Many people travel to Jiangsu, and the ones they visit most often are Nanjing and Suzhou. When it comes to northern Jiangsu, they often ask in confusion: "Is there anything to do there?"

There has always been an unwritten "regional division chain" within Jiangsu Province. Although there are many explanations, the simplest and intuitive division is to divide southern and northern Jiangsu with the Yangtze River as the boundary. More familiar cities south of the Yangtze River include Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi, etc., and representative cities in northern Jiangsu include Yangzhou, Yancheng, Xuzhou, etc.

Compared with southern Jiangsu's popular attractions and concentrated scenic spots, northern Jiangsu seems to be a little deserted. Because of this, there are fewer noisy tourists and more time to visit various scenic spots. In fact, the human history of northern Jiangsu is richer. For example, Yangzhou is recognized as a world-recognized food capital, Yancheng's migratory bird habitat is the first natural heritage of Jiangsu Province, and Xuzhou is the birthplace of Han culture... It's just that the scenic spots in northern Jiangsu are relatively scattered, and self-driving is the best way to travel here.

Today, I recommend a self-driving route along the Grand Canal in northern Jiangsu. It is the "golden waterway" second only to the Yangtze River. Along the way, it connects several cities with unique characteristics such as Yangzhou, Huai 'an, Suqian, and Xuzhou. In particular, the area from Suqian to Yaowan Ancient Town is known as the "Most Beautiful Self-Driving Route in Jiangsu Province." Whether it is to see the scenery or appreciate the culture, it is a rare place for customs.

//Schedule:

The Northern Jiangsu Grand Canal Line totals 428 kilometers and runs for 7 days. The daily route is planned to be Yangzhou-Gaoyou-Huaian-Suqian-Yaowan Ancient Town-Xuzhou.

//Best time:

From March to November every year, avoid the wet and cold weather in winter and go to all seasons of spring, summer and autumn.

//City highlights:

Yangzhou

There is an ancient poem saying,"Fireworks fall under Yangzhou in March". After truly visiting Yangzhou City, you will find that this city not only has a poetic spring, but also has many scenic spots and exquisite gardens, with countless beautiful scenery. The world is famous for "three points of beauty in the world, and two points of beauty in Yangzhou."

The most worth visiting is the Slender West Lake in Yangzhou. Compared with the various customs of Hangzhou West Lake, the Slender West Lake has a "thin" charm. Walking along the lake, you will find all the poetic and picturesque feelings in it. Night tours are open from March to October. The pavilions, pavilions, arch bridges and corridors in the park look beautiful under the decoration of colorful lights, bringing the prosperity and vicissitudes of ancient and modern Yangzhou City to your eyes.

When you come out from the north gate of Slender West Lake, you can also visit Daming Temple and Guanyin Mountain. Tourists rarely use Daming Temple as a must-visit attraction, but it is the cultural landmark with the longest historical span among Yangzhou's many attractions. The ancient Qiling Tower was very famous. Poets Li Bai and Bai Juyi all climbed to the tower and wrote poems. Later, the Qiling Tower was destroyed, and a nine-story pagoda was rebuilt. You can also overlook Yangzhou City and have a panoramic view of Slender West Lake.

Yangzhou's old city is also worth visiting. It was once known as the "Lane City". Famous streets and alleys such as Renfengli, the most cultural ancient alley, Wanzi Street, the longest alley in the old city, or gardens such as Geyuan and Heyuan are waiting for people to explore. Have morning tea at the teahouse in the streets, order Yangzhou specialty snacks to solve your afternoon cravings, or find Huaiyang cuisine for dinner, and have a satisfying meal. There is a sense of satisfaction between your lips and teeth.

Gaoyou

Gaoyou is located on the east bank of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and controls Yangzhou in the south. It was an important land and land transportation route connecting Central Jiangsu to northern Jiangsu in ancient times. Now it is quiet and leisurely. Gaoyou is not big and has few scenic spots. Walking around in the small town makes people feel like an ancient city built on the water. When you look up, you can see the vast expanse of smoke and flocks of wild ducks in the lake. In the poem, the beautiful scenery of "sunset and lonely ducks fly together, autumn water shares the same color as the sky" is performed every day.

The first stop to Gaoyou is naturally Mengcheng Posthouse next to the canal. This ancient station built in the Ming Dynasty is currently the largest station in the country. The courtyard contains time-sensitive stone carvings, pillars, etc. Outside the station, there is also an ancient street left over from the Song Dynasty. You can park your vehicle far away and walk here.

In addition, you can continue to drive to Zhenguo Temple on a small island in the canal. From Gaoyou City to Zhenguo Temple, you will definitely pass through Gaoyou Lake, which is especially beautiful when the sunset is full of sky. On the vast and boundless Gaoyou Lake, a red sun is reflected on it, sparkling and magnificent. Then we arrive at Zhenguo Temple through the Pudu Bridge. We can watch the Gaoyou Canal and the majestic waters of the lake from the high tower, watch the devout tourists and the leisurely sailing fleet, and enjoy the comfort of the city on the water.

Huaian

Like Gaoyou, water is the soul of Huai 'an. The canal nourishes "one city, a historic site and half a city lake" and also breeds the magnificent "First State in Southeast China."

Huai 'an Prefecture is a symbol and symbol of the city's status. It traces back to the Southern Song Dynasty, when more than 600 houses were built, ranking first in the country. Today, this is one of the two remaining prefectures and bureaus in the country. The front half is an office area. In front of the main hall, there are six departments corresponding to the six departments of the court. Various ancient torture instruments are also placed in the criminal department.

Adjacent to the Huai 'an Prefecture Office is the Zhenhuai Building and the Governor's Department of Water Transport, which together constitute the historical core area of Huai' an City and the central axis of the ancient city. In addition to appreciating the culture of the government, you can also personally experience the "floating life and leisure" of the former prefect. Listening to a Huai opera in front of the ancient stage, sipping a cup of fragrant tea in the rattan flower hall, or boarding a painting boat and crossing the pontoon bridge in the back garden, you can feel the flavor of the ancient city.

In addition, Huai 'an is the hometown of many celebrities, and you can visit their former residences and memorial temples. Such as commemorating the floating mother temple that once provided food to Han Xin, the statue of female general Liang Hongyu, the former residence of Wu Cheng 'en where "Journey to the West" was created, and the former residence of the great leader Zhou Enlai, etc.

Suqian

Suqian, known as "the vein of Chinese civilization, the source of Huaihe civilization, and the soul of Chu-Han culture", also has beautiful scenery. Qianlong stayed here five times in Jiangnan six times, praising Suqian as "the first spring benefit". If you want to appreciate Suqian's cultural heritage and beautiful scenery, the canal scenery belt is definitely a must-visit place. The scenic belt about 8 kilometers long is located east of the center of Suqian City. It surrounds the downtown area in an inverted "L" shape. Walking here, you can experience the vicissitudes of the ancient canal while embracing the prosperity of the city.

To say that the most famous figure in Suqian is Xiang Yu, and the hometown of King Xiang related to it cannot be missed. When I first arrived at the entrance of the scenic area, I saw a statue of Xiang Yu standing on the square. In front of the cliff, the cloak was flying and the domineering aura came to my face. Entering the city through the city gate, you can see a blue brick and pink wall from the horse road. These include Xiang Yu's former residence, Xiang Mansion, Xiang Garden, General Office, etc.

As a wine capital, one of Suqian's most famous specialties is Yanghe Liquor. It is said that during his fifth southern tour, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty stopped in Yanghe Town twice. After tasting Yanghe wine, he was very happy and happily wrote "Yanghe Daqu, the wine is fragrant and the wine is really good." You may wish to taste it yourself if you have the opportunity.

Yaowan Ancient Town

During the heyday of the Grand Canal, Yaowan Ancient Town was once known as the "Little Shanghai in Northern Jiangsu" and "Zhouzhuang in Northern Jiangsu" due to its excellent geographical location of the "Golden Waterway Golden Triangle", and it was glorious for a time. However, after the gradual abandonment of water transportation, various wars and political movements, Yaowan gradually declined, and the name of "ancient town in water town" was also replaced by emerging ancient towns such as Zhouzhuang and Xitang.

If you are used to seeing ancient towns with strong commercial atmosphere and exquisite creations, Yaowan may let you down. However, as the first ancient town on the Grand Canal, the signboard buildings are still intact, and the two main streets on the ancient town are also quite charming. The entire ancient town is surrounded by the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the moat. The ancient streets, houses, clubs, workshops, commercial houses, warehouses, pawns, docks and other styles still exist.

Xuzhou

When I came to Xuzhou, I thought that people here would speak Wunong soft language, but I didn't expect that they would introduce them in an authentic Shandong dialect: "Xuzhou is a good place. Not only does it enjoy free shipping in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, but it also provides heating in winter!" This city with a history of more than 4,000 years of civilization is indeed magical. Its special geographical location creates charming scenery. It combines the heroism of the ancient city in the north and the beauty of the water town in the south, and also leaves a large amount of cultural heritage.

The most talked about part of Xuzhou in ancient Chinese history is the four words "Chu style and Han rhyme". As the hometown of Emperor Liu of the Han Dynasty, Xuzhou during the Han Dynasty was favored. Now known as the "Three Wonders of the Han Dynasty", the Han tombs, the Han terracotta warriors and the Han stone reliefs in Xuzhou, each of which has a historical footprint. Among them, the Guishan Han Tomb, known as the "Oriental Pyramid", is owned by the sixth generation of the King of Chu and his wife. Seven mysteries remain here that cannot be explained by high technology, covering this tomb with a layer of mystery.

Xuzhou is also known as Pengcheng. If not for locals or people who do not understand history, it may be a bit unfamiliar. However, when mentioning the famous Peng Zu, people in the cooking industry will probably call him "Ancestral Master", and the name Pengcheng comes from Peng Zu. It is said that he could make pheasant soup and was very appreciated by Emperor Yao, so Pengcheng was granted to him. If you are interested in this history and culture, you can visit Pengzu Tower.

some pictures come from the internet