Pixeldawg Loc: Suzhou, China

In China, every night is like being in Las Vegas. Lights are everywhere and it is a really beautiful place to be at night. During the Chinese New Year holiday though, the lighting is given a bit of extra flair and you see these red lanterns everywhere. It is really beautiful and I enjoy living here during that time of the year. This photo is from one of the city wall gates in Nanjing. Nanjing is the provincial capitol of Jiangsu province, where I live and work. It is an ancient city, too at well over 2500 years old. The walls for the "old city" have been preserved and restored. One of my very fondest memories with my wife- actually the very moment I knew I wanted to spend my life with her was while walking atop one of these walls at night and seeing the crowds with all of the lights below us and realizing that there was no one I would rather be with. One of the smartest things I've done with my life, too.


One of the most interesting things about these gates is the doors. Here, they have been removed, but on most gates there are doors and these barriers always have these large solid brass studs- shaped in semi-circles. These indicate the importance of the person who owns the land and fortress. You can have up to 81 of these studs on a door. This amount (9 across and 9 down) symbolizes the emperor and he is the only person allowed such a high count. All others are below this amount. Since Nanjing was the capitol city (several times in its' history, in fact) many of the doors have a very high count and one- the main entrance to the city, has a full 81. At the start of WW2, Nanjing was the capitol city and the focal point of the Japanese occupation and slaughter of 300,000 Chinese within the city during a 6 week period in late 1938 and early 1939. If you ever visit this city and are lucky enough to stumble across a person who lived through this, listen to what they have to say. A horrific time for these people and something that effects them deeply, even today, nearly 80 years later.


I love Nanjing for its' history and beauty, but as a capitol, I find it somewhat backwards in comparison to Suzhou and other larger cities within the province. There are also times that people have been quite rude here as well. This is particularly true for my wife. Still, the city itself is wonderful and if you come to China, is a must-see location. If you can't make it, just enjoy the image. :-) Thanks for your interest and have a great day, one and all!


Here's the photo:

BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten

Beautifull picture and wonderfull info.

ChuckMc Loc: Prescott, AZ

Very interesting picture -thanks for sharing. Without the colors, it reminds me of one I took in Albania.

Pixeldawg Loc: Suzhou, China

You are welcome to post it here to show the similarities and differences. :-)

ChuckMc Loc: Prescott, AZ

I hesitate to send this because: 1-Absolutely no PP. 2-The association w/your pic is simply the arches... that and for each of us the pictures have personal importance because of our respective trips. In this case, the pic was taken in Butrint, Albania. This is a low-land, marshy area that was used over the centuries by serial civilizations. Each of their buildings can be identified by the style of masonry construction.
As a side note, I follow geopolitical issues and used to have a Special Compartmented Security Clearance. After getting out of the Navy, I was restricted from foreign travel for 5 years. I could not believe that I was actually in Albania as it used to be rabid Communist.

Pixeldawg Loc: Suzhou, China

I am happy you shared this and thank you for taking the time to do that. I saw this and immediately thought of the Romans. Looks very typical for their arch style. I can only imagine the tales you can tell from those Navy days. My brother was an intel photographer on a P3 Orion and was in VP5 in Jacksonville, known as "The Mad Foxes". They chased and tracked subs going to Cuba and I loved their squadron patch motto- "In God we trust, all others we monitor". :-) And thank you for your service in my country's military, too. It is a difficult life and your efforts are greatly appreciated by me.