Visited Nanjing recently and made the mistake of going during a holiday. People everywhere. Like, everywhere.
Hit up Hongshan Forest Zoo super early and managed to snap a photo of a koala sleeping which was adorable. Still kinda bummed I missed the koala weighing session though. That zoo is huge, spent the whole day there and still felt like I didn't see everything.
Then we went to Niushoushan. Had zero idea what it was before showing up. And honestly? It blew me away. It's like someone combined a temple with a memorial hall but made it modern. There's this palace built inside a massive pit, covered in gold reliefs and Buddha statues. The dome is giant, the design feels almost futuristic, and even with tourists packed in everywhere it still hit hard visually. Was not expecting that at all.
2-5. Niushoushan Buddha's Top Palace, Nanjing