Before going to Yangzhou, I had many questions in my mind.

Why is it called Yangzhou fried rice? Why are they the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou? Why did Jin Yong, who had never been to Yangzhou, bring Wei Xiaobao's background to Yangzhou? Why did Du Shiniang angrily sink a hundred treasure chests filled with money and jewelry into Yangzhou

After meeting Professor Huaganlin, I had answers to a bunch of questions.

Professor Hua said that ancient Yangzhou was the "dream city" in people's hearts. Its prosperity made ordinary people and events once labeled as "Yangzhou", stories would have readers, food would have markets, and characters would be even more legendary. So both Yangzhou fried rice and Wei Xiaobao's story will spread quickly.

So, how can we say that Yangzhou was the "dream city" of ancient people?

Professor Hua said that by looking at those popular poems, one can understand them, such as "Waist a hundred thousand yuan, ride a crane down Yangzhou", "Spring breeze ten miles down Yangzhou Road", "Fireworks three months down Yangzhou", "Life only dies in Yangzhou", "Ten years of dreaming of Yangzhou"

The beauty of traveling is that when you come to a cultural city and meet scholars like Hua Ganlin who are dedicated to studying the city, it is destined that this journey will no longer be as simple as strolling and eating.

As soon as he got on the car, Professor Hua threw a question: "Is Yangzhou a southern city or a northern city

As a northerner, I have always thought that Yangzhou is a city in the south of the Yangtze River, but geographically, it happens to be located in the north of the river. Therefore, the question of whether Yangzhou is south or north has left many people confused.

To answer this question, we need to start with the construction of Yangzhou city.

2500 years ago, after defeating King Goujian of Yue, King Fuchai of Wu became the hegemon of the entire southeastern coast. In his heart, he also had a wish to dominate the Central Plains. So he led his troops north and fought all the way to the state of Qi, quickly capturing half of the Central Plains. At this time, King Fuchai of Wu discovered a problem that would affect the entire battle situation: food and supplies supply.

Back then, in order to travel from the capital of Wu, Gusu, to the capital of Qi, Linzi, one had to cross three major rivers: the Yangtze River, the Huai River, and the Yellow River. At that time, the Yangtze River was very wide, with a length of 25 kilometers, which was an insurmountable barrier for the Wu Kingdom advancing northward, meaning that the troops were ahead and the food and supplies could not keep up.

In order to solve this problem as soon as possible, in 486 BC, King Fuchai of Wu built a city on the hilly land north of the Yangtze River, called Han City, and opened a ditch called Han Gou. When Hangou connects the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it solves the worries of the future. And Hangou is the earliest recorded section of the Grand Canal that was excavated, and it is considered the beginning of the Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal.

King Fuchai of Wu relocated some people from the state of Wu to Hancheng. Until the Sui Dynasty, the language spoken here was Wu dialect and they lived in the south. Later, with the integration of the Civil War, Yangzhou was influenced by northern culture and formed its current form.

Professor Hua summarized, "Yangzhou has both the elegance of southern culture and the magnificence of northern culture, which is the only city in China

If you go on vacation in Yangzhou, Uncle will definitely recommend the Shangri La Hotel in Yangzhou.

Firstly, there are already few high-quality hotels in Yangzhou, and the level of quality and service is impeccable;

Secondly, when you come to Huaiyang Cuisine in Yangzhou, you can't miss it. The relatives who often stay in hotels know the saying "Eat in Shangri La";

Again, Yangzhou

Already settled in Yangxiang, becoming the hotel's living landmark. So living in Yangxiang without leaving home can also enjoy the wonderful experience brought by Yangzhou culture.

When it comes to Huaiyang Cuisine, we will definitely mention kitchen knives. At the Shangri La Hotel in Yangzhou, you can't miss a big meal. It comes from Zhou Xiaoyan, the inheritor of intangible cultural heritage of Huaiyang Cuisine, who participated in the shooting of "China on the Tongue 2" and is known as the "first knife" of Yangzhou's three knives. He and Yang Xiang created a set of "Ming and Qing salt merchants' family feast".

Why restore Huaiyang Cuisine with salt merchants' family feast of the Ming and Qing dynasties? This can be attributed to Kangxi's dredging of the Grand Canal, which not only provided food, clothing, and necessities for the capital, but also laid the foundation for the prosperous Kangxi and Qianlong periods. Yangzhou, as a transportation hub, has once again become a gathering place for merchants and capital.

Merchants from all over came to Yangzhou to make money. During the Qianlong period, salt merchants in Yangzhou provided half of the national economy's tax revenue, which also provided opportunities for their chefs to improve. When salt merchants entertain guests, the cooking skills of their own chefs have become a capital to showcase their own strength, and the "fighting dishes" of mutual banquets have also become a dining culture.

Huaiyang Cuisine is different from seafood of Guangdong cuisine and mountain delicacies of Sichuan cuisine. Most of the ingredients of Huaiyang Cuisine come from rice, aquatic products, poultry, etc. in the south of the Yangtze River. How can we reflect the delicacy of food? One is to choose the best among ordinary ingredients, and the other is to pay attention to the artistic sense of knife skills, which has created the kitchen knife skills of Huaiyang Cuisine cuisine masters.

At this Ming and Qing dynasty salt merchant banquet, you can enjoy thinly sliced cucumbers, specially selected duck breasts, Gao You's double yolk eggs, as well as braised sea bass and fine haired ham stuffed into bean sprouts. In short, the delicacy of ingredients and the attention to detail in cooking are all included in this meal.

In terms of taste, it is also like the geographical location of Yangzhou, which has both the sweet taste of the south and the salty and fresh taste of northern cuisine. It is also because of this that Huaiyang Cuisine cuisine has become the first banquet of the founding of the country, suitable for both north and south.

Another delicious food that cannot be missed in Yangxiang is' Yangzhou Morning Tea '.

The habit of Yangzhou people eating morning tea is also related to salt merchants. In the past, salt merchants had to go to parliament every morning to agree on issues such as salt prices for the day before starting their business for the day. The morning meeting has developed the habit of taking turns cooking and eating morning tea every day. Salt merchants are polite and courteous on the surface, and the level of each family's morning tea has become a place to showcase their soft power. Therefore, they secretly "fight for morning tea", and each family puts in a lot of effort in new patterns, techniques, and eating methods, ultimately achieving the essence of Yangzhou's morning tea culture.

People who travel to Yangzhou will choose to have morning tea, and most of them will go to the old brands. The result is often queuing up first, looking at their faces, and then rushing to eat, until they are full and angry. Uncle's suggestion is to come to the Fragrant Palace of Shangri La Hotel in Yangzhou for morning tea, enjoy the lush green scenery of the "Willow Garden" garden, and leisurely savor the exquisite craftsmanship of each tea. Compared with traditional morning tea shops in the market, this can also be considered as "fighting morning tea".

In terms of material selection, craftsmanship, environment, taste, service, and cost-effectiveness, Yangxiang's morning tea is not perfect at all. Finally, I would like to remind everyone to take three steps when eating crab roe soup dumplings: slowly lift, gently move, and gently suck to avoid scalding.

The representative of Yangzhou hairdressing industry, Tianzi Barber Shop, has also settled on the third floor of the hotel. Actually, when I heard that my friends wanted to experience the beauty repair service, my first reaction was to refuse. After all, I don't really like others to "stab" me in the face. When I stood next to my friends silently and watched them look brand new after finishing their beauty treatments, I immediately decided to give it a try.

The experience of facial contouring is only for men and can help them remove excess hair and oil from their faces. The chefs in the store are all experienced professionals with twenty to thirty years of experience. Lying on chairs, the master applied the "seventy-two and a half cuts" technique to my face, and after the retouching, he directly whitened me by two shades. It's really amazing.

Here, you can experience the subtleties of 'doing the most important thing in the world and achieving the highest level of martial arts in the world'.

When it comes to contemporary Yangzhou foot cutting culture, we cannot ignore the inheritor of intangible culture, Lu Qin. She opened the Lu Qin Foot Art flagship store on the third floor of the hotel, allowing guests who have been playing for a day to completely relax and enjoy.

Before experiencing Lu Qin's foot art, I always thought this was just a place for foot repair. After experiencing it, I realized that I completely misunderstood. A master with years of technical experience will first use unique techniques to massage and relax you, while the unique foot technique experience will be in the second half, and finally cupping and foot brazing will help you with foot therapy and beauty.

This is definitely a super enjoyable experience. The master told me that next time I come back, he suggests not cutting my toenails half a month in advance and asking him to help me take good care of them and give me a pair of healthy and clean feet.

Note: When choosing to stay at the Shangri La Hotel in Yangzhou for vacation, in addition to the projects recommended by my uncle, there are also the China Woodblock Printing Museum and Yangzhou Museum nearby that can be visited. Museums have been popular in recent years, so when you have been to scenic spots such as Shouxi Lake, Heyuan, and Geyuan, you may want to go to the museum to take a look.

It is said that Suzhou's gardens are the best in the world, but the total area of all the gardens in Suzhou is less than half of that of Shouxi Lake. Suzhou gardens are famous all over the world because in 1898, the railway was built in Suzhou, which became the backyard of the people of Shanghai. However, there is still no direct train from Shanghai to Yangzhou today. It is worth looking forward to that, in two weeks in July, it will only take 2 and a half hours from Shanghai to reach Yangzhou directly.

The poem by Yao He, a poet of the late Tang Dynasty, describing Yangzhou, states that "most of the gardens are houses, and there are fewer chariots and horses than boats," indicating that Yangzhou was filled with gardens throughout the Tang Dynasty. During the prosperous period of Kangxi and Qianlong, there were over 100 gardens of various sizes in Yangzhou city. Salt merchants without private gardens in the city were looked down upon.

During the reign of Emperor Qianlong, there was a scholar named Liu Daguan who once said, "Hangzhou wins with its lakes and mountains, Suzhou wins with its four markets, Yangzhou wins with its garden pavilions, and Yangzhou's garden pavilions win with stacked stones. Although modern Yangzhou has left some gardens barren, garden life is gradually returning to people's daily lives, and it is said that there are more than 300 private gardens.

Slender West Lake has a history of more than 300 years. It is a combination of many private gardens in ancient times. Many gardens have been built along both sides of the waterline, and the scenery of pavilions and towers is not repeated. It is winding for ten miles and ends with the Pingshan Hall where Ouyang Xiu stayed. Compared with Suzhou gardens, this place not only preserves the natural primitive style, but also has the style of a royal garden.

The most vivid place in a city is the streets and alleys filled with smoke and fire, and the small streets and alleys in Yangzhou preserve the original Ming and Qing architecture. More than 500 alleys crisscross, becoming another business card of this city. Whether you are a middle-aged person who loves history or a young person who loves coffee, you can find something that moves you in these alleys.

The culture of guqin has a long and rich history in Yangzhou, dating back to 1500 years ago. Guangling is the ancient name of Yangzhou. During the Wei and Jin dynasties, the qin master Ji Kang played a piece called "Guangling San" on the guillotine and died a heroic death. Since then, "Guangling San" has been widely spread. This is a guqin piece related to Yangzhou, and in modern China, nine major qin schools have been formed, including the Guangling qin school.

Every prosperity of Yangzhou in history cannot be separated from the Grand Canal. Emperor Yang of Sui extended the Grand Canal, with the Yangtze River running east-west and the Grand Canal running north-south, making Yangzhou a crossroads for water and land transportation.

In the Tang Dynasty, Yangzhou became the largest port in China. After the An Lushan Rebellion, there was no food, no drink, and no taxes in the capital. The rebels did not come to the south, but Yangzhou remained peaceful. Scholars, literati, wealthy merchants, and tycoons came here one after another, making Yangzhou the only city with a night market. The late Tang poet Wang Jian's "Night View of Yangzhou City" described the scene of peaceful singing and dancing: the night market was illuminated by thousands of lights on the blue clouds, and high-rise buildings were crowded with red sleeve customers. Nowadays, it's different from usual, and we can still hear about it all. Now the Grand Canal is listed in the The World Heritage List, and Yangzhou is the most historic place on this river.

In 2007, Yangzhou became the third city in China to win the United Nations Most Beautiful Residence Award. Prior to this, there were only two cities in China, Weihai and Zhuhai, both of which earned this honor through their maritime culture. As an inland city, Yangzhou relied on its rich ancient cultural heritage and modern civilization to win this honor.