On Dec 13, 1937, the Japanese army occupied Nanjing and during the following six weeks bore witness to the inhumane disgrace and bloody massacre exerted on the city. No less than 300,000 innocent civilians and unarmed Chinese soldiers were brutally slaughtered in mass and individual beheadings, buried alive, burned, and killed. More than 20,000 women were raped and many were then killed. A third of the structures, together with their contents, were damaged by fire and countless shops, stores, and residences were looted and sacked. Corpses were seen floating on rivers and littered the streets and lanes. Whether they were children or the aged, from residents to nuns, few could escape from the savage atrocity.

The Memorial Hall to the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre was built by the Nanjing Municipal Government in 1985 and extended in 1995, covering an area of 28,000 sq meters (302,400 sq ft). It is located in Jiangdongmen, one of the execution sites and mass graves of the massacre. Solemn and imposing, the gray marble architecture consists of three parts: the outdoor exhibits, the remaining bones of the victims and the exhibition hall for historical documents.

The outdoor exhibits all vividly represent grief and indignation, life and death. Statues, group sculptures and relief carvings stand solemnly among green pines and cypresses, together with the monument upon which is engraved the dates of the tragic events '1937.12.13 - 1938.1' while two marble walls are engraved with the name of the hall and ' 300,000 Victims '. Three large groups of carved reliefs and seventeen small tablets upon which the major sites and historical facts of the massacre are carved, surrounded by withered trees and cobblestones, the wall upon which the names of the victims are listed and the atonement tablet, together form a permanent and moving record of the bloody tragedy.

The remaining bones of victims in the massacre, which were excavated from Jiangdongmen in 1985, are exhibited in a coffin-shaped display hall. There were 208 more bones uncovered from this 'pits of tens of thousands bodies' in 1998. Another tomb-like exhibition hall, which is buried half underground, contains over 1000 items that illustrate the terrible tragedy of Nanjing. Paintings, sculptures and illuminated display cabinets and multi-media screens as well as documentary films all contribute to this reminder of the horrendous crimes perpetrated on the Chinese people.

Experiences of the past, if not forgotten, are a guide for the future. The attribution of blame for war and its consequences serves to sustain hatred. The hall was not built as a sign of indignation but a lasting memorial to the victims and a warning of history. The memorial hall and the historical materials it contains present themselves as iron proofs on the inhuman crimes the Japanese troops committed. The memorial hall presents to successive generations and the world that only an acceptance and understanding of past wrongs can create a better future for mankind.

Purple Mountain Observatory, which is under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, also known as Zijin Shan Observatory, is situated at the third peak of Mt. Zijin on the east of Nanjing, capital city of Jiangsu Province. It stands 267 meters above the sea level. It was built in 1929 and starting in operation in 1934. In 1934, an observatory was founded on the mountain, the sole one prior to China's national liberation. After long decades of development, the observatory is now the largest in China, boasting many ancient astronomical instruments. Also on display at the observatory are bronze astronomical instruments from the Ming dynasty.

Situated on peak of Zijinshan, this third largest of China’s observatories was built in 1934. This is a small but fascinating collection on display of magnificent Ming reproductions of early astrological instructions: a celestial globe, an armillary sphere detector first made over 2.000 year ago. The last two instruments had a disturbed history. In 1900, Germans absconded with the earthquake detector but it was returned, along with the other instruments taken as spoils of war in 1919. In the early 1930s, the Japanese tried unsuccessfully to remove the gnomon; they even cut the base in half.

If you climb into the platform of one of the observatory domes, you will find yourselves above the tree lines, and, unfurling below you, is a magnificent view of the entire city of Nanjing and the Yangtze River in a fine day. Completed in the first half of 2000 in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, the sculpture, named “Pilgrimage to Buddhist Heaven,” weighs about 500 kilometers and is 78 centimeters high, 84 centimeters wide and 56 centimeters thick. It took Gu Yongjun, a famous Chinese sculptor and master craftsman, five years to complete. He worked on it in the city’s Jade Article Factory. The sculpture features 88 carvings of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and arhats.

One kilometer east of the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, this secluded temple, surrounded by towering pines, is rated as the most scenic place in the region around Purple Mountain. Built in 514 and renovated in the Ming Dynasty, the enormous temple was seriously damaged; what one sees today is only part of the Dragon King Palace (Longwangdian) of the former grand temple. The present temple houses a memorial hall to the famous monk Xuan Zang, who once traveled to India on a pilgrimage for Buddhist scriptures. The Beamless Hall (Wuliangdian), measuring 22 meters high, 53.8 meters long, and 37.85 meters wide, is the only complete building left. It represents a masterpiece of ancient Chinese stone and brick architecture, erected entirely without wood or a single nail. Behind the hall stands the sixty-meter-high Linggu Pagoda, from which visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the surrounding area and the dimly discernible city of Nanjing far off in the distance.

The monastery lies 1.5 kilometers east of Dr Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum and was built in 514 and was moved to the present location in 1381. In order to build his grand mausoleum on an auspicious site, the first Ming emperor, Zhuyuanzhang had first to remove the existing temple, the Lingguo Monastery, to its present wooded peak.

A magnificent Pailou or Archway leads to the hall. West of the hall is the flat Coiled Dragons Stone, found beside a nearby pool, on which monks meditated. The present Lingguo Monastery dates from the late Qing period and is occupied by a community of monks.

To the north of the Beamless Hall stands the nine-story Linggu Pagoda, which was constructed in 1929. For the energetic, the long climb to the top is rewarded with a magnificent view over wooded countryside.

Among archways, the ones with glazed tiles were viewed as more important. According to the laws of the Qing Dynasty, only the archways that fronted imperial buildings could have glazed-tiles. Today, a few glazed-tile archways still remain. There is one in Beihai Park, and in the Imperial Garden in the Forbidden City each.

In the ancient times, ordinary people were not allowed to run through the passageways; they had to slow their steps to a respectful walk. By some archways, there were stone slabs where official had to step down from their horses or carriages. It was only after the Qing Dynasty was overthrown that rickshaw boys could hurry through the archways.

Xuyuan Garden is considered the most famous garden in Jiangnan (south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River). It also called West Garden. It was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). In the pond there is a marble boat with the inscription "Untied Boat" by Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty.

Kings of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom used to discuss their important military affairs here. Dr Sun Yat-sen often met guests, took a walk, or rested here. During the reign of the Nationalist Party (Kuomintang), it was occupied by the central government. It is no exaggeration to say that Xuyuan Garden is the epitome of contemporary history in China, due to its more than 600 years of changes. The total area of this garden is only 1.4 hectares (about 3 acres), but its design and constructions are exquisite enough to deserve a visit. Trees, flowers, pavilions, temples, rockworks, rare stones, and clear water make it a typical and classical garden of Jiangnan.

Xuyuan Garden is one of the two most famous gardens in Nanjing City, the other being Zhanyuan Garden. Xuyuan's scenery is definitely worth viewing especially due to the garden's historical significance. Xuyuan Garden is small, but exquisite. Its architecture is rather ingenious, exhibiting the unique beauty and charm of southern gardening. The western part of the courtyard is a beautiful classical garden typical of southern style. The garden was called Xuyuan (Balmy Garden) in the Ming Dynasty and served as west garden in the Heavenly King's Palace during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Period. Dotted with fragrant flowers and plants, towering old trees, shrilling cicadas and hopping birds, bridges over running water, hills mirrored on the lake, and colourful swimming fishes, the garden is full of life everywhere while the magnificent buildings are ornamented with upturned eaves and vivid dragon carvings. Hong Xiuquan -- the Heavenly King and Dr. Sun Yat-sen, as well as the heads of the Nationalist Government, worked here. People wandering about in this place may enjoy the beautiful scenery and fall into reveries about the past. 

Among the five most famous gardens of Southern China, Zhanyuan Garden is the only well preserved Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) architectural complex in Nanjing. It is the oldest (over 600 years) among all the gardens in the city. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) once came here and gave it the name of Zhanyuan. After the establishment of the Kingdom of Heavenly Peace (Taiping Tianguo in Pinyin, 1851-1868), it became the residence of the Taiping Rebellion leaders Yang Xiuqing, Xiao Youhe and Lai Hanying. With frequent wars, it lay deserted for many years until its restoration by the government in 1960.

The most beautiful garden in Nanjing, it was built by Emperor Zhu Yuanchang, in the early years of the Ming Dynasty, for one of his bravest generals. In 1853, the garden was the residence of the East King. Subsequently, the garden underwent a series of demolitions (due to war) and reconstructions. It takes several minutes walk from Confucius Temple.

The garden is divided into two parts. The east part is the museum where the cultural relics of Taiping Tianguo are displayed. The west part is typical garden scenery consisting of exquisite pavilions, clear water pools, winding pathways and a variety of rockeries. It kept the style of gardens of the Ming and the Qing (1644 - 1911) dynasties and at the same time it brought the essence of the art of modern garden building to it, forming a distinctive characteristic.
Jingmiao Hall is the main structure of Zhanyuan Garden. Half of the hall is built in the water, just like a waterside pavilion. The whole garden is divided into two parts by this hall. The south part is small and noisy while the north part is big and quiet. There are rockworks and ponds in both parts, a stream connects them. The whole thing is really spectacular.