Yangzhou: Bright Moon Night over the Twenty-Four Bridges

Author: Zhao Chunning
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Yangzhou boasts numerous historical sites and elegant gardens, with its mountains and waters being picturesque and renowned as a cultural hub and prosperous city. You can immerse yourself in the gardens, landscapes, and flora of this beautiful land, explore its historical landmarks, savor Yangzhou's cuisine and specialty snacks, and enjoy the traditional Yangzhou Opera and storytelling performances. If you visit Yangzhou in May, don't miss the Qionghua Festival, held every two years, where you can admire the fragrant Qionghua flowers, light displays, and cultural performances. If you visit before or after autumn, you can participate in the Twenty-Four Bridge Moonlit Night event, enjoying traditional folk songs, folk tunes, and other local cultural performances. If you visit during the New Year, you can head to Daming Temple to hear the melodious chimes and receive New Year's blessings.
"As the saying goes, 'Three parts of the moonlit night in the world, two are in Yangzhou.' This ancient and renowned city is located at the eastern end of the middle-lower Yangtze Plain in central Jiangsu, bordering the Yellow Sea to the east, adjacent to Nantong and Yancheng to the north; it connects to Nanjing to the west, with Liuyi and Tianchang counties; faces Zhenjiang and Wuxi across the Yangtze River to the south; and borders Huai'an to the north, with the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal running through it. Historically, it has been a transportation hub, the throat of the southern grain transport, and an important gateway in northern Jiangsu.
Yangzhou, known as the 'Famous City of the Left Bank of Huai River' and 'the richest city in the world,' has a history of nearly 2,500 years. In the ninth year of the Kaigang era (589 AD) during the Sui Dynasty, Wu Prefecture was renamed Yangzhou, and the Yangzhou Commandery was established. By the ninth year of the Wude era (626 AD) in the Tang Dynasty, the seat of Yangzhou was moved to Jiangdu County, which then gained the exclusive name 'Yangzhou.' In the ninth year of the Yongzheng era (1731 AD) during the Qing Dynasty, Jiangdu County was divided into Jiangdu and Ganquan counties. During the Republican era, the two counties were merged again, retaining the name Jiangdu and coming under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province until liberation.
On January 1, 1949, Yangzhou was liberated and established as a city. The original Jiangdu County was divided into Yangzhou City, Jiangdu County, and Hanyang County. Over the centuries, through the rise and fall of countless dynasties, the people of Yangzhou have created a splendid culture and left behind numerous historical relics and landmarks. Today, Yangzhou is not only a renowned tourist destination but also the cultural and educational center of northern Jiangsu. Since ancient times, Yangzhou has been known as a place where 'talented people thrive and the land is blessed.' In the tide of reform and opening up, the city has flourished and transformed, with its urban landscape. As more and more domestic and international visitors stop here, they hope to find the tranquility and depth of the 'Moonlit Night over the Twenty-Four Bridges' in this highly modernized city."