Throughout history, as a "seasoned" traveler like me (boasting a bit), I only think of Yangzhou in the third lunar month. However, in fact, Yangzhou is picturesque in every season. Since ancient times, people have praised Yangzhou without hesitation, such as "Three parts of the world are bright moon nights, and two parts are scoundrels, Yangzhou is Yangzhou", "A hundred thousand yuan waist wrapped, riding a crane to Yangzhou", etc. Although we missed the best season of "fireworks in March to Yangzhou", Yangzhou, with its clear autumn air, is still worth a visit.

If you really want to put a label on Yangzhou, "exquisite" must be the most appropriate word. Just early in the morning, you can see a variety of unique knives, not to mention the kitchen knife which is one of the "three knives" in Yangzhou. The exquisite craftsmanship is the facade of Huaiyang Cuisine. Yangzhou has always been a prosperous place in Jiangnan, and with better economic conditions, it naturally strives for excellence.

Morning tea, the essence of Yangzhou people's cuisine

Morning tea culture is not only popular in Guangdong, but also loved by Yangzhou people. "Water wrapped in leather" in the morning and "water wrapped in leather" in the evening. The latter refers to the bath hall, while "water wrapped in leather" refers to Yangzhou's morning tea. Because morning tea is mainly made of steamed stuffed buns, Shaomai, soup dumplings, Wonton, Steamed dumplings and other Dim sum, the water wrapped in leather is very appropriate.

The place where people eat morning tea is called a "tea house", which usually starts operating at 6 or 7 in the morning. However, regardless of the weather, morning tea is always the motivation for people to wake up early. Yangzhou people have truly taken breakfast to the extreme. In addition to noodles, locals also like to order a hot dried silk, pork belly or waist flower soup, and add a cup of green poplar spring tea or Kuilongzhu tea. Spread it out on the table and it makes people's fingers race to eat. Of course, there is no rush to indulge in so many types of breakfast. Just like these finely crafted breakfasts, a slow paced day in Yangzhou has begun.

Food is always the first driving force for travelers. After discussing food, accommodation and beautiful scenery are also essential. Now, let me show you my itinerary and accommodation hotels for this trip.

Day1: Slender West Lake+Daming Temple+Outer City River

DAY2: Geyuan+Heyuan+Shuangdong Historical Street

DAY3: Sleep until you wake up naturally, have a delicious breakfast at the hotel, and then take a walk back home

Hotel selection: Super 8 Selected Hotel Yangzhou Jiangdu Bus Station Branch

I got off at Jiangdu Long distance Bus Station and walked 339 meters to reach my booked hotel - Super 8 Selected Hotel Yangzhou Jiangdu Bus Station. The hotel is located at 150 Changjiang East Road, Jiangdu District, Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, with an unparalleled geographical location. Of course, choosing this hotel for check-in is not only about its convenient location, but also for two simple and straightforward reasons. Firstly, I am a senior member of Super 8 Hotel, and I must use it if there are discounts available. The cost-effectiveness is good, and the selected hotels have excellent configurations; Secondly, this hotel has a free parking lot, which is very suitable for self driving tours and travelers like me who rent cars for sightseeing. Parking is really convenient. Actually, most of the hotels I stay at on every trip are Super 8 hotels, mainly because there are too many discount activities offered by Super 8. For example, in the recent "Take You Back on the Silk Road" event, I signed up without doing anything (although I wasn't selected, it was embarrassing haha) and received an 88% discount on the first night of membership and a 1596 yuan rental red envelope from Wukong Car Rental. It's really not a good deal. It is recommended that you pay attention to the official account of Super 8 Hotel. Too much wool can't be collected. However, no matter how many discounts there are, the most important thing for a hotel is comfort, and the basic facilities must be good. Super 8 has done a very good job in this regard. Take a look at the picture above.

The big bed room I live in has bright lighting, spacious and clean

The lobby is simply high-end and upscale

Self laundry, a benefit for lazy travelers, YYDS

The restaurant has all the delicious food at the beginning, which is called authentic (free breakfast)

Skinny West Lake, those stone bridges and pavilions

When people think of Yangzhou, the first thing that comes to mind is Shouxi Lake, located in the northern suburbs of Yangzhou. There are famous scenic spots such as Diaoyutai, Twenty Four Bridges, and Wuting Bridge on the lake. Willows hang low by the lake, and if you come in spring, you can also see blooming peach blossoms dotted among them. The earliest area of Shouxi Lake was about half of its current size, and the northern area was expanded after the founding of the People's Republic of China. After dredging the river section, Shouxi Lake was extended all the way to Daming Temple.

This is called Slender West Lake, which inevitably makes people compare it with West Lake in Hangzhou. As someone who has been there before, it is difficult for me to distinguish between high and low. However, personally, I prefer the stone bridges and pavilions in Slender West Lake, which are very easy to showcase. Moreover, Slender West Lake has a larger area and can be visited for a long time. As a foreigner, slowly enjoying the beautiful scenery of Yangzhou is also a pleasure.

Daming Temple, quiet and unique temple

Walking about 600 meters from the Shouxi Lake scenic area, you can reach Daming Temple, which was built in the Southern Dynasties and has been around for over 1500 years. Due to the six voyages of Master Jianzhen to Japan, it has become an ancient temple of great historical significance and a witness to the religious and cultural exchanges between China and Japan. Jianzhen is the founder of the Nanshan Vinaya sect in Japan, so he is quite famous in Japan. Nowadays, there are statues of Jianzhen in Nara, Japan. Friends who are interested in temples can take a look after visiting Shouxihu.

The outer city river, with thick shade blocking the sun, experiences the slow life of Yangzhou

The Outer City River is a place that I particularly like. It is not a scenic spot and is close to residential areas. It was a place I accidentally discovered while strolling and eating. It is really beautiful and peaceful, so I chose to spend the last time of the day here. You usually can't find it when making travel guides. Walking slowly along the river here, you can feel the lush vegetation, with lush branches and leaves blocking out the strong sunlight. The slow pace of Yangzhou is even more reflected in these ordinary street scenes.

A garden, the cycle of the four seasons in the artificial mountains with stacked stones

Gardens have always been the protagonists of beautiful scenery in various parts of Jiangnan, and Yangzhou is no exception. The two most famous gardens in Yangzhou are "He Garden" and "Ge Garden", with the latter sometimes being on par with the Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou. In Li Dou's "Yangzhou Painting Boat Record" during the Qing Dynasty, it was mentioned that "Hangzhou is victorious with its lakes and mountains, Suzhou is victorious with its four markets, and Yangzhou is victorious with its gardens and pavilions. The three are intertwined, and there is no distinction between them." It can be seen that in his mind, the status of Yangzhou gardens is higher than that of Suzhou gardens, and this viewpoint only represents the opinion of one family and cannot be used as an absolute standard.

The name of the garden is related to bamboo. Its first owner loved bamboo and chose half of the character "bamboo" as the name of the mansion. The garden was first built in the Ming Dynasty and later expanded into a garden residence by Huang Zhiyun, the salt merchant general of the two Huai regions in the Jiajing period of the Qing Dynasty. The salt merchants were relatively wealthy, and it is said that Huang spent a lot of money to build this garden for sixteen years.

The focus of the garden is on the central garden. Although the soul of 'a garden' lies in the bamboo, the bones and blood are in the rockery. The garden is famous for its rockeries with distinct four seasons. As the saying goes, "The spring mountains are as beautiful as a smile, the summer mountains are as green as drops, the autumn mountains are as clear as makeup, and the winter mountains are as bleak as sleep.

He Yuan, a century old model of combining Chinese and Western cultures

The original name of He Yuan was "Ji Xiao Shan Zhuang", taken from the artistic conception of Tao Yuanming's "leaning against the south window to express pride" and "climbing the east high to let out a soft whistle". This has always been the residence of the He family, and it is said that the He family gathers at He Garden every year.

Shuangdong Historical District, a witness to the prosperity of Yangzhou

Just like every tourist city has one or several commercial streets, the most famous commercial street in Yangzhou city is the Shuangdong Historical District - named "Shuangdong" because it has Dongquan Gate and Dongguan Street. This is a historical water and land transportation hub in Yangzhou, and exiting from Dongquan Gate is the Dongguan Ancient Ferry.

Dongguan Street is always the busiest street in Yangzhou. There are many old brands here, but most tourists come here to taste the food. Don't think that the commercial street only attracts tourists. The restaurants on Dongguan Street offer good value for money. Several of them have been run by locals for generations, offering snacks and meals, and are worth a visit.

In history, Yangzhou experienced unprecedented development due to the excavation of the Grand Canal. Now that river transportation no longer plays a major role, it is unknown whether railway connectivity can bring it another round of development. Through this travelogue, we hope to let everyone know that except for the fireworks in March, Yangzhou is worth visiting all year round.