I just came back from Nanjing, ended an eight days’ tour. I went there oringinally for attending a remote relative’s wedding reception, and unfortunately encountered Mainland’s Golden Week; nontheless, it was a quite worthwhile visit.

Nanjing is a city steeped in history, a city mixed with tradition and modernity. My eyes popped out when I first saw the leafy city, covered with a chump of platanus and other unknown trees, making streets almost embowered with canopy. I stayed at Westin hotel near Xuanwu Lake, an artificial lake first excavated 1500 years ago, separated by five isles, and I estimate that it is at least 10 times as big as Dahu Park at Neihu county where now I live at. I walked down the trail around the Lake twice, spent six hours in total, still I couldn’t tour everywhere.

The memorial mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s and the royal one of the first emperor of Ming Dynasty were built on Chong Mountain. I wanted to pay tribute to Dr. Sun, but the droves of tourists pushed me forward and I just couldn’t stay put even a second to take a good look. People in the royal mausoleum were fewer because it needed admission fee. In my observation, people in the Mainland pay much respect the Dr. Sun, but not as much as to President Chiang Kai-shek. In the front gate of President Hall, I saw a model of striking resemblance to Chiang, bald-headed, mustached, on traditional lobe and jacket, standing there, plying for trade of taking photos with him. President Hall, formerly governor’s office in Qing Dynasty and the palace of Tai-ping Heaven Empire, was the power center of Nationalist China, now is one of the main attractions in Nanjing, a place would create ambivalent mood to a visitor like me who is from Taiwan.

“Forgivable, but not forgettable”, a German business man remardked on his dairy, who witnessed the Rape of Nanjing perpetrated by Jap troop in 1937. To me, and to most of Chinese, the atrocity is absolutely unforgivable unless someday Jap emperor and his subjects kneel down in front of the Memorial Hall of The Rage of Nanjing and sincerely apologize to Chinese people, and vow to be a pliant neighbor to China henceforth.

Rain Flower Hill used to be the place of executing communists during Nationalist period now is a park with monuments and a Hall of Martyrs in memory of the men and women sacrificed for the communism cause, mostly died during 412 purge in 1927. Gazing at those photos and stories of many a young face, suddenly I thought there must be bloodshed for a great cause, any one you think it right. Taiwan Independence? All right, has anyone ever died for it? So forget it, it is just pie in the sky.

Confucius Temple, near the romantic and legendary Qin-huai River, is a mecca in Nanjing. Although it has become a night market for the people of Nanjing and the tourists from outside, still it boasts of some historical spots worth of visiting. In the Provicial Testing Center, you can realize how the talent scout system through examination were working and decaying in the era of imperial China. Of course, you can tour the River on boat, imaging those days of wine and women enjoyed by the so-called literati and fine gentlemen.

Like I said in the first place, it had been a worthwhile visit. But don’t go near it, or any place else in China, during Golden Week; for, like a tourist said in an interview, “I can see absolutely nothing, except people’s heads.”