Purple Mountain

Introducing Purple Mountain
Nanjing Purple Mountain, also known as Bell Mountain, looms always above the skyline to the east of Nanjing. The mountain covers a total area of 30 square kilometers, and is the location of many of the city’s historical monuments and moments. It got its name because its peaks are often found enveloped in purple and golden clouds at dawn and dusk. 

Purple Mountain Fast Facts
• Chinese Name: Zi Jin Shan 紫金山
• Best Time to Visit: March to May; September to October
• Recommended Visiting Hours: About 3 to 4 hours
• Things to Do: Photography, History and Culture, Hiking
• Opening Hours: All day
• Entrance Fee: Free for the mountain & Sun Yatsen Mausoleum; CNY10 for Open-air Music Hall; CNY 35 for Linggu Scenic Area; CNY 70 for Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum; CNY 30 for Meiling Palace; CNY 100 for combo ticket including Open-air Music Hall, Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, Linggu Temple and Meiling Palace.
• Address: Zhongshan Scenic Area, Xuanwu District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province

What to expect at Purple Mountain

At the top of the western slope is the Nanjing Purple Mountain Observatory, a cluster of domed telescopes and modern research facilities that also houses a fine collection of ancient astronomical instruments. South of the observatory is the Botanical Garden, a beautiful space containing more than three thousand species of medicinal and decorative plants, and a fine statue of Li Shizhen, the father of Chinese botany and traditional medicine. Farther east, on one side of the central ridge is the tomb of Hongwu, the first Ming emperor, with its Sacred Avenue, its pavilions and courtyards, and the immense, as-yet unexcavated burial mound where the emperor’s body is believed to lie. Still farther east, at the center of the mountain stands what has become a site of pilgrimage for many local and overseas Chinese: the Sun Yat-Sen Mausoleum. A vast stone stairway leads up to his crypt and his coffin.

As the high ground closest to the city, Nanjing Purple Mountain has served alternately in the strategic interests of those who wished to defend the city, and of those who wished to attack it. A burial site here has long been the highest honor the city has to offer to those whose personal history has intersected with its own.

How to get to Purple Mountain
• Take bus 20 or 315 and get off at Purple Mountain Cableway Station.
• Rent a car/bus from GGC to enjoy a hassle free private transfer from hotels in Nanjing to Purple Mountain.

Additional travel advice on Purple Mountain
• Visitors can go to the attractions inside the scenic area (including Sun Yatsen Mausoleum, Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, Linggu Temple, etc.) by sightseeing bus, battery car or small train.
• Free audio guide is available at official WeChat Service account (ID: zschina_nj).