Yangzhou is located on a plain north of the Yangtze River. The city has a history of over 2,500 years and developed as a major trading center for salt, rice and silk. The Grand Canal of China, also known as the Jinghang Canal, crosses the prefecture-level from the north to the south; its modern route passes through the eastern outskirts of Yangzhou's main urban area, while its old route runs through the city center.
Yangzhou's Grand Canal dictated the rise and fall of its fortunes. The city declined with the fall of the Song dynasty and the diminished use of the canal, but revived again in the Ming era, when the canal was restored and used to transport silk, rice, and salt. The economy of northern China was greatly damaged and never recovered due to wars and to constant floodings of the Yellow River. Such a case occurred in the year 858 when an enormous flood along the Grand Canal inundated thousands of acres of farmland and killed tens of thousands of people in the North China Plain.
The salt merchants in particular built elegant villas and gardens, especially in the 18th century when Yangzhou was part of the imperial inspection tours. Despite development, the city has much to offer, including its several gardens.
The Manchu rulers of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) inherited the Grand Canal which linked the north and south of the country and connected the major river systems running from west to east.
Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong always travelled along the Grand Canal for their imperial tour of inspection so this proves that the Grand Canal is very useful and important as it linked the whole China together.
Before the Sui Dynasty, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was actually built section by section in different areas and different dynasties. During the Sui Dynasty, the canal was linked together. The Hangou canal, the earliest section of the Grand Canal, was excavated in Yangzhou. Since then, the Grand Canal has become the 'mother river' of Yangzhou. Approximately half of the peasant builders, which was around 3 million, died of hard labour and hunger before it was finished. This project was thought to have been a waste of manpower and money, which resulted in the downfall of China's economy.
After the canal was built, the Grand Canal which was joined by the river systems from all directions, offered much facility to transport foods and goods from north to south in past times. It serves as a trading port and is an important economic center because it allows fast trading due to the link to rivers from all parts of China. Just as importantly, it greatly improved the administration and defense of China as a whole and strengthened economic and cultural intercourse between north and south. It contributed greatly to ensure that the Chinese primary economy thrived in past dynasties. Yangzhou is the communication link between the north and south.
The city has remained a leading economic and cultural centre and major port of foreign trade and external exchange since the Tang Dynasty because of its strategic position and the Grand Canal which links the north and south of China and provides foreigner with trading opportunities.
The city's status as a leading economic centre in China was never to be restored. Not until the 1990s did it begin to regain some semblance of prosperity, benefitting from national economic growth and a number of targeted development projects. With the canal now partially restored, and excellent rail and road connections, Yangzhou is once again an important transportation and market center. It also has some industrial output, chiefly in cotton and textiles. In 2004, a railway linked Yangzhou for the first time with Nanjing.
Yangzhou harbor, 11.5 km south from the city center, is located at the junction of the Beijing–Hangzhou Canal and the Yangtze River. In 1992, the State Council approved it to become a first-grade open state harbor, and General Secretary Jiang Zemin inscribed its name. Now, it has developed into a comprehensive harbor, integrating passenger, freight, container transportation and harbor trade, and has become the main distribution center of northern Jiangsu province, eastern Anhui Province and southeast Shandong Province. The harbor has greatly promoted the development of exports and the overall local economy.
Ge Garden (个园)
The entrance to this typical southern style garden with its luxuriant bamboo groves, ponds, and rock grottoes is on Dongguan St. in the city's northeast section. Designed by the great Qing Dynasty landscape painter Shi Tao for Wang Yingtai, an officer of the Qing imperial court, this garden takes its name from the shape of bamboo leaves which resemble the Chinese character ge, meaning "a" or "an."
It was rebuilt by General Manager Huang Zhiyun, a local salt industry official, on a ruin in the 23rd year of Qing Dynasty Emperor Jiaqing's reign (1818). There are bamboos in the garden. The owner of the garden loved bamboo very much and considered it as the representation of uprightness, honesty, braveness, and loyalty.
Geyuan is rich in culture and history so the local authorities decided to open the place for tourists and Geyuan is now a popular tourist attraction which allows Yangzhou to earn a lot of money every year.
Lushi Old Mansion (晚清盐商豪宅卢氏老宅)
Built in 1897 during the Qing Dynasty by a wealthy salt merchant named Lu Shaoxu, it is a lavishly furnished home with 100 rooms. The compound was sensitively restored in 1980 by local authorities to reflect the elegance and richness of Yangzhou's 2,500-year-old culture. A few years ago, it started operating as a restaurant and venue for events.
Instead of letting the mansion be demolished, the local authorities saw this as a chance to show Yangzhou's rich culture and an opportunity to earn money to improve China's economy.
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