Yangzhou

No reviews yetCity Jiangsu, China

Slender West Lake, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China

Five-Pavilion Bridge, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China

About Yangzhou

Willows, canals and graceful merchant gardens define Yangzhou, one of the oldest cities on China's Grand Canal. Its story begins around 486 BC, when the Hangou canal was dug here, and after the Sui emperors joined it to the Grand Canal the city grew rich on rice, silk and, above all, salt. Today the city on the north bank of the Yangtze is home to about four and a half million people.

Tang poets praised its moonlit bridges, the monk Jianzhen set out from Daming Temple to carry Buddhism to Japan, and Qing salt merchants spent fortunes on private gardens such as Ge Garden and He Garden. The Grand Canal was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014, and Slender West Lake remains the city's showpiece.

Yangzhou is also a capital of Huaiyang cooking and a UNESCO City of Gastronomy since 2019, so mornings start with tea and delicate dumplings in an old teahouse. Its compact old town, crossed by Dongguan Street and the canal, is easy to explore on foot or by bike.

Best seasonMarch to May for blossoms and willows, and October to November for crisp, clear days.

Ideal stayTwo days for the lake, gardens, temple and a long teahouse breakfast.

ArrivingYangzhou Taizhou International Airport serves domestic routes; high-speed trains reach Shanghai in under two hours.

12 Reasons to Visit Yangzhou

Parks 1

Slender West Lake

Yangzhou's most famous sight is a long, narrow lake winding between willows, pavilions and garden islands north-west of the old to...

Landmarks 2

Five-Pavilion Bridge

The signature landmark of Slender West Lake, this stone bridge built in the 18th century carries five yellow-roofed pavilions on i...

Wenchang Pavilion

Standing in the middle of a busy crossroads in the city center, this round, three-story pavilion was built in 1585 and is often co...

Gardens 2

Ge Garden

Created in the early 19th century by a salt merchant, this classical garden is famous for its bamboo groves, whose leaves recall t...

He Garden

Built in the late Qing dynasty, this garden residence blends Chinese courtyards with Western-style buildings, a sign of its owner'...

Temples and Shrines 1

Daming Temple

Founded in the fifth century on the Shugang hills, this temple is closely linked with Jianzhen, the monk who sailed to Japan in th...

Neighborhoods 1

Dongguan Street

This restored historic street runs from the old town to the ancient Dongguan ferry on the Grand Canal, lined with traditional shop...

Museums 2

China Grand Canal Museum

Opened in 2021 beside the canal at Sanwan, this modern museum tells the story of China's Grand Canal over more than two thousand y...

Han Guangling Tomb Museum

Among Yangzhou's most unusual sights, this museum displays the great wooden burial chambers of a king of Guangling from the Wester...

Food and Drink 2

Fuchun Teahouse

Founded in the late Qing dynasty, this famous teahouse in the old town is the classic place to try a Yangzhou morning tea. Order s...

Yangzhou Fried Rice

The city lends its name to one of the best-known Chinese dishes in the world. Here it is cooked with care: separate golden grains...

History 1

Zhu Ziqing Former Residence

The modern essayist and poet Zhu Ziqing grew up in Yangzhou, and his family's modest courtyard house in the old town has been pres...

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Photo credits

Photo: Gisling, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Gisling, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: BobkeNL at Dutch Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: 江上清风1961, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: Gisling, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: Tao Zhu, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: 江上清风1961, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: Nnu-11-22100527, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Gisling, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: Gisling, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Gisling, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: Nnu-11-22100527, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: gdczjkk, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: Gisling, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: User:Vmenkov, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Vmenkov, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: User:Vmenkov, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: 猫猫的日记本, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0