Confucius Temple & Qinhuai River Must-visit attractions in Nanjing

"Ten miles of Qinhuai, a dream of Jinling" "Mist enshrouds the cold water, and the moon veils the sand; mooring by Qinhuai River near the tavern at night" When you come to Nanjing, you must visit the Confucius Temple at least once! When the lights along the Qinhuai River are lit, the prosperity of the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties, Jinling City, ripples out from the mist of history. Transportation Guide: As the C-position attraction of Nanjing, the Confucius Temple is very accessible by bus and subway, with both Line 1 and Line 3 reaching the destination. Accommodation: Choose hotels or homestays near the Confucius Temple for convenience in touring. Tour Route and Time: You can stroll and eat, and then stroll and eat some more; the Confucius Temple has a variety of delicacies. When you're tired, sit down to eat something, and when it gets dark, you must experience a boat ride at least once. The night view is the way to truly open up the beauty of the Qinhuai River. 📍Recommended Boat Tour Route on Qinhuai River Generally, you take a boat at the Confucius Temple, and the recommended route is the inner east line of the Qinhuai River, which allows you to better experience the charm of Nanjing, the ancient capital of ten dynasties: Archway of the World's Literary Center → Bailuzhou Park → Colorful Water Street → Dongshuiguan → Fucheng Bridge → Pan Pool Pier The tour takes about 40 minutes, with commentary on the boat. 💰Boat Ticket Price: Night tour 100 (Is it because of the price increase during the Spring Festival? I spent 120) ⏰Night Tour Time: 17:00-22:00 📍Recommended Walking Tour Route along Qinhuai River After disembarking from the boat, you can walk along the shore route: Confucius Temple Archway → Jiangnan Gongyuan → China Imperial Examination Museum → Dacheng Hall → Qinhuai River Huafang Pier → Wende Bridge/Laiyan Bridge → Wuyi Alley → Zhan Garden Jiangnan Gongyuan: The largest and most influential imperial examination venue in Chinese history, the place where scholars were selected in the southern regions of China, and an important part of the Confucius Temple and Qinhuai scenic area. Its scale and land area were the largest among all provincial Gongyuans in China, setting a record for ancient imperial examination venues. More than half of the officials nationwide during the Ming and Qing dynasties came from Jiangnan Gongyuan, earning it the reputation of 'the cradle of ancient Chinese officials'. Dacheng Hall: In the center of the hall hangs the largest portrait of Confucius in China. The temple is furnished with replicas of ancient musical instruments such as chime bells and stone chimes from 2,500 years ago, and regularly performs ancient tunes and elegant music, reflecting the Ming Dynasty's Confucius worship rituals with large-scale performances of Confucius worship music and dance, allowing the audience to hear the music of bells and drums from the Spring and Autumn period, the sound of the guqin and se, and to showcase the ancient music style from more than two thousand years ago. Around the hall are murals depicting Confucius' saintly deeds, both in form and spirit. Wuyi Alley: A single Wuyi Alley, half the history of the Six Dynasties. A historic alley in China, where the great families lived during that time, and the location of the barracks of the Wu Kingdom's troops guarding Shitoucheng during the Three Kingdoms period. It was the residence of the Wang and Xie families, two powerful clans of the Jin Dynasty, whose members liked to wear black clothing to show their noble status, hence the name. Wuyi Alley was bustling with visitors, a gathering place for the elite, and the birthplace of the landscape poetry school, with cultural giants like Xie Lingyun. Zhan Garden: One of the 'Four Famous Gardens of Jiangnan', Zhan Garden is the oldest surviving Ming Dynasty classical garden in Nanjing. Its history can be traced back to the mansion of the King of Wu before Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, became emperor, later bestowed upon the mansion garden of Xu Da, the King of Zhongshan. Famous for its rockeries, it was named after Ouyang Xiu's poem 'Looking at the Jade Hall, as if it were in the heavens'.