison cannons and the flag pillar used by the Taiping Rebelling army during the 1851-1864 period, the enigmatic Yuantou stones, the Qings’ Garden which can be traced back to the Qing Dynasty and the relics of the sea god temple once worshiped by Qianlong, an emperor of the Qing Dynasty, when he toured the region south the Yangtze River.
The River-Crossing Victory Monument
Standing in the center of the Rehe Road Square in Xiaguan District, the monument was built in 1979 to mark the 30th anniversary of the liberation of Nanjing. The monument measuring 23.4m high, 17m long by 12m wide, is in the shape of a sailing boat which is consisted of a garnet hull and two white sails. A commemorative plate, 2.5m in diameter, is inlaid in between the two arc-shaped white sails which are the main part of the monument. The pedestal of the monument - the hull of the boat - is comprised of red clicker tiles and granites, which is flat and being fenced up. The inscription on one side of the monument is a poem by chairman MaoZedong -“Chinese People's Liberation Army Occupied Nanjing” while on the other side is Deng Xiaoping’s writing, meaning “The River-Crossing Victory Monument”. The formation of the sails looks like the Chinese character “八”（eight) while the shape of the hull resembles “一”（one ), which are in line with the words“八一”on PLA’s flag. Such an elaborate design has rendered the monument a meaningful symbolic feature.
The Yuejiang Tower (Yuejiang Lou)
The tower sits on the Lion Mountain (Shizi Mountain) in the northwest of Nanjing. According to historical records, in 1374, Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, gave an order to build a tower name Yuejiang on the top of the Lulong Mountain whose name was changed to Shizi Mountain later. There were many descriptions about the tower at that time. However, the plan was somehow canceled afterwards. Several decades ago, The Nanjing government restarted the building of the tower and the construction was finished in 2001. The Yuejiang Tower is regarded one of the four most famous towers in the region south of Yangtze River, along with Yueyang Tower, Huanghe Tower, and Tengwang Tower.The layout of the architecture looks like the Letter L with one side stretching northward and the other westward. Buildings on both sides provide perfect perspective to enjoy the Yangtze River. The main building, 50m high, is located at the crossing of the two sides and contains 7 stories. The buildings on both sides, topped with yellow and green tiles and decorated with multicolored paintings, descend all the way down the mountain. Inside the buildings are portraits of 16 emperors in the Ming Dynasty, giant porcelain paintings, copy furniture, artworks and porcelains.
The Safari Eco-Park
Situated at the Pearl Spring Holiday Resort and covering an area of 20 hectares, the park is consisted of many wildlife zones such as the tiger zone, the lion zone, the bear zone, the bird zone, the snake zone and the crocodile zone. The park boasts beautiful natural environment and is home to nearly 10,000 wild animals, including 100 tigers, 60 black bears, 50 lions from Africa. The park also features fascinating circus performances, providing an excellent visual feast for the tourists. Making full use of the forest resources of the Pearl Spring, it is a comprehensive park that combines rearing, breeding, research and entertainment.
The Stone Pillar Woods of Guizi Hill
Situated on the east side of the Guizi Hill, 18km away from the northeast of the Xiongzhou County, Liuhe District, the stone pillars are remains that resulted from the volcanic movement over 10 million years ago. Formed when the basalt steams from the erupting volcanoes congealed, they are the so-called columnar joints in geology. Covering an area of over 10 hectares, those 30m-high stone pillars are in the shape of pentagon or hexagon. Each of them is about 40 to 60 cm in diameter. Those giant stone pillars, standing very close to each other, represent a wonder of nature. Along with the other stone pillar woods in the neighboring hills, the stone pillar cluster is one-of-its-kind in the natural landscape of Nanjing.
Pilot Martyrs’ Cemetery
Lying in Wangjia Bay, east foot of the Zhongshan Mountain, the cemetery was built in 1932 by the Aviation Administration of the Military Affairs Department of the the Kuomintang government to honor the pilots died in wars. The cemetery was destroyed twice during the Japanese Occupation Period and the Cultural Revolution.Since 1985, the Chinese government has been trying to rebuild the cemetery in accordance with its original design.Facing south, the cemetery covers an area of 3.33 hectares. It is consisted of archways, side rooms, pavilions, mourning halls, graveyards, monuments and so on. The cemetery is divided into four areas ascending all the way up. There are over 160 gravestones standing along the central axis on both sides of the slope. The names of the martyrs and their stories in war have been engraved on the gravestones. The most eye-catching structures is the monument cluster built in 1995 to honor the pilots died in the anti-Japanese War. It is consisted of a 15m-high major monument and 30 other English-language monuments of 3m high and 5m wide. The English-language monuments are engraved with the names of 3500 martyrs from home and abroad who died in the anti-Japanese War in three languages- Chinese, English and Russian. The cemetery is the only one of its kind in China and has always been a mourning destination for people during the Tomb Sweeping Day or some important memorial days to mark the victory of anti-Japanese War.
Wuliang Hall
Situated in the Linggu Park, Wuliang Hall (The Beamless Hall) is the only remaining ancient architecture in the Linggu Temple built during the Ming Dynasty. The hall is a brick structure supported by many arch designs. Unlike other typical traditional architecture, wooden beams or pillars can barely be found in hall. That’s why the hall was named Wuliang (beamless).There used to be a statue of the Amitayus Buddha in the hall thus the hall is also named after the Buddha. Facing the south, the Hall is 53.8m from the east to the west and 37.8m from the south to the north, with eaves of traditional style that are measured 22m high. With a history of more than 600 years old, the magnificent and well-preserved hall is regarded a masterpiece in Chinese architectures. In 1928, the hall was used as a mourning hall for the dead in wars by the Kuomintang government. Today, the hall serves as a House of Wax, accommodating wax works of over 57 revolutionists. With a reference to relevant historical photos and records, those vivid wax figures are made in the proportion of 1:1 based on the real persons.
Linggu Tower
Located 100m away from behind the Wuliang Hall, the Linggu Tower is one of the major architectures in the cemetery for soldiers died in wars. It used to be a monument that honored the martyrs of Kuomintang but had its name changed to the Linggu Tower in 1950s. Built in 1931, the tower is a 60m high and 9-story structure consisted of granites and reinforced concretes. The tower is equipped with a spiral staircase totaling 252 steps and a fenced corridor on each story that offers a good view down. On he wall of the first story engraved the four Chinese characters “精忠报国” ( to serve the country with supreme loyalty ) by Chiang Kai-shek, the late president of Kuomingtang. Other inscriptions by the icons of the party can also be found on the wall of the tower, such as an opening ceremony speech and a farewell speech delivered by Sun Yat-sun, a leading revolutionist and written by Wu Zhihui and Yu Youren, two key officials of the party.
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