[2025 Nanjing Attraction] Travel Guide for Wuchaomen Park (Updated Mar)

Spring in Nanjing hides in the snowball viburnums of Wuchaomen Park, like spring kneaded into creamy balls, so healing. 📍Wuchaomen Park 🚇Directions Take Metro Line 2 to Minggugong Station, exit from Exit 3, turn left and walk straight for about 200 meters, and you will see the red wall, which is Wuchaomen Park. This is the most convenient way to avoid traffic jams. 🎫Tickets: Free 🕐Opening hours: 6:00 - 21:00 📕History Wuchaomen Park is located at the north end of Yudao Street inside Zhongshan Gate in Nanjing. It is named after the Meridian Gate (commonly known as Wuchaomen) of the Ming Palace to the south of the park. The Nanjing Ming Palace was the blueprint for the Forbidden City in Beijing and was the first imperial palace of a unified dynasty in Nanjing's history. Its construction began in 1366 and lasted for one year. It served as the imperial palace for the first three emperors of the Ming Dynasty—Hongwu, Jianwen, and Yongle—for 54 years. It was not until 1421, when Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty moved the capital to Beijing, that the Nanjing Ming Palace ended its mission as the imperial palace of the dynasty, but its status remained important. Today, the park still retains precious cultural relics and historical traces such as the Meridian Gate, the Jade Belt River, the Inner Jinshui Bridge, the Nine Dragon Wall, and more than 500 stone-carved round arched water tank bases, witnessing the glory of the past. 🌸Snowball Viburnum The best viewing period is from late March to April, when the snowball viburnums are in full bloom. Large, full white flower balls hang from the branches, clusters upon clusters, appearing particularly holy and beautiful against the backdrop of the ancient city walls. The gentle breeze blows, and the flowers sway gently, tender and romantic. Every petal exudes the freshness of spring, making people unable to resist indulging in it. The sunlight filters through the flowers, casting dappled light and shadows. Whether you're taking photos of people or scenery, it's superb, and every shot is a limited edition spring blockbuster.📸

The park takes its name from the Meridian Gate (Wumen) of the Ming Palace, hence the name Wuchaomen. The Ming Palace served as the imperial palace during the early Ming Dynasty, from its founding in 1368 until the capital was moved to Beijing in 1421. The palace was later destroyed, leaving only ruins. The Meridian Gate, once the main entrance to the palace, is now part of the park. Key attractions within the park include the ruins of the Meridian Gate, stone carvings, remnants of the imperial road, and the park's landscaping. The Meridian Gate ruins showcase architectural features such as arched doorways and Sumeru pedestals. The stone carvings display elements of Ming Dynasty artistry, including cloud patterns, floral motifs, dragons, and phoenixes. The remnants of the imperial road, now likely just some remaining stone slabs, offer a glimpse into the past. The park itself is well-landscaped with a variety of trees and plants, such as pines, cypresses, ginkgoes, and flowers, creating a scenic environment that changes with the seasons and is perfect for leisurely strolls.

Zhongshan Road leads to Xinjiekou on the Zhongshan East Road, there is the Nanjing Museum, there is the Ming Palace ruins, and there is the afternoon gate. The history of Nanjing is too heavy. If you walk like this, you can meet the memories and traces of those vicissitudes. Wuchaomen, officially named Wumen, is the south gate of the Ming Palace in Nanjing, so the door is in the middle of the sun, and it is a meridian, hence the name of the noon. Wuchaomen Park was named after the Noon Gate in the south of the park. In 1958, the location of Wumen and Fengtian Temple was turned into a park. This is also a place of attraction, and there are not many tourists visiting today. Perhaps the scenery is not amazing, but I think this is the most authentic portrayal of a dynasty. After the vicissitudes of the vicissitudes of life, it is even more touching.