Wenchang Pavilion in central Yangzhou. [Photo: China Today]

Yangzhou Dish

Yangzhou dishes may be one of the reasons why the people of Yangzhou are so infatuated with their city. They have an appealing color, aroma, taste and also appearance. The original color of each ingredient is preserved after cooking, and no oily sauce is added, so as to retain the fresh savor of the food.

Yangzhou steamed dumplings - famous throughout the nation.[Photo: China Today]

In Yangzhou all dishes, whether cheap or expensive, are elaborate. Cooks will not scrimp on their work, even with Zhugansi (stewed sliced dry bean curd), a popular dish that costs only a few yuan. Dry bean curd is made by each restaurant that serves it, so the flavor is guaranteed. The cook slices the 1-cm-thick curd into 30 shreds, each one paper-thin but none broken, and then stews them for hours with chopped bamboo shoots and shelled shrimps in chicken soup. In this way the dry bean curd shreds can soak up the flavor of the other ingredients, and the soup is clear but savory. It is not only Yangzhou cooks but also the ordinary people who are conscientious about cooking.


Yangzhou people are particular about ingredients. They eat river clams in the early spring, bamboo shoots in April, Hui fish (leiocassis longirostris) in May and June, and crab in the autumn. The whole year becomes a series of gourmet delights as each season brings own culinary specialty.

The dock used exclusively by the emperor during the Qing Dynasty.[Photo: China Today]

In Yangzhou one can enjoy a good meal for a hundred, or just a few yuan. The restaurants in Yangzhou fall into three categories: star-rated hotels, restaurants of traditional fame, such as the Yechun Teahouse and Fuchun Teahouse, and popular eateries, which are generally of spartan decor, but serve typical and economical dishes. The Xingshuo Restaurant on the Guoqing Road is famous for its snacks, while the Wanwan Chicken Restaurant is noted for its chicken soup. In order to try various styles of food, a stroll along Gourmet Street, where there is a concentration of some 100 restaurants of various grades, is strongly recommended.

Yangzhou special

Public baths are another feature of Yangzhou. Although showers have found their way into all local households, the custom of going to the bathhouse still prevails in Yangzhou, particularly among the younger generation.

At the weekend, many Yangzhou people spend the whole day at the local baths. The newly-built bath-houses usually contain three or four large bathing pools with water of a temperature 20 to 40 degrees centigrade. Some pools contain minerals, which are believed within traditional Chinese medicine to emit salutary elements. After bathing, attendants are on hand to rub the back, pedicure the feet or practice massage, or patrons may recline on a chaise longue, watching videos, taking some snacks or tea, chatting, having a hair-cut, or just sleeping. Waiters tuck bath towels around anyone who nods off. Lunch and dinner are also available, and the full-range service costs only 50 yuan -- one third of the price in Beijing.

Yongningquan on the Guoqing Road is a century-old bathroom. Its facade is a little worn, and the internal decor is in traditional style, taking everyone that crosses its threshold back in time. It still adheres to the public baths custom of admitting men only. The youth in the neighboring communities prefer the newer, better-equipped baths, so Yongningquan has a more elderly clientele, to whom it is a venue for meeting up with old buddies and exchanging chit-chat. Yongningquan is also famed for its excellent pedicures and back-rubs.

An experienced pedicurist. [Photo: China Today]

Pedicure is a traditional service trade in Yangzhou. In older times Yangzhou was well known in China for its "three knives" -- kitchen knife, razor and pedicure file. In recent years Yangzhou has built up a reputation overseas for its pedicure skill, and a crop of young pedicure masters has emerged. Back rubbing and massage also require stringent training techniques. The public baths in Beijing and Shanghai woo their customers by putting up notices announcing "Yangzhou masters in service."

Having undergone several ups and downs in its history, Yangzhou is now calm and easy. The local residents are content with their lot. It is said that a Yangzhou person never feels depressed even when he is sacked. Instead, he will use his severance pay to invite his friends to have dinner or visit a bathhouse. It seems Yangzhou people are born oblivious of the pressures of life. Around 9 o'clock every morning the elders appear at their gates, and prepare for lunch. They cull vegetables piece by piece, and wash each bundle in several basins of water. At noon they play mah-jong with the neighbors, and start to make dinner around 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

Yangzhou is planning to build a railway to other cities, the first one to go through the city. This is expected to spur the local economy and promote the flow of labor, and will, therefore, obliterate the tranquility of Yangzhou City.

Tour Guide

Slim West Lake: The Slim West Lake takes its name from its scenery that is in no way inferior to that of the West Lake in Hangzhou. With its rippling water, and delicate pavilions and gardens, the lake presents the cream of the art of traditional Chinese gardening. The scenery is at its best in April and May.

Traditionally woven blue-and-white fabric is in vogue once more.
Photo: China Today

He Garden: Being formerly the private garden of a Qing minister to France, the He Garden comprises two sections: the eastern part that serves as an anteroom, and the western part as the dwelling. The most attractive features of the garden are the two-tier corridor, dubbed the earliest crossroad in China, and the Pianshishanfang courtyard, which was constructed by Shi Tao, a renowned painter of the Qing Dynasty. The yard embodies the aesthetic tastes of Shi, and has great research value.

Ge Garden: Located on the Yanfu East Road, the Ge Garden used to be the private garden of a Qing government-general in charge of the salt industry in Jiangsu and five neighboring provinces. Its main features are piled rockeries and bamboo. It is said that the Ge garden was also designed by Shi Tao.

Crane Mosque: Listed among the four most famous ancient mosques in China, this mosque is named for its crane-shaped composition. The architecture mingles both Chinese and Arabic styles.

Han Tomb Museum: Located in the northern part of Yangzhou City, the Han tomb is believed to be the grave of Prince Guangling, son of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty. Constructed from precious timber, this grand-scaled tomb has a layout typical of a prince's tomb chamber, and is known as the huangchangticou.

Other tourist attractions in Yangzhou include the Yangzhou Museum, Shi Kefa's Tomb, the Eight Yangzhou Eccentrics Memorial, the Daming Temple, Pingshan Hall, and the Museum of Xylograph Printed Ancient Books.

To experience the life of the local people, or admire the traditional architecture, a tour around the lanes of the old city, especially those between the Guoqing Road and the Jiefang Road, where many ancient buildings are well preserved with carved beams and painted rafters, is highly recommended.

The Best Season in Yangzhou

A visit to Yangzhou is suggested in late March to mid-May, and in September. A tourist festival "Going to Yangzhou in the Lovely Spring" is held at this time each year, and includes a river trip along the route the Qing Emperor Qianlong took during his inspections of Yangzhou. From the boat, visitors can enjoy a visual feast of beautiful scenery, admire the Qiong flower (a kind of hortensia which is said to prolong lifespan when eaten) indigenous to Yangzhou, and try various local snacks. September is the ideal season to come moon gazing. Sipping tea at the stem of a skiff with the reflection of the moon rippling on the water ahead, one may feel removed from all temporal matters.