Purple Mountain

Zijinshan rises to about four hundred and fifty metres on the eastern edge of Nanjing, named for the purple cast its shale takes in certain light, and it holds an unusual concentration of sites across its slopes: the Ming Xiaoling tomb, the Linggu Temple with its beamless brick hall of 1381, the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum with its stairway of three hundred and ninety-two steps climbing to a domed tomb hall, and the Purple Mountain Observatory, founded in 1934 and once China's principal astronomical institution, now largely a museum with historic instruments including Ming bronze armillary spheres. Cable cars and shuttle buses link the sites, and the forest itself is heavily used for walking.

What you actually see

• The Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum - the 392-step stairway to a domed tomb hall.
• The Purple Mountain Observatory - historic instruments including Ming bronzes.
• Linggu Temple - the beamless brick hall of 1381 and the pagoda.
• The forest - wooded slopes with paths and viewpoints over Nanjing.

When to go

March to May and September to November; the mountain is at its best in late autumn. Nanjing summers are severe. The Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum requires advance booking and free tickets, which can run out.

Honest expectations

Sites are far apart and shuttle buses or long walks are needed. Several require separate tickets or advance reservation. The mausoleum stairway is steep and busy. Weekends and holidays bring very large crowds.

Nearby

Xuanwu Lake lies west at the mountain's foot; central Nanjing is beyond it.