Purple Mountain (Nanjing)
Purple Mountain or Zijin Shan is located on the eastern side of Nanjing in Jiangsu province, China. It is high, with it being the highest in Nanjing when compared to other mountains in the city. Its peaks are often found enveloped in purple and golden clouds at dawn and dusk, hence its name.
A small mountain with an area of about, the altitude of Purple Mountain at the top and foot of the mountain is about and respectively. The annual average rainfall is to, and the average annual sunshine time is about 1,855–2,059 hours. Purple Mountain is a mountain related to many historical events of both ancient and modern China. It was originally known as Bell Mountain and also became known as Mount Jiang after Sun Quan named Jiang Ziwen, an Eastern Han official whose spirit was said to haunt the site, as the mountain's god during the Three Kingdoms era. The name Zijin means "copper" - when copper is pure, it appears purple in color, so in Chinese, it is also called purple-gold. It is also named Mount Jinling, due to its purple rocks. Jinling means "the mount of purple-gold". It is the origin of the nickname "Jinling" of Nanjing. During the Ming dynasty, it was also called Mount Shenlie.
More than 200 heritage and scenic tourist sites are now located in or around the mountain, including three national historical sites, nine provincial historical sites, and 33 prefectural historical sites. Located in or close to the hillside of the mountain, there are also about a dozen national research institutes and universities. The Xiao Mausoleum, burial place of the Hongwu Emperor and his family, is at the southern foot of the mountain. The Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, the tomb of Sun Yat-sen, and the Meiling Palace, the residence of Soong Meiling, are located at the foot of the mountain. Within the grounds of the nearby Linggu Temple are the tombs of Tan Yankai and Deng Yanda.
Purple Mountain has 621 species of vascular plants, from 383 genera, 118 families.