Trifter

The cable car climbs Purple Mountain to a height of over 400 metres. There are 2 stages. At the top of the first stage you can disembark and visit the Astronomical Observatory. The second stage takes you to the pinnacle of the mountain.

The cable car is now quite old but it appears sturdy and there is a safety office for inspecting the cable car and it’s workings. It felt a little unsafe as I climbed on the seat but what intrepid traveler gives up on the opportunity to get to the top of the mountain in 30 minutes rather than walking for hours?

There was not a lot of traffic on the cable car. It seemed most of the locals had decided to walk. At 60 yuan per person that decision could be an economic one for many Chinese families.

On reaching the summit it became obvious that this is a very popular meeting place for the young  people of Nanjing. There were masses of people sitting around eating, drinking and chatting. And there were a few young men practicing archery, shooting and throwing darts. Mobile phones are as popular here as they are anywhere else in the world!

As we descended it became very clear (or not so clear) that Nanjing is a rather polluted city as are many in China. We could barely see the lake at the foot of the mountain and the city was shrouded in smog. This was on a clear autumn day at the end of a holiday week.