2-Day Nanjing Trip

My friends and I went to Nanjing a few days ago. Although it was only a 2-day trip, we were totally relaxed. Here's what we did during the trip. It's very convenient to take a high-speed train from Shanghai to Nanjing, which takes about 2 hours. You can buy a ticket to Nanjing South Railway Station in the old town. We stayed at the New Century Hotel. Although it was not newly renovated, the whole design style was very European, with gray and white marble slabs. There were also many oil paintings from Europe. The service was also good, and the toiletries were from Guerlain. The price was not expensive during the off-peak season. We arrived in the afternoon and went to Laomendong in the evening. There was a small shop selling Nanjing brocade. We plan to visit the Nanjing Museum to see the brocade next time. I recommend two restaurants, Nanjing Impressions and Lion King Mansion, both in Laomendong Ancient Town. Nanjing Impressions is affordable, and the environment is very old-fashioned, which is very charming. My friend ordered a table of dishes for us, and I was particularly impressed by a few dishes. The yam Meiling porridge cooked with soy milk was very nourishing and moderately sweet. It was perfect with fried dough sticks stuffed with fish maw. There were ducks everywhere in Nanjing. We had duck meat soup dumplings here. The skin was well made, not sticky, and the closure was not hard. The duck meat filling was juicy and sweet, which I liked very much. I had my first balut here, which is said to be a favorite of Nanjing people. I cracked the eggshell with courage. It was actually cleaner than a fertilized egg, with no feathers. The chick embryo was on top of the yolk and egg white. The key was not to waste the soup in the egg, which was very delicious. The average cost per person at Lion King Mansion is about CNY 150, which is more suitable for couples, family dinners, and banquets, as the portions are large. I especially recommend the salted pigeon and fried white rice shrimp, which is crispy and tender, and goes well with wine. After dinner, you can take a walk to the Confucius Temple to digest. During the day, I recommend going to the Zhonghua Gate to enjoy the view of Nanjing and see the historical marks left on the ancient city wall.