Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum

The mausoleum of Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), the great pioneer of Chinese revolution, was built after his death from 1926-29 on the southern side of the Zhongshan Mountain in the eastern suburb of Nanjing. It has since been designated as a national tourist resort. The 73-meter-tall mausoleum, situated 159 meters above sea level, is composed of a 392 flagstone stairway, a pavilion with a stone tablet under its roof, a memorial hall and the tomb. A marble statue of the deceased in a reclining position is placed in the tomb chamber and beneath the statue lies his remains. The entire layout, which covers 80,000 square meters, takes the shape of a giant bell, looking solemn and breathtaking between a vast plain and a green smudge of mountains.

Purple Mountain Observatory

Purple Mountain Observatory is located on Tianbao Peak in the east of Zijinshan. Set up in 1928, it is now the site of Zijinshan Observatory of China Academy of Sciences. In addition to the modern scientific instruments, there are also some precious ancient astronomical instruments and apparatus exhibited.