Yangzhou Brief

Yangzhou, a city famous for its history and culture, is located in the central part of Jiangsu with the lower reaches of Yangtze River in south and Jianghuai plain in north. With nearly 2500 years of history in urban area, Yangzhou has 3 districts (Guangling, Weiyang and Hanjiang), 3 county-level cities (Jiangdu, Gaoyou and Yizheng) and Baoying County.

There are 49 ethnic groups in Yangzhou and the Han nationality accounts for 99.57% of the total population. The Hui nationality, the most populated minority, accounts for 65% of the minority population. Gaoyou Lingtang Hui nationality village is the only minority village in Jiangsu province.

Yangzhou dialect is called Yangzhou Hua and is moderate understandable by an outsider as it does differ a lot from Mandarin.

During a period of prosperity and Imperial favour, the arts of storytelling and painting flourished in Yangzhou. The innovative painter-calligrapher Shitao lived in Yangzhou during the 1680s and again from 1697 until his death in 1707. A later group of painters from that time called the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou are famous throughout China.

Yangzhou is not only a scenic city with beautiful landscape, but also a culture city with a galaxy of celebrities and a city with centuries’ old sites. There is the oldest canal in China, mausoleums of Han and Sui emperors, historical sites of ancient city in Tang and Song Dynasty and private gardens in Ming and Qing Dynasty. With numerous human landscapes, beautiful natural scene and rich tourist resources, it attracts numerous Chinese and foreign tourists.

In 1998, Yangzhou was awarded the title of Excellent Tourist City in China. Shouxihu, the best known lake with garden, and ancient Daming temple are both the scenic spots with 4As level in China. He garden, Ge garden, historical city in Tang Dynasty, Gaoyou Mengchengyi, Puhading tomb and dwelling place in Longqiuzhuang are all historical and cultural relics under state protection. Qianlong water tourism route in famous Shouxihu is the national level tourism route recommended by China Tourism Administration to the tourists both at home and abroad. The tourism products for Muslim are increasingly becoming an important component part of Muslim tourism route in China.

In 2004, Yangzhou won the best Human Habitat Environment Award. By making full use of the advantage as a famous city and scenic characteristic for years, Yangzhou attaches much importance to its history, culture, water, landscape and elegancy, successfully develop a group of new, famous and delicate tourism products and further exploit and perfect its local culture tourism, e.g. Shouxihu Qianlong water tourism route, Gaoyou lake recreation tour for fishing fun and Yizheng ecological tour. Besides, a group of new tourist spots have been formally opened to the outside world, e.g. the Wang's Courtyard, the No. 2 tomb of Han Guang Ling king Tomb Museum, Gaomin Temple, Puhading Cemetery, scenic spot of ancient canal in urban area, Tomb of Sui Yang king, Industrial Arts Exhibition Spot of jade ware factory, West Suburb Forest Park, Yizheng Dengyue Lake Tourism and Vacation Resort and Jiangdu Longshuan Square.