Tale of two cities

Nanjing and Shaoxing are two famous cities both easily accessible from Shanghai. They are well known for their rich culture and storied bodies of water. Gao Changxin explores historical Nanjing and Yang Yuqing takes in the winter beauty of Shaoxing.

Getting away from the treadmill in your hotel gym and jogging around the lotus-covered Xuanwu Lake will add a refreshing and healthy twist to your trip to Nanjing.

That is, if the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall, the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum are not enough reason already for you to visit, or you feel the need to re-set your mood after taking in those attractions tinged with tragedy.

Lacing up your sneakers and working up a sweat in the same place ancient Chinese emperors once strolled is not only good exercise, but also a unique experience.

Set in the middle of Nanjing's urban center, the lake stretches 15 km in circumference, with 4 km lined by an ancient city wall. The city park is dotted with five islands interconnected by arch bridges.

Legend has it that king Sun Quan (182-252) had thousands of laborers dig the lake out and fill it with water. Royal family members hunted and exercised at the lake during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-960).

During the Song Dynasty (960–1279), the lake was made a "forbidden land" for naval exercises.

The best starting point for a jog is Xuanwu Gate. Hardcore joggers can turn left at the gate and go for a 15 km mini-marathon around the lake.

Make sure you climb up the 20-meter-tall city wall. With bricks infused with the 500 year history of Nanjing at your feet, a modern neon-light dotted city landscape to your left and the serene view of the lake to your right, your mind will be too busy taking in the past and present, modern and primitive to feel any pain in your legs.

Different from the ancient city walls in Beijing and Xi'an, which accentuate equilibrium and symmetry, Zhu Yuanzhang (1328-1398), the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, adopted a winding, free style for the city wall in Nanjing based on the city's complicated topography.