Nanjing Metro Line 3 to start full operation on April 1. [Photo/news.longhoo.net]

Connecting major tourist attractions and railway stations from north to the south of the Yangtze River, Nanjing Metro Line 3 will begin operations between Linchang Station and East Mozhou Road Station on April 1.

Extending a distance of 44.87 kilometers, Line 3 has 29 stops, including Nanjing Railway Station, Daxinggong, Confucius Temple, Daming Road, Nanjing South Railway Station and Southeast University. The line will run from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm daily with fares up to 7 yuan. The opening of Line 3 not only brings great convenience to residents and tourists but also presents an artistic feast from the Chinese novel "A Dream of Red Mansions." The classical novel was written by Qing Dynasty writer Cao Xueqin (1715-1763). It is a novel with great cultural richness.

Nine metro stations have frescoes depicting scenes from the novel. The murals include "Jia Baoyu visits the Land of Illusion" at the Wutang Square Statio, "the Concubine Yuan Chun Visits Home" at Nanjing Railway Station, "Lin Daiyu Burying Fallen Flower Petals" at the Yuhuamen Station, and "the Twelve Beauties of Nanjing" at the Daxinggong Station.

"Many scenes from the novel took place in Nanjing. The novel is considered part of Nanjing's cultural heritage, and we chose romantic scenes to show Nanjing's exquisite culture," said one of the experts who designed the murals.

Fresco depicting the scene of "Lin Daiyu Burying Flower Petals" at Yuhuamen Station. [Photo/news.longhoo.net]