Pearl Spring · Laoshan (Pukou)

Pearl Spring (bubbles rising like pearls, 'ten thousand bushels of bright pearls'), Laoshan National Forest Park (green lung of the Yangtze's north bank); Foshou Lake Sifang Contemporary Art Lake District (a cluster of galleries by 24 international architects). When the spring water gushes up from the pool bottom, strings of bubbles rise like pearls, and they grow even denser when visitors clap and cheer — the marvel of 'ten thousand bushels of bright pearls' has been recorded since the Ming dynasty, earning it the title 'the foremost scenic spot north of the Yangtze.' Pearl Spring sits at the foot of Laoshan National Forest Park, the green lung of Nanjing's Yangtze north bank, with extensive forest trails and camping lawns; by Foshou (Buddha's Hand) Lake at the foot of the mountain, the Sifang Contemporary Art Lake District consists of one building each by 24 Chinese and international architects including Arata Isozaki, Wang Shu and Steven Holl, scattered among the lake and wooded hills — an 'open-air architecture museum' in the eyes of architecture fans.

Getting there: Metro Line 3, transfer to bus / self-drive via the river-crossing tunnel