Day 1 Nanjing → Fengyang → Nanjing
07:15
07:15-07:30 Gather at Exit 1 of Nanjing Andemen Subway Station and depart
07:30
The team leader introduces the process and precautions of this activity on the bus
10:00
Arriving in the treasure-rich city of Fengyang, our first stop is the Fengyang County Museum
, which boasts five exhibition halls, including three main halls on the first floor and two temporary exhibition halls on the second floor. A highlight of the collection:
the Coiled Dragon Stone Column Base, one of three large hall column bases discovered in the Ming Dynasty's Zhongdu Imperial City. Made of white granite sourced from Lishan, Fengyang, it measures 2.62 meters long, 2.52 meters wide, and 1.25 meters tall. The central circular protrusion has an inner diameter of 1.2 meters and an inner height of 0.23 meters, weighing a staggering 22.2 tons. The base is adorned with soaring cloud patterns, and the protrusions in the base groove are intricately carved with coiled dragons, emphasizing the imperial grandeur. This large stone column base, the largest of the three main halls, the Fengtian Hall, is a rare and magnificent stone base for the Jinluan Hall in the capital.
11:30
After the tour, we headed to our second stop: the central axis of the ancient city. The Drum Tower stands to the west, and the Bell Tower (recently under repair and fenced off) stands to the east, 3 kilometers apart, quietly framing the two ends of Yunji Street. The morning and evening bells, day after day, tell stories of the past. We checked in at the Drum Tower for photos, then enjoyed some free time in the old town near the Bell Tower to explore local delicacies and rest for lunch.
12:30
Gather and depart for the third stop - Hongwu Gate, which was built in the 7th year of Hongwu (1374) and is the south gate of the outer city of Ming Zhongdu. Starting from Hongwu Gate and extending northward through Daming Gate and Chengtian Gate, it forms the 6,170-meter central axis of Ming Zhongdu. This was rebuilt on the original site in 2020.
From here we will start our north-south axis, Hongwu Gate - Daming Gate - Chengtian Gate - Wumen Gate (about 1.8km walking distance, if you do not join the hike, you can explore on your own and gather at the designated location before the dismissal time), arriving at the Ming Zhongdu Imperial City, the "super palace" built by Zhu Yuanzhang in his hometown of Fengyang. It covers an area of 120,000 square meters larger than the Forbidden City in Beijing, equivalent to 17 more football fields!
But it was later abandoned and became a ruin. Archaeologists have unearthed massive stone column bases (over 2.6 meters wide) and exquisite dragon-patterned tiles, confirming the historical record of a "massive and magnificent project." It served as a "blueprint" for the Forbidden City in Beijing and was designated a National Archaeological Site Park in 2017.
We are free to explore and take photos here, mainly from the exterior (the site is under gradual renovation, some areas are not accessible, please be aware of this when registering)
3:30 PM
End of the tour and return to Nanjing by bus
6:00 PM
Return to the starting point and end the trip.
