taking a rest from ‚re nao‘, the chinese expression for ‚hot and loud‘. for me, who is coming from a small town in the bavarian mountains, a city like nanjing with 7.5 million inhabitants is really stressful. so i did enjoy this quiet garden with the harmonious forms of the roofs, the ponds and the plants which look nice even in late autumn.

this bonsai i found in zhonghuamen, a restaurated gate in the 12 m high city wall – the longest in the world as the guide told me proudly – and an elder couple was taking care of these trees and enjoyed my attention. unfortunately i was to shy to ask them for the opportunity of a portrait…

zhonghuamen itself consists of three gates in a row, in between deep spaces where every enemy would become easy prey for the soldiers standing on the wall. notice the modern skyline of nanjing in the smog, not so far away.