Mind. Blown.
Hey all! Thanks for looking. It’s been fun to reminisce about my trip to China, and reassuring to know my memory is strong and still intact a year later! :) Seeing some of these photos takes me right back to the heat, intrigue, revelations, the wtf’s?!?, and excitement of my travels.
These photos are from the afternoon portion of our tour of sites in Nanjing on 9.21.10. Particularly, the Yuejiang Tower (or Yuejiang Lou). This tower is set on the top of Lion Mountain, which is the site of a pivotal battle and victory for the empire which would usher in the Ming Dynasty. The tower was built to commemorate this victory, and inside were enormous and intricate murals, and poems and writings celebrating this pivotal moment in Chinese history.
The architecture and carvings were very proud, and the views of Nanjing from the tower and hill were simultaneously vast and staggering. The tower sits within the city’s northwest wall, and from the perches within the tower, I could see the wall wind around old Nanjing. There was a fantastic view of the Yangtze River as well. Standing near the wall and veering through it toward the modern metropolis that is now Nanjing, was a perspective that provided much fodder for contemplation of how the actions at this site would potentially influence how Nanjing and China exist at this time, more than a millennium and a half later.
Myself and the shutter on my camera started to feel tired as I realized that our time was up. We headed back to the ol’ hotel on Han Gate Avenue, and settled in…from what I remember…maybe that memory doesn’t work as well when fatigued. If anything interesting comes to me about that evening, I’ll let you know.
Thanks again for looking. Stay tuned for the pics from Hongsu Village (that’s where they shot the opening scenes from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). Got some pretty awesome pics, if I do say so myself.
Peace,
Jon