The visitors are outnumbered by staff, who are busy swiping Douyin. But of course, it’s only a rainy Thursday in Zhenjiang (镇江). What made me go here is Xinjindu (西津渡), an old navy harbor named after where the ferry would cross the Yangtze river, a long long time ago, connecting the southern Wu kingdom with its northern bit.

The view from the Yuntai Pavilion (云台阁), a patchwork of old, new, and rainclouds.

It’s a nice city with over one million people, edged in the crossing of the Yangtze and the Grand Canal — famous for its vinegar, so I’m going back to Shanghai with a bottle and reading material at my level. (Chinkiang is the old romanized spelling.)