Shanghai & Nanjing 6 - 15 Sep 2008 (Part 11) - Two Museums
Another must visit is the Nanjing Massacre Museum (侵华日军南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆), the site that brought back memories of the atrocities of war. Built in 1985 on the location where a mass grave was discovered, the place include a tour around the grave which was said to contain ten thousand human remains (万人坑) from the Sino-Japanese war of 1937. A museum tells of the stories in three languages - English, Chinese and Japanese - the latter so that Japanese tourists can find out about the misdeeds that was omitted from their textbooks. The emotions were intense so much so that I caught a a few old folks shedding tears while looking at the photo exhibits. Three university students that were there actually approached me and asked if I were Japanese. I thought these hot-blooded guys would have hammered me if I were one. Interestingly, we became friends.
The other museum is good to visit if you want a good overview of Nanjing's rich history. The Nanjing City Musuem (南京市博物馆) is located at Chaotiangong (朝天宫) which used to be one of the ancient temple/palace of Nanjing. For an admission fee of 15Y, indulge in exhibits and figures that tell the story of Nanjing as the capital city of many dynasties - the latest being the Republic of China. Throughout its history, it went by many different names including Jiankang (建康), Jinling (金陵), Tianjing (天京) and Jiangning (江宁). After looking at the museum exhibits, try your luck to hunt for real antiques at the nearby antique market but just don't get cheated!