Nanjing Plum Blossom Hill

Nanjing Plum Blossom Hill

Nanjing Plum Blossom Hill

Plum Blossom Hill is an ordinary hill only 55 meters above sea level at the foot of Zhongshan Mountain in the eastern suburbs of Nanjing. From a natural landscape perspective, it hardly holds any significant status, yet it possesses a unique cultural importance.

For Nanjing, Plum Blossom Hill is no longer just an ordinary hill, but an important “cultural space.” It serves as a key venue for the Nanjing Plum Blossom Festival. In the year 252 AD, Sun Quan, the Great Emperor of the Wu Kingdom, passed away at the age of 71 and was buried on a high ridge south of Zhongshan Mountain. His mausoleum is historically known as “Jiangling,” and the burial site came to be called “Sun’s Tomb Ridge,” which is today’s Plum Blossom Hill.

Sun Quan’s decision set a precedent for subsequent famous emperors or politicians who established their capitals in Nanjing to favor Zhongshan Mountain as a burial site, making him also the originator of Zhongshan’s imperial tomb culture. There are no fewer than 10 “imperial-level” figures buried on Zhongshan Mountain, but only three were laid to rest at the main or prime locations—on the main peak or beneath the eastern, central, and western peaks. These are Sun Quan at Plum Blossom Hill, Zhu Yuanzhang at the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, and Dr. Sun Yat-sen at the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum.

In 1944, after Wang Jingwei died in Japan, his remains were transported back to Nanjing and buried here, leading to the official renaming of the site as Plum Blossom Hill. In 1946, the Nationalist government demolished Wang Jingwei’s tomb and built a structure called “Plum Blossom Viewing Pavilion” on the former burial grounds, which is now the building atop the hill. Since then, plum blossoms have flourished both inside and outside the area. The current site spans nearly 140,000 square meters and is planted with over 13,000 plum trees of more than 200 varieties.

Viewing and appreciating plum blossoms is a folk tradition in Nanjing, and the city has a long history of planting and admiring plum blossoms that continues unbroken from the Six Dynasties period to the present. When spring arrives and the plum blossoms are in full bloom, tens of thousands of plum trees on Plum Blossom Hill burst into color, layer upon layer, creating an ocean of blossoms and fragrance. The mountain becomes a sea of flowers, attracting 400,000 to 500,000 visitors who come to admire the blossoms, with a continuous stream of tourists enjoying the view.

Address: Southern Foot of Purple Mountain, Xuanwu District, Nanjing

Type: Botanical Garden / Mountain

Rating: AAAAA

Recommended Visit Duration: 2–4 hours

Tel: 025-84431174 (Inquiry); 025-84437786 (Ticketing)

Official Website: http://zschina.nanjing.gov.cn/mxljq/

Opening Hours:

March – October: 6:30–18:30; November – February (next year): 6:30–18:00

Ticket Information:

No separate admission fee. Included with the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum ticket, not sold individually. Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum (including Ming Xiaoling, Plum Blossom Hill, Plum Blossom Valley, Red Chamber Art Garden, and Zixia Lake): 70 RMB. There is also a Zhongshan Scenic Area combo ticket for 100 RMB, which includes Ming Xiaoling, Linggu Temple, the Music Stage, and Meiling Palace.