Chaotian Palace (Nanjing Municipal Museum)

Ming Hongwu-era site where civil and military officials rehearsed court etiquette before paying homage (the largest surviving ancient building complex in Jiangnan), Lingxing Gate and Dacheng Hall; Yeshan Spring-and-Autumn Garden (site of the Spring and Autumn period Wu state's bronze smelting). Chaotian Palace takes its name from the Hongwu-era rule that the hundred officials rehearsed rituals here before paying homage to the emperor. The surviving complex is a Qing-restored Confucian temple rising step by step along a central axis — Lingxing Gate, Dacheng Hall and Chongsheng Hall climbing ever higher — one of the largest and best-preserved ancient building complexes in Jiangnan. Beneath Yeshan Hill lie the smelting remains of the Spring and Autumn period Wu state, the origin of the name "Yecheng" (Smelting City); today it houses the Nanjing Municipal Museum, with permanent displays of Six Dynasties artifacts and urban archaeology finds, and the "Little Forbidden City of Nanjing" photo angles on the red walls are hugely popular on social media.

Getting there: Metro Line 1, Zhangfuyuan Station / Line 2, Shanghai Road Station