Memorial Hall of the Nánjīng Massacre

Hands down the best 'sight', if it can be called such, in Nánjīng. The unsettling exhibits at the Memorial Hall of the Nánjīng Massacre document the atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers against the civilian population during the occupation of Nánjīng in 1937. They include pictures of actual executions – many taken by Japanese army photographers – and a gruesome viewing hall built over a mass grave of massacre victims. Detailed captions are in English, Japanese and Chinese, but the photographs, skeletons and displays tell their own haunting stories without words. At times it feels a little overwhelming but visitors might begin to understand that the massacre is deeply linked to the identity of the city. Get there early to beat the surge of people.

It's in the city's southwestern suburbs; take bus Y4 from Zhōnghuá Gate or Nánjīng west train station (南京西站;Nánjīng Xīzhàn). Get off at subway line 2 Jíqìngdàjīe station (集庆门大街站).