Yihe Road Mansion Area

An upscale residential quarter of Republican-era Nanjing, where more than 200 garden villas in various foreign styles were built across twelve plots in the 1920s-1930s; streets of grey-and-yellow façades, wrought-iron railings and plane trees are summed up as "one Yihe Road, half the history of the Republic", making it the best-preserved district of Republican-era cityscape in Nanjing. The mansions along the way once housed military and political leaders and celebrities; most inner courtyards are not open to the public, so the visit is mainly a stroll through the lanes admiring the building façades. Librairie Avant-Garde's Yihe Book House sits in an old corner building, where you can step in for a rest. In late spring plane-tree fluff fills the air, and in late autumn leaves carpet the streets—a classic route for city photography and CityWalks.

Getting there: Metro Line 1/4, Gulou Station