Chaotian Palace 朝天宫Cháotiān Gōng

About Chaotian Palace

Rebuilt from 1384 as Nanjing's leading Taoist temple, where the Ming court's Taoist registry sat and officials rehearsed court ceremonies, the complex on Yeshan hill was wrecked in the Taiping war and rebuilt in 1865–69 as the Confucian temple and school of Jiangning prefecture. Its Qing gates, Dacheng Hall and the halls on the hill behind are described as the largest and best-preserved group of official-style historic buildings in the Jiangnan region, and in 1936 a vault was built in the grounds for Palace Museum treasures evacuated from Beijing. It now houses the Nanjing Municipal Museum, whose permanent exhibitions cover the city's history, highlights of its collection and Song and Ming dress excavated in Nanjing.

How to get to Chaotian Palace

On Mochou Road in Qinhuai District about 1.5 km west of Xinjiekou, a few minutes' walk from Chaotiangong station on Metro Line 5. Closed on Mondays except public holidays.

Nearby

• Fuzimiao and the Qinhuai River 夫子庙—秦淮风光带 under 10 km
  Nanjing's lantern-lit Confucius Temple quarter, beside painted boats on the Qinhuai
• City Wall of Nanjing 南京城墙 under 10 km
  The Ming capital's brick ramparts, anchored by the vast fortress of Zhonghua Gate
• Purple Mountain & Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum 南京钟山风景区 under 10 km
  A forested mountain on Nanjing's edge, crowned by a blue-roofed hilltop tomb

Also within 20 km: Taiping Murals on Tangzi Street 堂子街太平天国壁画 (under 10 km), Former Residence of Gan Xi 甘熙故居 (under 10 km), Mochou Lake Park 莫愁湖公园 (under 10 km), Jinling Scriptural Press 金陵刻经处 (under 10 km), Zhan Garden 瞻园 (under 10 km), John Rabe House 拉贝故居 (under 10 km).

On the map

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Learn more

• Wikipedia
• Wikipedia (Chinese)