A 6-day trip through Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang

Day 3: Nanjing, Jiangsu province

Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province in East China, is one of China's four ancient capitals. A vital cradle of Chinese civilization for centuries, Nanjing has been dubbed as the Capital of Ten Ancient Dynasties for being an important center of cultural and political changes. Rich in both cultural heritage and historical relics, among Nanjing's numerous landmarks are the City Wall, Xiaoling Mausoleum of Ming Dynasty, Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum, the Presidential Palace and the Confucius Temple scenic area.

In the morning, you can visit Nanjing Museum. It's a perfect place for visitors to get quickly immersed in Jiangsu's history.

An overview of Nanjing Museum [Photo/VCG]

Nanjing Museum is China's first large-scale national comprehensive museum and is located south of Purple Mountain and north of Zhongshan Gate. With an area of 70,000 square meters, the museum features two exhibition halls (one devoted to history, the other showcasing art) that cover a total area of 35,000 square meters. Both showcase palatial architecture echoing the establishments of the Liao Dynasty (916-1125).

The museum has 430,000 collections spanning the Paleolithic period to the contemporary era, including stoneware, earthenware, jade ware, bronze ware, chinaware, painting and calligraphy, embroidery, bamboo carving, folklore and contemporary art.

After visiting Nanjing Museum, you can take Metro Line 2 to Daxinggong Station where the Presidential Palace is only a 10 minute walk away.

The palace, founded in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) as a royal residence, housed the Office of the Presidential of the Republic of China from 1927 to 1949. It is now the biggest museum in Chinese modern history.

Presidential Palace is the biggest museum in Chinese modern history. [Photo/VCG]

As a seat of political power, Nanjing has witnessed many defining moments in ancient and modern China. By visiting Nanjing Presidential Palace, you will have the opportunity to relive many of the moments that would shape China.

As night falls, Fuzi Miao, or the Confucius Temple scenic area, will provide you the ultimate Chinese folklore experience, especially around any Chinese festivals.

Fuzi Miao, or the Confucius Temple is full of hustle and bustle at night. [Photo/VCG]

Founded in 1034, Confucius Temple was a site where people could make sacrifices to Confucius, China's most celebrated ideologist and educator. The temple also served as a marketplace for merchants as well as a center where culture and arts thrived.

In 1985, the municipal authorities decided to renovate Confucius Temple in order to keep up with the times. Since then, restaurants, snack bars, tourist shops and hotels have set up shop there with the goal of enabling Confucius Temple to better showcase a combination of traditional and modern beauty.