Air Force Memorial
This is one beautiful sight that few of us visitors in Nanjing ever get to witness. Built by the KMT 国民党 [guo2min2dang3] in 1932, it was damaged during the Nanjing Massacre and later cleaned up again. According to the friend who brought me there, Mr. Bill Clinton was even brought here during his recent visit, and it’s in great condition!
How to get there:
The memorial is on the northern side of Purple Gold Mountain 紫金山 [zi3jin1shan1] on jiang wang miao lu. you can take bus #68 there. it’s especially convenient to see this place if you are climbing up the northern slope of Purple Gold Mountain a.k.a. Zi Jin Shan.
Some other details:
The Air Force Memorial is called 航空烈士公墓 [hang2kong1lie4shi4gong1mu4] which directly translates as Airplane Martyrs Public Grave. You know you’re there when you see this gate…
If you walk further up, you’ll pass by a little red house that provides cool shade and colorful graphics…
Walk up another flight of stairs and have this great terrace open up before you…
You will notice tablets populating the background of the photo. Some will have names inscribed in the Chinese language, others in Russian and English. The Americans who volunteered during the war are called Flying Tigers.
This is a great place to visit because it’s not a crowded tourist landmark but still stands tall representing a certain period in Chinese history.
Also, if you want to try it out, this is what Mr. Ayurveda Charat says of the plants here…
