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Qinhuai River Scenic Area

10 Miles of Indulgence

The Qinhuai River is the mother river of Nanjing, nourishing the fertile land and giving birth to generations of Nanjing residents. The Qinhuai River crosses Nanjing from east to west, passing through famous places such as Jiangnan Examination Office, Confucius Temple and Gate of China (Zhonghua Gate), and is the most prosperous part of the city.

The Qinhuai River has a total length of more than 110 kilometers, with two sources in Jurong and Lishui, which merge into the Yangtze River from the northwest of Nanjing. In Nanjing, the Qinhuai River splits in two at the East Water Pass. A tributary to the north passes through the city via Jiangnan Examination Office, Confucius Temple and Gate of China. The Outer Qinhuai River on the south side is the moat of Nanjing City, flowing along the Ming City Wall, bypassing the Wuding Gate, and then flowing in a northwesterly direction to meet the Inner Qinhuai River again at the Xishui Pass. The Qinhuai River is the mother river of Nanjing, nourishing the fertile land, giving birth to generations of Jinling sons and daughters, and witnessing the rise and fall of the ancient capital of six dynasties.

Qinhuai River in front of The Confucius Temple

The Inner Qinhuai River, which flows through Nanjing, is 5 kilometers long, with delicate buildings lining both sides of the river, and historical celebrities such as Wu Jingzi, Wang Dao, Xie An and Li Xiangjun all living along the river, known as the “Ten Mile Qinhuai”. The Qinhuai River in front of Nanjing’s Confucius Temple is The Most Prosperous Part of the waterway. Every year, a special lantern festival is held here, with various kinds of lanterns hanging along the river, and the whole city is crowded with visitors in celebration.

Manywhere Trivia:
In the past, the Qinhuai River was an ancient Chinese version of De Wallen, the Redlight District in Amsterdam.

In the southernmost axis of the Confucius Temple, on the south bank of the Qinhuai River, there is a large screen wall built in 1575, which is decorated with two dragons playing with pearls. This magnificent screen wall is 10 meters high, 110 meters long, larger than the screen walls of Confucius Temple in Qufu and Beijing, it’s known as Biggest Screen Wall in China.

Generally, there is a half-moon shaped pond outside the every Confucius Temple, called “Pan Pond”, and the Nanjing Confucius Temple is no exception. This Pan Pond is not artificially filled with water, but with the help of the Qinhuai River in front of the Confucius Temple, which is the only one in China that uses natural living water as the pond water.

To make it easier for tourists to enjoy the scenery of the Qinhuai River from the waterway, there are several boat piers along the banks of the Inner Qinhuai River, the most popular of which is the one in front of the Confucius Temple Confucius Temple Boat Cruise Pier. You can enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way, peep into the mysterious house of Jiangnan Examination Office, explore the private garden of Xuda, the king of Zhongshan, or visit the residence where Wu Jingzi once lived.

Bridges over the Qinhuai River

The 10-mile Qinhuai River is lined with bridges, each carrying its own mission, and the intertwining of the river and the bridges is like blood veins maintaining the prosperity and development of this six-dynasty ancient capital.

The Wende Bridge next to the Confucius Temple was built during the Wanli period, and it is said that every year on the 15th day of the 11th month of the lunar calendar, half moons would appear on the Qinhuai River on the east and west sides of the bridge. It becomes the origin of the famous view, Splited Moon in Qinhuai.

Not far from the Wende Bridge to the east is a single-hole stone bridge, originally named “Huang Gong Bridge”, which was built to commemorate Huang Guan, the scholar of the “Six Prefects”, and was later renamed Wenyuan Bridge, which echoes the Wende Bridge.

The World’s greatest Barbican, the Gate of China (Zhonghua Gate), is adjacent to the Inner Qinhuai River to the north and the Outer Qinhuai River to the south, and is one of the most important gates of Nanjing City. The Zhenhuai Bridge is located on the north side of the Zhonghua Gate, Above the River.

Bailuzhou (White Heron Island) Park was once the private garden of the famous Ming Dynasty general Xuda, and has several Stone Bridges, where there are also elaborate water shows for visitors to enjoy every night.