This year, besides home and school, the place I visited the most was Nanchang. Let me write about my impressions of Nanchang.
Although many classmates study at universities in Nanchang, and although I am not far from Nanchang, since I started university, I have only briefly stopped at Nanchang Station or Nanchang West Station to transfer trains. I didn't meet any classmates or have meals with them. Now I think it's a pity that I didn't explore Nanchang in my first and second years of university.
In February of this year, on my birthday, my girlfriend had a provincial exam, so we went to Nanchang together. In May, my girlfriend had a career exam, so we went to Nanchang for a day trip. In June, we happened to catch the Nanchang International Dragon Boat Race, and since we had never seen a dragon boat race before, we went to Nanchang to join in the excitement. With these three trips to Nanchang, my impressions of the city have become more enriched.
Subway#
My trip to Nanchang also gave me many "firsts," one of which was my first time riding the subway. From getting off the train to entering the subway station, I felt like Liu Laolao entering the Grand View Garden, like a rural person entering the city. It felt like entering a new world, and all I had in my mind were exclamation marks and question marks.
Before going to Nanchang, I specifically asked about how to ride the subway and things like buying tickets. It's much more convenient for people who use smartphones. With Alipay, you can scan and ride the subway. This is where I had a problem. How do people without smartphones or those who don't use smartphones ride the subway? My girlfriend said they can buy tickets, like coins.
We didn't even have to leave the train station, we went straight into the subway station. Later, I learned that there are subway stations at the train stations too. Once inside the station, we waited for the next subway train. At that time, taking pictures of the subway was popular, so my girlfriend and I took a few pictures at the subway station.
Nanchang has 4 subway lines, and it passes through many places. I asked my girlfriend if we could visit all of Nanchang by riding all 4 lines, and she said no, there are still many places that the subway doesn't reach.
During the February trip to Nanchang, we rode the subway all the way to Xiejiacun Station. When we got off the train, we found ourselves directly at Dream City, a shopping mall. I thought shopping malls were supposed to be on the ground, but we ended up taking escalators to reach the ground.
The subway gave me the impression of convenience and speed, although sometimes it can be crowded. Line 1 gave me my first experience of squeezing into a subway. Another point is that it's cheap. I've been to Nanchang three times, and the subway fare is usually around 2-6 yuan. Compared to taking a taxi or a shared electric scooter, the subway is much cheaper.
Food#
The first meal I had in Nanchang was at "Old San Yang" in Dream City. It had a decoration style from the last century, enthusiastic waiters, and super spicy lotus root slices. Lotus root slices seem to be very common in Nanchang, and you can often find them as street snacks.
I also tried crab leg rice noodles, a famous dish in Jiangxi. It's not just about being delicious, it's all about the spiciness.
A long time ago, I saw many videos about "Zhujie Street" on Douyin (Chinese version of TikTok). It was said that there were many types and varieties of street food there. I wanted to take notes of what to eat when I went to Zhujie Street.
When I arrived at Zhujie Street, my impression was that it was crowded. There were indeed many street snacks, and many people were lining up. The road was narrow, and it happened to be a weekend night, so we had to line up for every step we took. So that day, it seemed like we only ate iron plate tofu and sticky rice dumplings.
If I remember correctly, not far from Zhujie Street is "Wanshou Palace." Before coming to Wanshou Palace, I thought it was just a place to burn incense and worship gods, but I didn't expect it to be such a large cultural and food street. It's crowded! There are many delicious foods! Especially for Kun tea, after placing an order, we went to other places for a long time and then returned to the shop. We still had to wait for a long time to get our order.
Scenery#
For people visiting Nanchang, the place they most want to go to is probably "Tengwang Pavilion."
I am no exception. Near Tengwang Pavilion are the library and the museum, but that day we only went to Tengwang Pavilion. My girlfriend hadn't been there for a long time, so we wandered around Tengwang Pavilion for a while before figuring out how to go up.
After entering Tengwang Pavilion, we found that there was an elevator inside. It's easy to tell that these buildings have been rebuilt, and they have a strong modern feel. The only historical atmosphere I could see was probably some artifacts exhibited inside Tengwang Pavilion. When we reached the top floor and looked down at the Gan River, I felt a bit like "standing on top of the world, overlooking all the mountains."
Later, we went to "Shengjin Pagoda," but it wasn't the right time. It was under maintenance, so we couldn't go in. We could only take a photo from a distance outside.
In June, during this trip to Nanchang, we spent a long time at Jiulong Lake Park and Lucerne Town. The dragon boat race was also held near Jiulong Lake, which is a great place for a post-meal walk with family and friends. However, Lucerne Town nearby seemed quite deserted, except for some merchants who came for the dragon boat race, we didn't see any other shops open.
There are still some places with Nanchang characteristics that I haven't been to, such as the August 1st Uprising Memorial Hall. I hope to leave our footprints there next time.
Others#
On the way, I saw middle school students going home after school, and they were all riding electric scooters. I'm not surprised that they are day students, but I'm surprised that electric scooters have become their common means of transportation. It's the first time I've seen this.
Nanchang seems to like using other place names as road names, such as Shanghai Road, Guangzhou Road, Nanjing East Road, Beijing East Road, Jiujian Street, Jinggangshan Avenue, and so on. Riding an electric scooter in Nanchang feels like traveling around the country.
Before leaving, we visited Uniqlo and H&M for a while. It's been a long time since I've been to a clothing store in a shopping mall, and this experience was different. There were no salespeople following you, recommending and asking you. I felt very relaxed and free. If I liked a piece of clothing, I would just take it and try it on. If I didn't like it, I would put it in a designated area. If I liked it, I would just take it and pay. There were no salespeople, only stockers and cashiers. But this is not unique to Nanchang. All Uniqlo, H&M, and similar stores operate this way.
My overall impression of Nanchang can be summarized in a few words:
Crowded, lively, subway, spicy.
I really like Nanchang and will come back in the future.