Yangzhou: Canals, Gardens and a Slow Jiangsu City

The Salt Merchants' City

Yangzhou's wealth came from salt and from the Grand Canal, which made it one of the busiest commercial cities in imperial China. The merchants spent their fortunes on gardens, scholarship and food, and the city's character today comes from that inheritance: a slow, elegant Jiangsu town with gardens, a lake district, old streets and a cuisine that is delicate rather than spicy. It is far less visited than Suzhou or Nanjing, which is precisely the argument for going.

The Gardens

Yangzhou's gardens are the city's main sight and its best introduction: the famous Slender West Lake scenic area strings pavilions, bridges and planted islands along a waterway, and the smaller private gardens in the old town — several are open to visitors — show how merchant families built miniature landscapes of rock, water and architecture. Spring, when the willows and flowers come in, is the classic season.

The Old Town and the Canal

The old city's lanes, wells and courtyard houses are walkable and largely intact, with the canal running through the picture. Spend an afternoon on foot: the historic streets, the former salt administration buildings, the small museums, and the teahouses that still serve the city's famous breakfast — steamed buns, dried tofu threads and a pot of local green tea.

Practical Notes

Yangzhou is on the high-speed network, about an hour from Nanjing and within reach of Suzhou and Shanghai, which makes it an easy two-day extension to a Jiangsu trip. Spring and autumn are the comfortable seasons. Give it two days: one for the lake and gardens, one for the old town, the canal and a proper breakfast.

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