Sweet and Sour Nanjing

Nanjing - the capital of Jiangsu Province- was my first stop in China. Not so many European tourists go to Nanjing, but I had to consider it from the beginning, because my Italian friends were living there (So, I really couldn’t not pay them a visit). We shared so many beautiful moments together! By the way, I would suggest you to stay at the five stars Nanjing Grand Hotel as I did. It’s a very nice one, its rooms are clean and the staff speaks a good English (so you won't have problems with communicating your needs). I was offered a very wide and well equipped room with a view (see the first picture below) at the 8th floor, which I really enjoyed.

Altogether, my stay in Nanjing was kinda hard to endure because of the very poor air quality. Unfortunately, the city witnessed the worst week of air-pollution ever (check here Reuters report). My friends and I tried to wear the surgical masks, although we knew that wasn't effective against pollution. To be honest, it's really hard to accept the Government's negligence for what concerns its citizens health and well being. On the other hand, the high speed economic growth is absolutely impressive.

Here are some of the places I visited:

The Fashion Lady Mall!

Fuzi Miao (the Confucian Temple area), where you can have a cruise tour on the Qin Huai, a branch of the great Yangtze River, the longest in Asia and third-longest in the world.

Dragons Wall in Fuzi Miao.

Everywhere in Nanjing I could find men gathered around a small table playing cards, even on the boat.

Xiaoling Mausoleum of Ming Dynasty, which lies at the Southern foot of Zhongshan (the Purple Mountain), is really worth an all-day visit: that especially if you had enough of the noisy Nanjing City, you would definitely appreciate the quietness and freshness of the surrounding nature. At the Mausoleum, you can have a nice walk along the Spirit Way and learn about this Unesco world heritage site.

My friends and I accidentally came across this beautiful red building.

If you want to have a vibrant night out, I recommend going to the Nanjing 1912 District. I was surprised to see young Chinese people living a very westernised party life. Every club has its unique design and music style! I am not to be considered a party girl, because clubs are generally not my thing; however, If I am travelling I am very likely to live a city at its full potential (Of course!).

At Enzo Club, wearing:

 Shirt Burburry

Skirt Adolfo Dominguez Costura

Watch Hublot

Welcome to China!

As you already know from my first post, I travel quiet often and the last country I have been to is the great China. So, I am gonna take you with me on a eleven days tour around three different big cities: Nanjing, Beijing and Shanghai. I shall start from the flight itself which has been really long, but relaxing and comfortable at the same time. I traveled on a business class with the Emirates from Tunisia to Dubai to Shanghai. Usually, I get bored after two hours flight, but this time I have to admit that I enjoyed the whole trip. The staff was really professional, very welcoming and courteous. The menus were also as good as the selection of movies. The seat was so comfortable! Ah, I wish I could have the same one at home!!! I was quiet satisfied with everything, to be honest! The Emirates really deserves to be ranked first at the world's best airlines 2013!

As I arrived to Shanghai I have immediately noticed that only a very few natives could understand and speak English. So, that was a big issue for me because I don’t speak any Chinese. Also my friends who study Mandarin and have been living in Nanjing for more than six months find it difficult to fully interact with the natives. They explained, some Chinese would react weirdly whenever they meet foreign people and especially from the West. I find that quiet normal since everywhere in the world you would come across many clichés and stereotypes. Just to mention a very simple example: Italians are believed to have a high sense of fashion and quality, which is partially true but that does not necessarily apply to everyone. So, during my stay in China I was stopped many times and asked questions about my provenance, etc. Some locals took pictures with me, others invited me to take a cup of tea with them. If you think this is odd, then you will find it rude when some point their fingers at you or just stare at you or they would simply run away from you if you try to stop them and ask for information (even in Chinese). Crazy!!...Well, that was my first impression too! :D