A trip to Nanjing would not be complete without at least a brief visit to the Presidential Palace, especially as Nanjing (pinyin spelling) was the capital of the Republic of China established in 1912, and known then as Nankin.

Spartan, red columns mark the lateral halls to offices and lodgings
 
The Kuomintang co-founded by Dr Sun Yat Sen, were in power, though it was a fragile government against the war...

Nanjing today is a beautiful ‘small city,’ as cities in China are usually large, sprawling urban jungles.  It is only an hour and fifteen minutes from Shanghai by China’s own TGV. It served several times in history as the capital of  China and is titled as one of the four ancient capitals of this great land. It is now the capital of Jiangsu province. 
 

Old Nanjing, temples, shops and small streets...

Hangzhou, 4 October 2010 -- Just an hour and a half from the cacophony of Shanghai, you can bask in the tranquility of lakeside beauty and mountain breezes in Hangzhou. This city is like a large garden built around a lake, and one strolls and feels that Buddha...

Most of China has been riding a time clock towards rapid modernization. But sometimes modernization means destroying the past and losing one's culture, one's art and history. Suzhou is one of those cities where the old districts that make up the canal-based town, the famous Venice of the...

Jing’An Zu, the temple
Cho San LanWed 6th October 2010 It was along this waterway, the Suzhou Creek that the original Jing’An temple was built in 247 AD, during the Kingdom of Wu. The temple, rebuilt in 1216 AD,... More