Yangzhou Travel Guide

Yangzhou (Simplified Chinese: 扬州; Traditional Chinese: 揚州; Hanyu Pinyin: Yángzhōu; former spellings: Yang-chou, Yangchow; literally "Rising Prefecture") is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across the river to the south.

Once prosperous and grand, the city has the air of a forgotten treasure, where reminders of its ancient past have withstood the tests of time and development. Yangzhou's glory days can be traced back as far as the 9th century when it was worthy of an imperial palace, and its strategic position on the Grand Canal made it one of the most prosperous cities in the southern Jiangsu. From the Tang dynasty (618-907AD) onwards, Yangzhou became a thriving river port and in addition to its commercial success it also became a center of culture.

In the 18th century the city became home to the eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou - a group of professional painters who rejected the orthodox style of Chinese art. Today, visitors can view a prized collection of the painters' work at Yangzhou Museum.

In the mid-19th century, Yangzhou's fortunes changed. The city was ravaged by the Taiping Rebels and was also bypassed by the country's railway network. Development stalled and although the city's industry is again beginning to thrive, it retains a traditional air. This is a good place to wander the streets and observe life on the banks of the Grand Canal as has been going on for centuries.

History: a history of 2480 years; a leading economic and cultural center and major port of foreign trade and external exchange since ancient time in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and Huaihe rivers

Climate: subtropical monsoon climate with humid changeable wind; longer winters for about 4 months, summers 3 months and shorter springs and autumns, 2 months respectively; frost-free period of 222 days and annual average sunshine of 2176.7 hours

Rivers: the Yangtze River; Jinghang Canal; Baoshe River, Datong River, Beichengzi River, Tongyang Canal; Xintongyang Canal; Baima Lake, Baoying Lake, Gaoyou Lake, Shaobo Lake

Top Attractions: Yangzhou pickles, sticky candy, ginkgo, Qionghuayu liquor, Nanshan green tea, Baoying lotus root starch, Jiangdu short pastry, lacquerware, jadeware, embroidery, paper-cut, art & crafts velvet flavers

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