Out on the eastern edge of Nanjing is the Yangtze River. Last weekend two friends and I checked out some of the sights including the river itself, the surrounding Mufu Mountains (which are more like hills) and a little park called 'Yan zi ji' where swallows fly around. The park area is pretty small and about 10 yuan to get into, but there are three interesting things to see:
This is the wine cup stone, which is actually hollow and able to hold wine, though I doubt you'd want to drink any out of it. According to legend, the poet Li Bai--who is now my favorite Chinese poet and you'll see why in a moment--sat by the rock, composing a poem, and getting hammered, as artists are known to do. Suddenly, he had a totally awesome (drunken) idea that he'd like to drink the Yangtze. And so he signed his drunken calligraphy, 吞江醉石 (Tun jiang zui shi) or "Swallowing the Yangtze, drunk at the stone."
And here you thought rock bands were hardcore.
As the temple is high up on the cliffs, a century ago it was a pretty popular place for jumping off and, well, I'm sure you can imagine the rest. Anyway, this upset an educator in the area and he erected the Admonition Tablet which basically says (in Chinese, of course) to think twice before throwing yourself off the cliff--you only have one life to live. It's credited for saving quite a few lives. The original tablet was wooden, this one is now in its place:
Another tablet in the park area is one erected in memory of the Chinese citizens and soldiers who lost their lives during the Japanese invasion in the 1930s. (The road you take to get to the park is actually the same road--according to my Chinese friends--that the Japanese troops marched down to get to Nanjing city.) Many citizens and troops were trying to cross the Yangtze to safety but were killed.
But I digress. Let's go back to the poet, drunk on the rocks, contemplating the Yangtze--and let's think of all the reasons why he shouldn't drink it. The first and foremost is that, like most rivers these days, it is disgusting as you can imagine. It's primary use is for the shipping of goods.
But that doesn't stop people from treating the shore like a beach. After all, China is pretty bereft of proper 'beaches' and you have to take what you can get, right?
People bring tents, grab a beer under the power lines, eat a hot dog or tofu on a stick, play games and win prizes at the little po-dunk 'theme parks' squatters set up on the side of the shore... And of course, there's the kites.
Kites are huge in China, ranging from the kids with Hello Kitty ones to seasoned veterans who tether the strings to their waists with utility belts. Cheaper kites can be bought for less than five bucks--just look out for the power lines.
My two favorite kites: a squid and legendary warrior Guan Yu.
For more photos, click here.
This is the wine cup stone, which is actually hollow and able to hold wine, though I doubt you'd want to drink any out of it. According to legend, the poet Li Bai--who is now my favorite Chinese poet and you'll see why in a moment--sat by the rock, composing a poem, and getting hammered, as artists are known to do. Suddenly, he had a totally awesome (drunken) idea that he'd like to drink the Yangtze. And so he signed his drunken calligraphy, 吞江醉石 (Tun jiang zui shi) or "Swallowing the Yangtze, drunk at the stone."
And here you thought rock bands were hardcore.
As the temple is high up on the cliffs, a century ago it was a pretty popular place for jumping off and, well, I'm sure you can imagine the rest. Anyway, this upset an educator in the area and he erected the Admonition Tablet which basically says (in Chinese, of course) to think twice before throwing yourself off the cliff--you only have one life to live. It's credited for saving quite a few lives. The original tablet was wooden, this one is now in its place:
Another tablet in the park area is one erected in memory of the Chinese citizens and soldiers who lost their lives during the Japanese invasion in the 1930s. (The road you take to get to the park is actually the same road--according to my Chinese friends--that the Japanese troops marched down to get to Nanjing city.) Many citizens and troops were trying to cross the Yangtze to safety but were killed.
But I digress. Let's go back to the poet, drunk on the rocks, contemplating the Yangtze--and let's think of all the reasons why he shouldn't drink it. The first and foremost is that, like most rivers these days, it is disgusting as you can imagine. It's primary use is for the shipping of goods.
But that doesn't stop people from treating the shore like a beach. After all, China is pretty bereft of proper 'beaches' and you have to take what you can get, right?
People bring tents, grab a beer under the power lines, eat a hot dog or tofu on a stick, play games and win prizes at the little po-dunk 'theme parks' squatters set up on the side of the shore... And of course, there's the kites.
Kites are huge in China, ranging from the kids with Hello Kitty ones to seasoned veterans who tether the strings to their waists with utility belts. Cheaper kites can be bought for less than five bucks--just look out for the power lines.
My two favorite kites: a squid and legendary warrior Guan Yu.
For more photos, click here.
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