Confucius Temple by day - Nanjing China

Mochou Lake Park, Nanjing, China

We occasionally had some free time in Nanjing on a Sunday so we often decided to jump in a cab and point at the map to see where we would end up, one of the best destinations we discovered was Mochou Lake.

According to one legend, the name of the lake came from a young woman of beauty and virtue named Mochou.who lived during the Northern and Southern Dynasty (386-589). She married a man from the Lu family in Jinling (now known as Nanjing City) and had a baby. They lived a happy life until one day Lu was recruited to the army. Because there had been no news of him since he had left, she missed her husband dearly day and night. Finally, it is said that Mochou turned into a lake, with the hope of flowing to her husband's side. In memory of the young woman's undying devotion to her husband, the lake was aptly named Mochou Lake by the local people.

The Statue of Mochou herself.

It was such a pleasant place to visit and it was full of locals spending a lazy Sunday afternoon in the sun away from the madness of the congested city. 

Matt 

☯

Purple Mountain, Tomb of Dr Sun

Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum (中山陵) is situated at the foot of the second peak of Mount Zijin (Purple Mountain) in Nanjing, China. Construction of the tomb started in January 1926 and was finished in spring of 1929. The architect was Lu Yanzhi, The day we spent at Purple Mountain was incredibly hot and the pollution levels were low so we got a view of the most amazing landscapes.

A photo of me standing in front of Dr Suns tomb.

(Above) Purple mountain is named as such due to it having these increadable flowers which cover the mountain with a sea of purple, these flowers were only beginning to appear as they grow more with the high temperatures of the summer months.

(Below) A few photos of the Tomb buildings which are hand painted with the most incredible decorations, the striking colours really higlighted in the beautifull weather.

 

Purple mountain has be one of my favourite places I visited in Nanjing! 

A great contrast to that of the busy City and a focal point to that of Chinese History.