What You Need To Know

Nanjing formerly romanized as Nanking and Nankin, is the city situated in the heartland of lower Yangtze River region in China, which has long been a major centre of culture, education, research, politics, economy, transport networks and tourism. It is the capital city of Jiangsu province of People’s Republic of China and the second largest city in the east China region.
Many monuments and landmarks remain, including Zhonghua Gate (Gate of China), a preserved 14th-century section of the massive wall that contained the old city’s southern entrance.

Population: 8.23 million(2015)
Area: 6,596 km²

Currency

The official currency in China is the Renminbi (RMB or CNY) or in Chinese “Ren-min-bi”. The basic unit is the yuan (also known as “kuai”), which equals 10 jiao (or “mao”), which is then divided into 10 fen. Paper currency comes in 1.2,5,10,50 and 100 yuan notes. Paper jiao come in denominations of 1, 2, and 5. There are also 1 and 2 fen notes, but these are rarely used as they have no purchasing power. 1 yuan, 1 and 5 jiao, and 1, 2, and 5 fen coins are even common used in larger cities.
Major credit cards such as Master Card, Visa, JCB and American Express are accepted in major hotels and department stores. Check on the acceptance of your credit card before you purchase. Credit cards cannot be used in most restaurants or small convenience stores. Air Travel could be purchased with credit cards. Credit cards can be used to get a cash advance in the main offices of the Bank of China.

Climate

Nanjing has a humid subtropical climate with plenty of rainfall. The four seasons are distinct in Nanjing, with hot summers and cold winters. The spring is warm and humid, and the rainy season falls on June and July. In summer, Nanjing becomes one of the three “furnace cities” along the Yangtze River, together with Wuhan and Chongqing. Autumn is a short but the most pleasant season. Though considered a southern city in China, Nanjing is cold in winter with occasional snow. The average annual temperature is 16 °C (61 °F). The hottest month is July, with an average high of 32 °C (90 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (77 °F). The coldest month is January, with an average high of 7 °C (45 °F) and an average low of -1 °C (30 °F). The weather is overall humid in Nanjing, with about 117 rainy days yearly, and an annual average precipitation of 1106 millimeters (43.5 inches).

Language

Nanjing dialect or Nanjing Mandarin is a dialect spoken in Nanjing in China. It is part of the Jianghuai group of Mandarin Chinese varieties.

Safety

Nanjing is now officially the safest city in China – this was the honour of Hangzhou until a recent rise in hotel robberies put Hangzhou in the headlines. This doesn’t mean there are no risks. Pickpocketing is a problem in Fuzimiao as well as on crowded buses, the subway and around the main transport hubs. Because Nanjing has a relatively small number of foreigners for a city its size, the common scams seen in Shanghai and Beijing are almost non-existent, however you may still see the occasional dodgy salesman selling counterfeit goods in Fuzimiao.
Be careful if taking the bus to the airport from Zhonghuamen bus station as many touts claim to be the official bus service, however, there is a strong risk of being overcharged or driven to a location several kilometres from the actual airport. The official bus departs from Gate 7 and tickets should be paid for at the gate. Bus Tickets are ¥20 as of March 2010. The fee remains the same in July 2012. Also be careful of fake taxis operating from the bus stations and occasionally the railway station – always use the official taxi stand and ignore any taxi touts.

Health

it is easy to find pharmacies for common medicine. When you are traveling in villages or smaller cities, it may not be so easy to find pharmacies that provide services in your mother language. Thus it is suggested to take with you a supply of medicines that you think you might need.
In most hospitals where you receive medical care, an affiliated pharmacy or drug store to the hospital is usually available. Due to the language barrier, we suggest that you obtain your medicines prescription directly from your physician. For over-the-counter drugs or Chinese traditional medicine, find a reliable pharmacy, in which drug instruction is labeled appropriately and supplying information is provided in your language or English. Finally, ask your Chinese friends for help.
Due to differences in language and social habits, it is recommended that international travelers go to hospitals specifically designed for foreigners, which tends to provide services with the international standards. Ambulances do not carry sophisticated medical equipment, and ambulance personnel generally have little or no medical training. Therefore, injured or seriously ill patients should take taxis or other immediately available vehicles to the nearest major hospital rather than waiting for ambulances to arrive.

Education

Nanjing has been the educational center in southern China for more than 1700 years. There are 75 institutions of higher learning till 2013. The number of National key laboratories, National key disciplines and the academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering all rank third in the nation. It boasts some of the most prominent educational institutions in the region,

Getting Around

Taxis are a great way to get around and most trips will cost less than ¥25. The taxi driver should start the meter as soon as you are picked up (starting at ¥9); if the taxi driver doesn’t start using the meter and you don’t say anything he/she may assume you don’t know any better and overcharge you at the end of your journey. Ask for a printed receipt detailing the taxi number, kilometres travelled, times, and money exchanged from the driver upon exiting the taxi. Don’t expect to get a taxi during both the morning and afternoon rush hours; demand is high and the drivers make their shift changes around these times, too.
The metro is a clean, cheap, safe and fast way of getting from A to B quickly – the system has 6 lines and covers most of the central city and most important suburbs. Trains run every 6 to 8 minutes. Trains run from approx. 5am to 11pm. Single-journey tokens cost between 2 and 12 CNY depending on distance and can be purchased from vending machines in the station. Stored-value tickets are also available (see above) and give a 5{e3242be01fa3faf854c75e2220de9d1d9d0d132254f439d6f908deca9a55b894}discount and ￥0.4 discount when transfering to bus within 1 hour.
Buses are handy for getting around – particularly places that are inaccessible by subway, although Nanjing’s bus system feels a little aged compared to Hangzhou and Shanghai and has no English information.
Nanjing is fairly cycle-friendly with segregated bike lanes on most busy roads – however there are a lot of bikes on the road so care should be taken. Generally, the pace is quite slow, and some of the hills in the central-west part of the city can be tiring to climb (but fun and a little scary to descend). Although it’s possible to cycle up the Purple Mountain, it should be tackled in the early morning as the roads will be crammed with fast-moving bus and taxi traffic for most of the day, and the roads are narrow with no bike lanes. The bike/pedestrian path around the edge of Xuanwu Lake is a popular place for cyclists, as well as a popular racing ground for local motorcyclists – take care on the many blind corners.