How lucky was I to have visitors to my fine, fair city for the Dragon Boat Festival. No work so plenty of time for fun and games as I showed them a glimpse of what Nanjing has to offer.

Started off with my dear friend Shaun visiting from Beijing. We first met when we both started working in China together teaching for Buckland International Education Group. We have both moved on to bigger and better positions but have kept in touch and so it was with delight that I got to see him. He arrived on Sunday evening after taking the fast train from Beijing - only took 4 hours at over 300 KM/hour!! Out for a few celebratory drinks on Sunday evening at Jimmy's - one of out local expat hangouts.

Monday morning saw us head off to watch the Dragon Boat racing. We walked down to the waterfront to see the boats but realising we were on the wrong side of the river we tried to cross over what we now know is the forbidden bridge......it will go down in history as the infamous blue bridge in our eyes. We managed to get onto the bridge quite easily but did wonder why the locals on a nearby bridge were laughing at us.....soon worked that out as when we got to the other side it was locked with a sign on it (which we now know says not to enter). Shaun thought I was going to end up getting him arrested but I told him he was just being a drama queen!!!

Headed out to the airport Monday afternoon to welcome my brother from Australia. Fantastic for me as this is the first time I have had family visit since I moved to China. Luckily both Shaun and Andrew were booked into the same hotel which was only 5 minutes from my apartment. Once again we headed to Jimmy's for a celebratory drink (do we have a theme coming through here???) before Shaun headed off with another friend and Andrew and I dined out at the local Italian restaurant.....which came up to his exacting standards. Have to confess I was a little worried about the food factor as he is not fond of Chinese food so am going international for the next few days!!!

Tuesday....we woke to rain which was frustrating but still saw us out sightseeing. Headed off to the Meiyuan New Village Memorial for the CPC Delegation. This was where the peace talks between the Communist Party and the KMT government took place in 1946. As we now know the Communists gained power so this site is pure propaganda.........you know.......the "good" communists who look after their people vs the nasty KMT that had to be driven away!!!! Still it makes for an interesting look at how modern day China ticks!! We then headed to the Presidential Palace. This was the home of the National Government from 1927 until 1949. There are buildings dating back to the Qing Dynasty - over 600 years old - as well as more modern building from early last century. A big deal is made of Dr Sun Yat Sen who is seen as the "father of modern China". Andrew was flabbergasted by the number of tourists going through the place......think I've been here too long as I didn't think it was that crowded!!!

After all that sightseeing we had time for a quick visit to the 1912 entertainment area and a few afternoon bevvies......we Aussies have a reputation to maintain!! Tuesday night saw us dining at the Taj Mahal restaurant......now anyone who knows me knows I don't do hot food...so it was a hell of a night for me. Had the butter chicken which Shaun assured me would not be at all spicy and the boys ordered hotter dishes BUT I ended up sweating like a pig....not a good look for a lady!!! We then headed to Blue Sky - the Aussie bar for a little nostalgia.....and a few beers to wash away the Indian food!!! Oh it is so much fun having them here!!!

Wednesday was Shaun's last day with us as the dragon boat festivities came to an end and we are due to return to work. we decided to have a farewell lunch at Jacks Place- yet another of our Italian restaurants- ended up being one of those looooong lunches which lasted until it was time for Shaun to head to the train station.

Andrew and I then headed off to see the Number One Bridge of the Yangtze River (as it is known in English - the da qiao of the changjiang river if I'm talking to anyone Chinese!). I've written the blurb about it below and it had some pretty impressive stats. We arrived fairly late in the afternoon and nearly ended up being locked on the tower for the night. Luckily the little Chinese man running the gates realised that the "foreigners" had not come down so he came and got us!! Mind you we had been mobbed by a number of Chinese tourists who wanted photos with us.....a new experience for Andrew!!!

Yangtze River Bridge – Closest bridge to the river mouth. Opened at the end of 1968, this bridge is the longest road and rail bridge in the world. The dual road and rail component of the bridge measures over 1.5km, while the bridge approach adds another 3km to the length. It was a big engineering feat for the Chinese who had previously relied on foreign assistance to build bridges of a similar scale. But once the Soviets withdrew their assistance from the project, the Chinese were left to do it alone. Described by Simon Winchester in his book "The River at the Centre of the world" as “one of the longest, heaviest, ugliest, most graceless triumphs of engineering ever built to cross a river anywhere in the world”. Despite this description which in many ways accurately portrays the bridge there is still magnificence to it. The bridge is 18 feet higher in July than January due to tidal changes. Highlights of the bridge include large socialist realist sculptures at either side of the main bridge and some hazy views of the Yangtze.

Thursday saw us taking in some more history with visits to the important cultural relics of the Zhonghuamen and Fuzimiao. For those of you who don't know Chinese cities were surrounded by a city wall to protect it from invaders. Nanjing had one of the largest city walls in China but there are only pieces of it left now (Xian has the only intact city wall left) with the Zhonghua gate being the best that is left of this ancient military facility. It was originally names Jubao (gathering treasure) gate but the name was changed when the KMT government established its capital in Nanjing to break feudal superstition. The 3 Chinese characters "Zhong hua Men" were personally inscribed by Chiang Kai-shek, president of the KMT Government.


Zhonghua Gate This imposing gate at the southern end of the City Walls, right on the Qinhuai River is the best spot to climb the wall due to the fascinating construction of the gate. Built on the remains of the old Tang Dynasty south gate and standing at a height of 21 meters, Zhonghua Gate features four archways capped with towers. Each archway had a 1 ton gate that could be dropped to trap attacking soldiers (at which point they would be ambushed and promptly slaughtered). Another interesting feature of the gate is the 27 tunnels built into the castle proper, which were used to store weapons, food and soldiers ready for ambush. Be sure to peer down the tunnels – many of them hold interesting displays or old weaponry, while others are empty but very atmospheric to walk through. The entire building is extremely solid being 128 metres deep, 118.45 metres wide and 21.45 metres high. It is laid with rectangular stone slabs which were adhered by a mixture of lime, tung oil and liquid glutinous rice (not sure we should be eating that rice!!)


Along the banks of the Qinhuai river lays the popular area known as Fuzimiao which includes Confucius Temple. With buildings dating back to the Jin Dynasty (317 AD) many esteemed families lived in this area. In 1034 in the song Dynasty the famous Confucian Temple was constructed. The temple also served as a marketplace for merchants as well as a center where culture and arts thrived. The area was very prosperous during the Ming and Qing dynasties and much of the architecture dates from those times. Cobblestone streets run alongside the river and old stone bridges run across the river making for an enjoyable, relaxing wander around. we finished up having lunch at one of the little cafes overlooking the river....which would have been more pleasant had the building opposite not being under renovation.....although Andrew was amused to see the lack of OHS in the Chinese building industry!!.

Today arrived all too quickly and it was time for Andrew to head off on the rest of his travels. It has been extremely nice having 2 wonderful visitors this week and I also got the time to tour like a tourist through this ancient city again......however reality bites and it is back to work for me tomorrow...fancy having to teach on a weekend.... ridiculous idea!!!

Bye for now. xxx