Sites are grand if not all happy in Nanjing
Print Edition
NANJING has been at the forefront of Chinese history for many centuries, as has the Yangtze River that runs through it. Located in the prosperous Yangtze River Delta region, it was the capital city of China for many years and kingdoms.
A nation’s history always has its ups and downs, and Nanjing suffered from one particularly bad episode. That part of Nanjing’s history is clearly showcased in the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, an impressive exhibit that commemorates the horrific event in 1937 in which about 300,000 Chinese people were slaughtered by the invading Japanese army.
The memorial hall is built where the executions actually occurred, and the place was a massive burial site. Currently, it’s a beautiful and respectful building made of granite and stones that has three distinctive parts — the exhibits, the hall for historical documents and the burial and excavated bones site.
The exhibit hall has the bunkers, and locations and scenes are recreated with notes, films, lights and sounds. It brings back the memories of the atrocities but it also teaches the history. The hall for historical documents showcases weapons, letters, notes, and newspaper accounts displayed in glass cases. The names and photos of the victims are displayed on one side of the hall.
The most sobering part is outside, where the walls are done up with murals depicting scenes from the massacre. Granite figures of tortured victims are lined up on one side of the entrance. Inside, a huge bell reminds visitors of those who died. The burial and excavation site has the bones and skeletons of hundreds of people, undisturbed from the way they were found.
The copper plate pathway of historical witnesses’ footprints nearby is a reminder and a permanent memoir — including from some survivors. We walked past the prayer hall, which was a dark room with only dimly lit tiny lamps and reached the V sign that signified victory at the end of World War II in 1945.
From the massacre memorial we drove to another of Nanjing’s great sites — the Zhong Mountain Scenic area, which seems far removed from the hustle and bustle of a modern city even though it lies within Nanjing.
Dr Sun Yat-Sen’s mausoleum is high up on the mountain and it’s a long walk from the parking lot. From the memorial archway, a wooded boardwalk snakes through a moderately dense forest of coniferous trees and from far off, the first gate with the three arches can be seen.
A lot of stair climbing is involved but the effort is worth it. Crossing the third archway gate is another pavilion that hosts a marble stele, which is said to have been made by the Kuomintang in honor of the father of modern China.
The Zhong Mountain scenic area has two other lovely places on either sides of the mausoleum — Linggu Temple and the Xiaoling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
The scenery inside the Buddhist Linggu Temple is peaceful and serene. The Xiaoling mausoleum is similar to the Ming tombs near Beijing, with a sacred way flanked on both sides by beautiful trees and stone statues of mythical creatures.
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