A 4 – day Journey from Nanjing to Hengdian: A Walk through Chinese Ancient and Modern Beauty
Hey there, fellow travelers! I’m excited to share with you my amazing 4 – day trip from Nanjing to Hengdian. It’s like a time – travel adventure, taking you from the charm of modern Nanjing to the ancient world of Hengdian’s film studios.
1. Itinerary
- Day 1: Arrive in Nanjing, visit Jiangsu Grand Theatre, Qinhuai River, Confucius Temple, and Laomen East.
- Day 2: Explore the 1912 Block, have lunch at the “Republic of China Red Mansion”, visit Dr. Sun Yat – sen’s Mausoleum, go food – hunting in Mingwaluang, and check out the Line Friends store.
- Day 3: Head to Hengdian World Studios. Visit the Palace of the Qin King, the Picture of the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival, and the Guangzhou Street – Hong Kong Street.
- Day 4: Explore the Ming and Qing Dynasties Palace, and fly back to Chongqing from Hangzhou.
2. Transportation
Between Nanjing and Hengdian
Hengdian is in Zhejiang and Nanjing is in Jiangsu. They are like neighbors. You can take a bullet train from Nanjing South to Yiwu, which takes 2 hours and 19 minutes and costs 167.5 yuan. Then, take a 40 – minute bus from Yiwu to Hengdian. On the way back, you can take a bus from Hengdian to Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport and then fly back to your destination. The bus from Hengdian to Xiaoshan Airport costs 70 yuan and takes 2 hours. Note that the Hengdian bus station and the airport – related area are in the same place. There are different bus services: some depart from the basement – level bus station and take about 3 hours, while those from the second – floor airport departure hall take only 2 hours.
In Nanjing
Nanjing has a well – developed transportation system. There are 10 subway lines, and lines 1, 2, 3, and 4 can meet the needs of most tourists. The subway fare is usually between 2 – 9 yuan. You can buy tickets by yourself, and it only accepts 5, 10, 50, and 100 – yuan notes. Now, you can also use Alipay or WeChat to buy tickets at some subway stations, which is very convenient. The starting price of a bus is 2 yuan, and a taxi starts at 10 yuan.
In Hengdian
Most people in Hengdian travel by self – driving. There are few bus lines. Hengdian Group has built a free tourist loop for visitors to travel between different scenic spots in the city. The starting price of other bus lines is 1 yuan.
3. Nanjing Highlights
Jiangsu Grand Theatre
I was in Nanjing on a business trip and had a meeting at Jiangsu Grand Theatre. It’s really beautiful, but it’s more suitable to visit when there are performances. Designed by the East China Architectural Design and Research Institute, its design concept comes from “water”, which matches Nanjing’s geographical feature of “mountains, rivers, cities, and forests”. It also expresses the idea of “the charm of Jiangsu’s water”. The overall design is in the shape of “lotus leaves and water droplets”. Four “water droplets” on the top tilt towards the center, creating a petal – like texture on the building’s roof, just like water droplets rolling on a lotus leaf. The four “water droplets” represent four functional areas: the opera house, the theater, the concert hall, and the variety hall. The color of the “water droplets” is a blue – white gradient, representing the stripes of Nanjing’s雨花石.
Confucius Temple – Qinhuai River Scenic Belt and Laomen East
I did some research online and found that it’s better to visit this area at night. So, after my meeting, I took my clients here for dinner. The Qinhuai River, Confucius Temple, and Laomen East are all in one area. There are many museums and scenic spots that charge separate fees. For example, Wuyi Lane costs 8 yuan, and the entrance fee for the Dacheng Hall in Confucius Temple is 30 yuan, or you can buy a combined ticket for the Dacheng Hall and Wang Xie Ancient Residence for 32 yuan. The opening hours are from 09:00 – 22:00.
The Qinhuai River is a right – bank tributary of the lower Yangtze River. It has a long history and is known as the “Mother River of Nanjing”. The Confucius Temple – Qinhuai River Scenic Belt is a famous 5A – level open – air tourist attraction in China, integrating natural scenery, cultural heritage, and local customs. However, I have to say I was a bit disappointed. It seems to be mainly for tourists from other places, with 95% being outsiders and 5% being merchants. The stores along the street are very commercialized, selling the same tourist products as in other places across the country. But there are also some cute Nanjing – themed cultural and creative products. I bought some fridge magnets here as souvenirs.
Laomen East is a place for food. It’s a traditional residential area in Nanjing, full of local snacks and traditional handicrafts. It has a long history, dating back to the Three Kingdoms period. Now, it has become a popular place to experience Nanjing’s traditional culture and cuisine.
1912 Block
The 1912 Block in Nanjing is a commercial complex with a Republic of China – style architecture. It consists of 19 buildings with a Republic of China style and 4 street – center squares. It’s adjacent to the Nanjing Presidential Palace, so you can visit both in the morning and have lunch here. For example, we had lunch at the “Republic of China Red Mansion”, which became popular because of Wang Sicong. In my opinion, it’s like a bar street. If you don’t eat or drink here, you can walk through it in 10 minutes.
Dr. Sun Yat – sen’s Mausoleum
To visit Dr. Sun Yat – sen’s Mausoleum, you need to make an appointment in advance on the official WeChat account of “Zhongshan Scenic Area” and visit with your ID card for free. You can take the bus (routes 9, 34, 201, 202, 203) or the subway (Line 2 to Xia Mafang Station, then transfer to Bus 34 to the mausoleum). Actually, it’s just one of the attractions in the Zhongshan Scenic Area. I walked 2 kilometers from the subway station to get there. Along the way, I found many other beautiful views.
德基 Square
I thought it was a pedestrian street before I went there, but it’s actually a large – scale shopping mall, the most fashionable one in Nanjing. You can find many famous brands here and also enjoy a cup of tea at Heytea. The basement floor is full of world – class cuisines.
Line Friends Store in Nanjing
The Line Friends store in Nanjing is the largest in Central China. It has a clear functional division: a product display area, a coffee area, and a photo – taking area with different characters. It’s located in Catherine Square, which is mainly a food area. There’s a big clock tower surrounded by Line and his friends at the entrance. It’s really huge, even bigger than the ones I’ve been to in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Chengdu.
Nanjing’s Seven Must – try Food Spots
- Gaoyou Noodle Shop: I was really impressed by a bowl of Yangchun noodles here. Recommended by a friend, it only costs 10 yuan for a bowl of noodles, a bowl of fish soup, and a fried egg. The dry – mixed Yangchun noodles with soy sauce and black pepper are incredibly delicious. The fish soup is milky white and full – flavored. I finished everything in no time and felt so happy.
- Mingwaluang in Xinjiekou: There are many snacks here, such as Hongze Lake small fish pot stickers and egg – stuffed pancakes. However, they are just popular among tourists, and I found the pepper taste too strong. There are also many milk tea shops. I tried the most popular brown sugar milk tea, but it didn’t surprise me.
- Duck Blood and Vermicelli Soup: You must try this when in Nanjing. You can choose chain brands like Yadebao or Huiwei. Huiwei has a well – organized system, quickly preparing the soup with all the ingredients. Yadebao’s super – complete duck blood and vermicelli soup is also amazing, with duck heart, duck gizzard, duck liver, and duck intestine.
- Laomen East: It’s a paradise for food lovers, with a variety of traditional Nanjing snacks.
- Republic of China Red Mansion: It became famous because of Wang Sicong. The decoration is in the style of the Republic of China, but the price is a bit high, and the taste is just average. Their signature dish, beef eye steak, is okay.
- Zhuliguan Teahouse: It’s a well – known place near the Olympic Sports Center, offering both tea and Jiangsu – style cuisine. The signature lion’s head is tender but a bit salty. The private rooms require a minimum consumption of 288 yuan for tea. The divine chicken is delicious but can be a bit greasy after a while.
- PPP Cafe: It’s a new café transformed from an 80s small Western – style building. The environment is great, but the price of coffee and desserts is high, and the taste is just so – so.
4. Hengdian World Studios
I thought it was just one single scenic spot before I went there, but actually, the whole town of Hengdian consists of many scenic areas. It’s best to buy a pass ticket to visit several important scenic spots.
Palace of the Qin King
Built in 1997 for the film “Heroic Assassin Jing Ke” directed by Chen Kaige, it covers an area of 800 mu with a construction area of 110,000 square meters. There are 27 magnificent palace halls, and the main hall, “Hall of Universal Peace”, is 44.8 meters high and covers an area of 17,169 square meters. The 2289 – meter – long and 18 – meter – high city wall and the palace halls show the grandeur of Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s unification of the six kingdoms. There’s also an “Qin – Han Street” that fully displays the streetscape of the Qin and Han dynasties. It’s the shooting location of many famous movies and TV shows, such as “Warriors of Future Past”, “The Myth”, etc. There are three shows worth watching, like “Heroic Sword – fighting”, “Dreaming of the Qin and Han Dynasties”, and “The Mummy’s Return”.
Picture of the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival
It’s near the Palace of the Qin King and is built based on the famous painting “Picture of the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival” by Zhang Zeduan. It’s similar to Songcheng in Hangzhou. There are many group tours here, and I even bumped into a film crew. The scenic area has three major shows: “Breaking the Heavenly Gate Formation”, “A Dream in Bianliang”, and “The Emperor and the Beauty”.
Guangzhou Street – Hong Kong Street
This is the first scenic area in Hengdian World Studios, built for the film “The Opium War”. It realistically reproduces the old appearance of Guangzhou and Hong Kong in the 1840s. I visited it both during the day and at night, and I think it’s more beautiful at night. There are many neon – lit buildings and snack shops in Hong Kong Street, giving you a feeling of traveling back to the 19th – century Hong Kong. There are also shows like “Clash on the Sea”, but the plot needs improvement.
You can stay in a themed hotel in Hong Kong Street, such as a naval – style room themed after the movie “Rob – B – Hood” or a Republic of China – style room. And now, Guangzhou Street – Hong Kong Street provides free Republic of China – style clothing for tourists to take photos. It’s also close to the Ming and Qing Dynasties Palace, where many popular palace dramas like “Story of Yanxi Palace” and “Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace” were filmed.
Ming and Qing Dynasties Palace
It’s a 1:0.9 replica of the Forbidden City. It reproduces the grandeur of the imperial palaces and the daily life of the ancient capital. You can find many shooting locations of popular palace dramas here. There are shows, a hot – air balloon project, and a wax museum. You can also take professional photos or even experience acting here.
This trip from Nanjing to Hengdian is really a wonderful journey through time and space, allowing you to experience the charm of Chinese history and culture. I hope you’ll have a great time if you decide to take this trip!
