After the long walk through the Sacred Way, we arrived at the Great Golden Gate (大金门). It serves as the original, main southern entrance to the UNESCO World Heritage Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum complex, built in the early 14th century for Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (朱元璋).
Constructed in 1381, this massive rectangular gate is made of brick and stone, featuring three arched portals. Its design includes traditional yellow glazed roof tiles, which denoted royal exclusivity.
Immediately behind the gate sat the Sifangcheng Pavilion (Square City - 四方城), which houses a giant stone tablet carried by a mythical dragon-headed tortoise (Bixi - 赑屃) dedicated to praising the emperor's rule.
Next, we came to Meiling Palace (美龄宫). Situated on Xiaohong Mountain at the southern foothills of Purple Mountain, the Meiling Palace is famously dubbed the "First Villa in the Far East." Completed in 1934, it was originally built as the official residence for the Chairman of the National Government but famously became the favored retreat of leader Chiang Kai-shek (蒋介石) and his prominent wife, Soong Mei-ling (宋美龄).
The interior of the Meiling Palace is famously celebrated as a masterpiece of "East Meets West" eclectic design, seamlessly fusing 1930s high-end Western luxury with traditional Chinese aesthetics. Many of the meticulous layout choices and stylistic touches were personally directed by Soong Mei-ling, reflecting her Cosmopolitan, American-educated upbringing.
The main building spans a basement level and three above-ground floors, laid out with distinct functional purposes. Originally acting as the mechanical heartbeat of the villa, the basement housed the primary boiler room, kitchen, and guardrooms. This floor has been partially converted into a cultural exhibition space. It prominently showcases Soong Mei-ling’s personal brushwork, Chinese calligraphy, and paintings, providing a window into her creative world.
The 2nd floor served as the prime venue for high-society gatherings, international press conferences, and state dinners. Anchored by a long Western-style teak dining table, the Banquet Hall is detailed with fine carvings of "pine, bamboo, and plum" patterns. The table is still dressed in replicas of the custom silver tableware engraved with the characters "Meiling" used to host international diplomats.
The Living Spaces features an elegant salon complete with a vintage piano, oil paintings, lace floral curtains, and classic Western candle holders, echoing a luxury hotel suite from the era. Today, a portion of this floor also houses the popular First Lady Café.
Just outside the grand banquet and reception hall, we came to a large, convex-shaped ("凸") open-air balcony known as the Phoenix Viewing Terrace (观凤台).
The topmost level was reserved strictly for the family's private life and spiritual practices.
Triumph Hall (凯旋堂) is a private, Western-style Christian chapel where Chiang and Soong regularly worshipped. It is furnished with neat rows of polished wooden pews and pointed gothic-style structures, serving as a reminder of Soong Mei-ling's deep Methodist faith.
The Master Bedroom is a spacious, sunlit retreat featuring plush mahogany furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows. The windows are deliberately positioned to frame views of the surrounding Purple Mountain canopy, allowing morning light to bathe the room.
After visiting Meiling Palace, we decided to leave the area as the heat was getting unbearable. On our way towards Muxuyuan Metro Station (苜蓿园站), we walked along Lingyuan Road (陵园路), widely known on social media as Nanjing's iconic Wutong Avenue (梧桐大道). The road was bordered by towering, century-old French plane trees (梧桐) planted in 1929. Their massive branches interlock perfectly overhead, forming an enclosed, emerald cathedral ceiling that filters sunlight into dancing patches of gold on the pavement.
As we were about to enter the metro station, we passed by an air-conditioned supermarket and without any hesitation, we immediately went in to escape from the outdoor heat. In fact, we had our lunch there at a food court inside the supermarket.
By the time we finished our lunch, we had cooled down and took the metro to Daxinggong Station (大行宫站) where the Presidential Palace was just next to it.
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