Is THIS China's MOST underrated city?! Nanjing Travel Guide
Nanjing, a city that probably isn't on your travel radar yet. Often overshadowed by Beijing and Shanghai, it's a place where authenticity meets undeniable charm. And in this episode, I'll show you why Nanjing is China's most underrated city. from its rich history to its captivating streets and mouth-watering food. Get ready to discover a destination that will steal your heart and leave you craving more. We're starting our day off with a visit here to Nanjing's most sacred Buddhist
site. China just knows what's up. Rather than hauling your butt up an endless set of stairs to get up to the viewpoint, they've got escalators. I love it here! The Niosho Mountain is named after its shape, which resembles the shape of a bull's head. Now
this place is not only a sacred Buddhist site, it's also a key pilgrimage location. And there is a lot to see and do here, including the Isnesa Palace and the aptly named Juryan Palace. Apparently there is a performance that happens here twice a day. 10.30am and 3 p.m. The 10.31 is on in 2 minutes! We're going to hustle so we can check this thing out! Oh my god! I travel a lot. I go to a lot of holy places. I have never seen anything like this in my entire life. Unfiltered reaction? Incredible. Incredible. What is happening over here? Someone's
been getting into the smoke machine. I have never seen anything like this in my entire life and I've seen a lot of stuff. If you could smell it in here, it smells beautiful like sandalwood. The energy in here is incredible. It just feels smooth and peaceful and calm and I think we're about to see something even more remarkable if that's possible. Oh my We are inside the southern Buddha floor and I just feel like I've been transported into another universe We're surrounded by thousands of images of the Buddha and artworks and sculptures and carvings made from so many different materials It's so vibrant in here and just gorgeous i don't think there are words enough to describe something like this it's not so much a temple as it is an exhibition hall so guests are welcome to come here and just experience it and marvel in the beauty and i think What my mind keeps coming back to is I am shocked at how every city I go to in China, there's something more. It never seems to run out. There's something deeper to experience, something incredible to marvel at. And I never thought when I booked this trip that I would be standing here
seeing something quite like this. Tarkomangu'i I am not exploring Nanjing by myself. I have booked a private tour with guys at Odinovo tours. I have had the best time with them in Beijing and Xi'an, so I'm really happy we're doing it again here in Nanjing. But there's someone really special I want you to meet, and that is our tour guide while we're here in Nanjing. This is Jessica! Hello everybody! We are very nice to meet
you! Oh my gosh! Yeah and uh, Welcome to Nanjing, welcome to Nanjing, welcome to China. Isn't she just the cutest? We're in for a great few days together, Jessica! Yay! No, it's just every best. Let me introduce you to my newest obsession here in China. It's Charging. It's a tea shop. It's
the best of the tea shops. I have to have one every day and it's everywhere. If you come here, you have to try it. Oh, okay. Oh, okay. Oh, I got that charging! Oh, I got that charging! As you guys know, from watching my videos in China so far, I'm loving it here. A lot of things I'm loving. One of them is the flexibility. It's just different rules-wise. Example, I'm allowed to buy my tea from the tea shop and bring it into this really beautiful restaurant and they don't mind. In Australia, I can't do that. When I was at the tea shop, I couldn't decide between two. My favourite and a new one I wanted to try. So I just got them both.
We're on holidays. Why not? And I love this bag, by the way, the Van Gogh artwork on it. Yes, please. Chargie, please sponsor me. I love you. Things coming out. It's sealed, guys. I could have done that all day and nothing would have come out of that I think. Oh, that's the Jasmine Green Tea. It's so good. Okay, and this one should be my current favorite. Peach Ulong.
Do you know what? I actually think the Jasmine Green tea is better. They're both excellent. I don't know what I'm talking about. Mmm. Mm-hmm. Because we're at a Buddhist location, everything here is vegetarian, so I am in my element. Let's just start eating some stuff. Don't know what that is.
It's cold. Oh, that's not my favorite thing I've ever eaten. Pickle? A pickle is excellent. Oh, it's noodle time. Mmm. Good noodles. Try some greens. They're lovely and chewy. The broth has a real rich amami flavor to it, a little bit of spice. Mmm. Mm-hmm. Steam dumplings. The guy put them down and was like, they're so hot, take it easy. I'm ignoring that. Oh. Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's really good. Mm. Mushroom filling. That is a tasty old bite. Thank you,
China. I've heard Nanjing's ancient city wall is one of the best preserved in the world. Let's go and explore. Oh, there's about Built during the Ming Dynasty during the 14th century, this ancient city wall was constructed from over 350 million bricks and it was made by hand. Now if you look really closely at some of these bricks you can actually see stamped into them the name of the person that made them and their supervisor. pretty crazy to me that that is still here some 600 years later. Now there's some
33 kilometers length worth of wall that we can explore and it's a beautiful way to see the city from up high just going for a little bit of a walk in this gorgeous afternoon sunlight and soaking in all of that beautiful blue sky. We are exploring the beautiful Lao Mandong area. Now as Nanjing developed over the years, many of its original houses were demolished to make way for new accommodations for the growing population.
But this area has been beautifully preserved. It is gorgeous in here. The little alleys are lined with shops and cafes, restaurants, gift stores, bakeries, pubs, bars, and everything in between. I could have spent the entire day right here and being quite happy. It is spectacular. I just didn't expect to have an experience here in Nanjing quite like this. And it's these moments
like this where I'm wondering around these authentic historic neighborhoods that I am falling more and more in love with China. I feel like every city just tops the last and just when I think it can't get any better, somehow it does. We were walking along and we stumbled across a oh well it's not a caricature it's more of a portrait isn't it so apparently this beautiful lady is going to draw me in three minutes and it's going to cost me 20 yuan that's a bargain.
I'm closing my eyes. Okay, it's time for the big reveal. One, two, three. Oh, that's so nice! Look at my little hat! That's so nice! It's so pretty! I love the little ear, that's so cute! This is an incredible way This is an incredible river river And just when I thought Andjin couldn't get any better This happens You may have a new list and I don't mind. Did I really want you to know then I'm I guarantee you'll be all right? Have I seen the one element? Yes, what you mean? And no one of it, and no one team in. You may think when the sun goes down in China, that means it's time to go back to your
hotel and relax. you'd be wrong friends. They seem to have an amazing lighting system after dark. Everything is beautifully lit. I mean look at what you're seeing behind me. We're at the Confucius temple. Now this place was built a thousand years ago and was a place for people to pay tribute to
Confucius. A revered educator and philosopher, people used to come right here to pay tribute to Confucius before they took on their imperial examinations. Now those don't exist in China anymore, but examinations still do. So parents and students alike will come right here too, and they will also pay tribute before they take on their exams. I don't know about you, but I think that is really, really cool. To think that that kind of tradition has been passed down for hundreds of
years. To think of all the students that have come here and done their tributes before tackling their exams. Personally, I hate exams and I would have had to spend a month here before I took one just in order to pass.
to get around here in nenging i have got a private driver it's not because i'm super fancy it's because it's arranged by my amazing tour company so i really wasn't sure how to tackle china i was a little bit intimidated if i'm honest with you and i decided to book a private tour with the guys at onynova tours and i'm so happy with that decision they have been amazing everything they've organized has been incredible they book everything, train tickets, flights, hotels, all the activities, tickets, just everything they have done as being perfect and it's because they're handling the travel admin for me that I've been able to relax and have a really incredible time here. I cannot recommend them highly enough. I'm going to have some links in the video description for you so you can check them out too. Now they have also booked my hotel here in Nanjing and I'm going to show you around right now because this place has been kind of perfect. Welcome to the Central Hotel. Perfectly located in the heart of Nanjing's bustling city centre. It is an ideal base for exploring the city's iconic sites with modern amenities and elegant design. My room is spacious and cozy offering a comfortable retreat after a day of adventures. Plus the
breakfast bread here is fantastic. with a mix of local and international dishes to kickstart your day. It has been the perfect spot to recharge while diving into all that Nanjing has to offer. I'll have it linked in the video description so you can check it out and book your stay too. Good morning you guys! I am getting in a tasty little breakfast at the hotel buffet this morning. I'm going to finish this. We're going to go meet Jessica with to get this day started. One thing you need to know about China is you're always going to make friends. Hi! I'm just a breakfast
and the sweet girl sat next to me. Well, these two sweet girls come up next to me and said hello and they started talking. Oh, they're so cute! The people here are so, so genuinely lovely. Everywhere you go you will make friends and it's such a girly culture. Like I just find all the girls so nice and they come and say hi and they're so sweet to you and so welcoming. And when you're
a girl traveling by yourself, it just makes all the difference. We're diving more into Nanjing's history today with a visit to the Dr. Sunyat-sen Mausoleum. And you guys, it is cool this morning! Dr Sun Yatsun is a key figure in modern Chinese history. Now he is credited with bringing an end to the Qing Dynasty and China's feudal system. And here there are 392 steps leading up to the mausoleum and those symbolize the population of China at that time, being 392 million. And if you do make your way up there, you'll be treated to some pretty epic views of Nanjing.
Oh As we make our way to the tomb of Zhu Yuan Zheng, I'm going to give you my abridged version of the history here. So basically, Zhu Yuan Zheng started as a monk and he hooked up with the peasant rebellion. Smart guy, he decided to marry the general's daughter. And when they overthrew the previous dynasty, the UN dynasty, He came into power, kicking off the famous Ming Dynasty. Now you might be thinking, where did I hear that name? Ming Dynasty are the guys who built the ancient city wall. Now they were in power for a long time until they were overthrown by the Qing Dynasty.
And then they were in power for a long time until they were overthrown by guess who? Dr Sun Yat-Zen. That's about 900 years of Chinese history, condensed into 20 seconds for you. If you're coming to China, you've got to come hungry. You can't show up with a half appetite
like I am at the moment. And they won't take it is a thing. I try to just order a little bit of food. I end up with so much food. Let's eat some sushi. That is really good. I have been absolutely loving all the food here in China. Ew. That's really warm. If you watch this channel regularly and you see me in Japan, you know how much I live for takoyaki. Hey Paul, you wait. Mmm. They're Tokyo-style takoyaki. This is unbelievable. I needed this. I really needed this. What looks to me like a naburi salmon? Yeah, maybe
that guy was right. Maybe I should be ordering more food. You're wondering, what's the Japanese food like in China? Because who isn't wondering that? The live report on the scene? It's excellent. Just run it up, run it up till I hear a nail. My money grown, project grown, feel at home, got the juice minute made. I'm calling game in his face, soon it's slim, hit a j-boy. We're at the train station. Nainting, Nanjing, Nanjong. Jessica's dropping me off because I have to catch
the train to Shanghai. Jessica's left. It's just you and me kids. We went over to the gate and we've had a practice. We've had a run through of what I'm gonna do. She's so cute and I think I can do this. About 15 minutes before my train departure time, we're just gonna go over there and we're gonna join the queue, show them our passport, smile away, boys. Then we just have to go through the gate, down to the platform, find carriage number one, seat 6F. We did it. We made it onto the train! Which means there's only one thing left to do and that sit
here and get comfortable and relax. And in about an hour and 20 minutes, we will be in Shanghai and I am so excited to explore this city, especially after how much fun I've had in the last three cities. If Danjing is anything to go by, we're in for a real treat over the next few days in Shanghai. And with that you guys, that brings this week's episode to a close. I really hope you enjoyed it. Now, if you don't already, be sure to subscribe right now so you never missed a single episode and say hello in the comments below. I hope you have a really great weekend and I will see you with a brand new episode next week. Love you.
2025-01-13 20:38
