The cold air in the north gently clashes with the warm current in the south, bringing a drizzling autumn rain. The moistened leaves still hang on the treetops, and the thin West Lake exudes the scent of autumn in the microwave.

The first time I came to Slender West Lake in Yangzhou, I met the beautiful and friendly guide girl named "Xinyi", who was as gentle and charming as the water in Slender West Lake. We followed her to experience the beauty of Slender West Lake in the autumn breeze.

Xinyi's explanation starts with the origin of the "Skinny West Lake" that all tourists who come here for fame are most eager to know. The name "Slender West Lake" has been officially recorded since the early Qing Dynasty. Before that, it was just a moat in Yangzhou. Later, Yangzhou people artificially expanded and dredged the moat based on its water system. At that time, it had many aliases, such as "Baoyang River" as the name suggests, which is a river that defends Yangzhou, but these names were not particularly loud.

It was not until the early years of the Qing Dynasty that the name "Shouxi Lake" began to spread. There are several reasons, one of which is that people feel that this water system is not particularly wide, with the widest area being only over 100 meters, so it is "thin". The second reason is that the waterway here is narrow and slender, and "thin" is also synonymous with elegance. Walking along this river, looking at the combination of flowers, trees, bamboo stones, pavilions and towers on both sides, it highlights the flexible beauty of Jiangnan.

Finally, and most commonly heard, in the first year of the Qianlong reign, the poet Wang Hang from Hangzhou came to Yangzhou to admire the beautiful scenery here. After comparing it with his hometown West Lake, he wrote a poem saying, "The weeping willows continue to pick up the broken Wu, while the Yan toothed Hongqiao is like a painting. It is also a pot of gold for sale, so it should be called the Skinny West Lake." Anyway, "There are six out of thirty West Lakes in the world," but the West Lake in Yangzhou has the appropriate "lean" character; Nowadays, Yangzhou is even more charming and charming due to its slim West Lake.

After the autumn rain, strolling on the Changti Spring Willow, the cool autumn wind, and fresh air make people unable to help but take big breaths. Wuting Bridge, known as the "most beautiful and artistic" bridge, has both the beauty of the south and the grandeur of the north. Buy an ice cream that looks exactly like Wutingqiao. Maybe I really hate to eat it! The Twenty Four Bridges comes from the poem by Du Mu, "On a bright moon night, where can jade people teach how to play the flute?" The Twenty Four Bridges are composed of a falling sail plank road, a single arch bridge, a nine curved bridge, and a blowing pavilion. The central jade belt shaped arch bridge is 24 meters long and 2.4 meters wide, with 24 steps on each side of the bridge, surrounded by 24 white jade railings and 24 railings.

The life of Yangzhou people follows a "slow" rhythm, coinciding with the Double Festival celebration. If you don't want to go to the crowded Twenty Four Bridges with the crowds of tourists, then go into seclusion. Even if it's only for one day, you will have the illusion of a "ten-year dream of Yangzhou".

Entering the "Hidden and Skinny West Lake Hot Spring Resort Hotel", one will immediately be attracted by the withered and flourishing vegetation, as if forgetting time and seasons, and only wanting to waste time here. Standing in the Shouxi Lake scenic area, with a 48000 square meter private garden and ancient courtyard by the lake, the bustling outside of the window has nothing to do with me. Brewing a pot of clear tea, flipping through a leisurely book, and quietly staying in a room filled with fragrant flowers, enjoying rare tranquility.

The Yangpai bonsai can be seen everywhere, from small tables to large courtyards, with each flower and pine tree carefully polished in every corner, reflecting the soft and exquisite Jiangnan style.

The overall color tone of the room is not jumping, steady and gentle, with warm white and dark brown flashing in between. Under natural light, the visual experience is pleasing.

The highest level of rest is to soak in a 'real hot spring'. Each room at the secluded Shouxihu Hot Spring Resort Hotel has a soaking pool and introduces pure natural lithium silicate hot springs. Taking water from the hot spring veins more than 2000 meters below the surface, the temperature of the hot spring water here reaches 70 ℃, which is an alkaline hot spring with a pH value of 8.9. It feels warm and comfortable when taking a bath. In the most beautiful season of the year, accompanied by a cool breeze and fine rain, enjoy the rare tranquility and comfort by the Shouxi Lake.

If you're hungry, you don't have to leave the resort. The sparks of poetry and taste collide in "Drunken Yangzhou" with the words "Spring flowing by the river, dreams falling in the idle pond, geese flying long, and green maple on the pond". Food from all directions is nothing but fireworks on earth. Cheng, who lives in seclusion in Shouxi Lake, is always from Shanghai. He has eaten too many Yangzhou dishes and wants us to change our appetite, so he prepared exquisite Shanghai cuisine for us at "Drunken Yangzhou".

I really like ripe drunken crabs and shrimp, which are more delicious than steamed ones and more exciting than braised ones. They are most suitable for autumn; The fiery red leaves turned out to be appetizing hawthorn, with seasonal chestnuts added inside. What a clever idea.

Three Delicacies Soup and Superior Diced Beef with Black Pepper can be made right now. The final Yangzhou Baked Rice with Soft Bags is known as the "top version" of Yangzhou fried rice. It was a layer of eel back cooked on top of Fried Rice, accompanied by spices such as fragrant garlic, vinegar and white pepper. The bottom layer of baked rice was a crispy pot with just the right heat. The pot and baked rice were both delicious.

Hidden in Skinny West Lake, eating in Drunken Yangzhou The perfect vacation for your slim West Lake.

Recommended areas around Shouxi Lake ：

Daming Temple

Friends who love Yangzhou culture must go to Daming Temple.

There are Buddhist cultural treasures the Shakya ManiHall and Sutra Pavilion; There is a classical garden with rich forest and wilderness charm - Xiyuan; There is a magnificent nine story tower called the "Qiling Tower", which can be climbed up to overlook the panoramic view of Shouxi Lake; There is the Jianzhen Monk Memorial Hall, which spread the culture of the hall by crossing over to Japan. During the epidemic, the poem we read, "Mountains and rivers are exotic, wind and moon are the same sky," comes from Jianzhen.

The "Canal Culture Carnival" at Songjiacheng Sports Park

On the occasion of this year's Mid Autumn Festival and National Day celebrations, the "Canal Culture Carnival" held at Songjiacheng Sports Park is the absolute focal point of Yangzhou city. As an outsider, I also checked in at the carnival during the National Day holiday and deeply envied the citizens of Yangzhou. In addition, I summarized the carnival by eating local cuisine, watching performances from various countries, appreciating local customs, and marveling at the wonderful changes.

At the carnival, tourists can taste various local delicacies along the forest lined avenue of the carnival; Go to the central stage to watch the wonderful song and dance performances of foreign actors, participate in joyful parades, and interact on stilts. The evening e-sports activities and virtual idol performances are particularly popular among young people, and the final drone performance and light show will push the atmosphere of the carnival to a climax.

Canal Sanwan Park

Yangzhou is a city that is connected to the Grand Canal. In the Sanwan section of the ancient canal, the present-day Sanwan Park of the canal connects wetland scenery, hydraulic skills, and canal culture, becoming a scenic leisure area in the southern part of the city that echoes the Slender West Lake. During holidays, a continuous stream of citizens and tourists come to the park with their families to play and rest.

The 168 meter long silhouette bridge, inspired by the Paper Cuttings art in Yangzhou's intangible cultural heritage culture, ingeniously combines the soft silhouette art with the grand and unconstrained bridge across the canal.

The just passed Mid Autumn Festival and National Day, and the Canal Sanwan Park was also a sub venue of the "Canal Culture Carnival". The exciting activities and performances allowed citizens to experience a rare cultural entertainment and sports feast.

486 Yangzhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Cluster Area

History is the root, culture is the soul.

When coming to Yangzhou, be sure to visit 486 to see the numerous intangible cultural heritage sites. Especially in the "Intangible Cultural Heritage Active Display Area", you can meet intangible cultural heritage inheritors with decades of experience. They have devoted themselves to doing something well for decades, which is love, persistence, and responsibility. Chatting with them and learning about the little-known stories of perseverance, you will be impressed by the inheritance of people's persistent craftsmanship spirit, because of them, traditional Chinese culture shines brightly.

Yangzhou, stay!