Weekend Trip to Nanjing

During the weekend of June 20-21, all of the interns went to Nanjing with Absolute Internship. We all met at the Shanghai Railway Station at 9:45 am to take a G train to Nanjing (G trains are the fastest trains in China).

This was my first experience traveling by train. Being from Texas, I have always traveled by plane or car. I found the check-in process fascinating. I don’t quite understand why the check-in process at an airport takes 2x as long as the check-in process at a train station. Upon arrival at the Shanghai Railway Station, I presented my passport and train ticket to the security agent. Then I put my luggage on a security conveyor belt while I walked through a magnetometer. The process took less than 20 minutes. We waited about 30 minutes in the waiting room before boarding the train. The waiting room was packed with Chinese locals traveling over the long weekend (Saturday was the Dragon Boat Festival).

We boarded the train to Nanjing at 10:30 am for an 11:00 am departure. I put my ticket into a machine and then walked down the escalator to platform 7. The interns all sat together in car 16. We also had assigned seats. I had a window seat next to Sigrid and Ana. I was surprised to learn that the bullet train made four stops on our way to Nanjing. Every 20-40 minutes we would pull into a train station; people would get off and people would get on the train. We arrived in Nanjing at 12:45 pm.

Upon arrival in Nanjing, we were met by a tour guide, Polo (which just means “tour guide” – I don’t know his Chinese name), and a chartered bus driver. Polo took us to lunch in Nanjing. After lunch, we went to the Mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the great pioneer of the Chinese democratic revolution. The mausoleum is situated in a national park so the entrance is very green and lush. We walked up 392 steps to get to the mausoleum at the top of the hill. The views of Nanjing were also spectacular.

In the afternoon, the bus driver and Polo took us to the bustling market street around the Confucius Temple. The market street is reputed as a center of culture, arts, shopping, entertainment, and grand fairs. I bought a ticket to go inside the Confucius Temple.

I even took part in a Confucius Temple by purchasing a block to write good wishes and place inside the temple. I enjoyed the culture of the temple and watching tourists/locals take part in the rituals.

On the market street, I walked into a shop to buy chocolate to bring home to my parents. It was a very interesting experience. Nanjing is less westernized than Shanghai so it is hard to find someone who can speak English. I used my Google Translator app on my phone to communicate with the shop employees. The lady told me that she doesn’t have chocolate. I typed on my phone “What is your best-selling item?” She pointed to two boxes. I honestly have no idea what I purchased (I hope my family eats it :) ).

Polo took us to dinner at a restaurant next to the “Gates of Nanjing.” After dinner, we checked into the hotel – Grand Metro Hotel – and changed clothes to go out and explore the nightlife in Nanjing. Polo gave us recommendations…we headed to 912 Bar Street (I was told that is comparable to 6th Street in Austin, TX).

On Sunday, June 21, we were told to meet in the lobby at 7:30 am for breakfast and to begin an early day of sight-seeing. We visited the Nanjing Massacre in the morning. Nanjing was previously the capital of China prior to Beijing. The notorious Imperial Japanese Army raided Nanjing after destroying Shanghai first. Over 3 million civilians were murdered and raped by the Japanese army.

Following our tour of the Nanjing Massacre memorial, we went to the Nanjing Museum to learn more about ancient Chinese culture and history. The museum was very large and pretty. I was disappointed though that there was only a title of the artifact in English; a description would have been more enjoyable. How many clay pottery artifacts can I look at? I did pick out some artifacts that I wanted to take home with me though. Too bad that I would have to declare those items through customs.

After an afternoon lunch, Polo and the bus driver dropped us off at the railway station in Nanjing. There is a lake and a “Bean” (similar to the one in Chicago – hence why the Americans named the object “The Bean”) surrounding the train station.

Sunday was an exhausting, but fun, day so I ended up falling asleep on the train ride home.

I am glad that I was able to experience more of China’s culture by visiting Nanjing. Nanjing has some modern aspects since it recently hosted the 2014 Youth Olympics but is primarily composed of traditional Chinese architecture and culture. Did I mention the views? I’m not talking about the skyscraper views. The views of the mountains and lakes are absolutely breathtaking.