15 Hours in Nanjing - Nanjing, China

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Bare silver-barked trees leaning over a long grey wall, casting shadows in the winter afternoon sun.

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Christmas night, with a 15 hours layover in Nanjing. Dropped my bags and immediately decided that hiking Purple Mountain at midnight was the right move.

A near-pitch-black mountain trail lit only by a single streetlamp at 2am, warning signs visible at the trailhead.
A warning sign at Purple Mountain reading 'No mountaineering in rain, fog, ice and snow', icy stone steps visible behind it.
The summit of Purple Mountain at night, a communications tower silhouetted against a deep violet sky with faint stars.

Made it to the top and genuinely thought I was going to die from the cold. Hiking in subzero Nanjing was not my finest planning. Came back down, found somewhere warm for breakfast, and then took the bus back up like a normal person this time.

An old European-style building silhouetted against a pale dawn sky on Purple Mountain, bare winter branches in the foreground.
A lone white cat sitting on an icy stone path on Purple Mountain, surrounded by dark frozen tree roots and wet pavement.
Early morning light breaking through the bare winter treeline on Purple Mountain.
The Purple Mountain Observatory domes scattered across a hillside under a clear blue winter sky in Nanjing.

Came back down into the city and walked through the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum grounds. Went to the music stage too but the pictures weren’t great so skipping those. The walk itself was worth it though.

A wide tree-lined avenue near the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, bare branches glowing amber in the early morning light.
Autumn leaves trapped in a thin sheet of ice on a frozen puddle, branches reflected on the surface.
A partially frozen ornamental pond with mossy rocks poking through the ice, autumn trees lining the banks.
Bare silver-barked trees leaning over a long grey wall, casting shadows in the winter afternoon sun.

Last stop was Librairie Avant-Garde, a bookshop built inside a former underground car park. The cross, the high ceilings, shelves. There’s also this installation of hundreds of handwritten notes hanging from the ceiling. It looked incredible.

The interior of Librairie Avant-Garde bookshop, a large black cross mounted on a glowing white wall above shelves of books.
Hundreds of small handwritten notes hanging from wires in a cloud-like installation at Librairie Avant-Garde.

Then I rush to the airport. Got my name called at the gate, first time that’s ever happened to me. Last person to board, a few minutes to spare. Made it to Xiamen.

-- Zhun Hao

Published: Dec 26 2025
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