Take a night visit to Nanjing museums

The Confucius Temple at night, with a statue of Confucius in the middle. [Photo/english.jschina.com.cn]

The city of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, is offering a refreshing visiting experience by opening many of its museums and cultural attractions to visitors at night.

The Jiangnan Examination Hall, which was built for the imperial examinations that decided who would serve the emperor and governors in ancient China, is one such example. Known as a place of tranquility, the hall is now a very popular tourist destination.

To the right of the hall is the Confucius Temple, a set of ancient houses for enshrining and worshipping Confucius, the role model for all Confucians who took the exam.

Only a handful of museums are open during the night in China, but experts are calling for more to follow Nanjing's lead.