Qinhuai River

The Qinhuai River (秦淮河) runs through the heart of old Nanjing, forming the natural boundary of the Confucius Temple precinct. For over a thousand years, the river's banks were the city's entertainment district — floating restaurants, opera boats, and pleasure craft packed the water. The current riverside development preserves the traditional-style buildings and lantern-lit atmosphere.

Evening boat rides leave from several quays near the Confucius Temple and run for about 30 minutes through the lit section of the canal. The view from the water — lanterns, reflections, the silhouette of old buildings — is Nanjing at its most atmospheric. By day the area is busier and more commercial; the magic is mainly nocturnal.

things to do sight waterway boat trip
A story
The Qinhuai River produced some of the most famous poetry in Chinese literary history — Tang poets wrote longingly about the painted boats and the music drifting across the water at night. The courtesan Li Xiangjun, who refused to perform for a Qing general after the fall of the Ming dynasty, is commemorated in a small memorial in the old pleasure quarter. Her story was the basis for the opera "Peach Blossom Fan," one of the most performed works of traditional Chinese theatre.