When international friends ask me where to go in China, most people would say Shanghai — and it is a city everyone knows. But if I had to choose for myself, I’d recommend Nanjing.

With over 2500 years of history and the legacy of six dynasties, Nanjing rests by the Yangtze River with quiet confidence. It’s a place where the past and present don’t compete — they blend.

You can hike up Purple Mountain to catch a misty sunrise, stroll through flame-red maples and ancient temples at Qixia, or drift down the Qinhuai River where lanterns light the water. Tiny Jiangnan-style gardens hide behind old walls, filled with bamboo shadows, mossy stones, and winding paths.

And then, there are the French plane trees. They stretch across the entire city like soft umbrellas. In summer, their leaves filter the sun into cool green shade. In autumn, they fall in golden waves overnight, blanketing every alley in a quiet crunch.

Nanjing is a city best explored on two wheels.

With an excellent bike-sharing system — just 0.2 USD a ride — you can glide from alley to avenue, past sunbathing cats and elderly couples chatting in thick Nanjing dialect. And when you’re tired, stop at a street corner for a bowl of steaming red bean soup with sticky rice balls, maybe a piece of mung bean cake too.