China Travel Guide - Yangzhou: Yangzhou

Author: Editorial Committee of "China Travel Guide"
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-05-01
Features: "The world's three parts of bright moonlit nights, two parts are shameless in Yangzhou." The ancient famous city of Yangzhou is located at the eastern end of the middle-lower plain of the Yangtze River, in the central part of Jiangsu Province. It is close to the Yellow Sea in the east, bordering Nantong and Yancheng cities; it connects to Nanjing in the west, bordering Liuyi and Tianchang counties; it faces Zhenjiang and Wuxi cities across the Yangtze River in the south; it borders Huai River in the north, adjacent to Huaiyin city; and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal runs through it from north to south. It has long been a hub of water and land transportation, the throat of the southern grain transport, and an important gateway of northern Jiangsu. "The famous city on the left of Huai River" and the "richest city in the world," Yangzhou, has a history of nearly 2,500 years. In the ninth year of the Kaigang era of the Sui Dynasty, Wu Prefecture was changed to Yangzhou, and the Yangzhou General Command was established. By the ninth year of the Wudede era of the Tang Dynasty, the seat of Yangzhou was moved to Jiangdu County, and since then, Jiangdu County has had the exclusive name "Yangzhou." In the ninth year of the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty, Jiangdu County was divided into Jiangdu and Ganquan counties. During the Republican period, Jiangdu and Ganquan counties were merged again, still called Jiangdu County, under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province until liberation. On January 1, 1949, Yangzhou was liberated, and Yangzhou City was established. The original Jiangdu County was divided into Yangzhou City, Jiangdu County, and Hanyang County. Over the long course of history, through the rise and fall of countless dynasties, the people of Yangzhou have created a splendid culture here, leaving behind a large number of cultural relics and historic sites. Today's Yangzhou is not only a famous tourist destination but also the cultural and educational center of northern Jiangsu. Since ancient times, the "people of outstanding talent and blessed land" Yangzhou has made great progress in the tide of reform and opening-up, and the city has been completely transformed. As more and more domestic and foreign tourists stop here, they hope to find the tranquility and depth of the "bright moonlit nights of the 24 bridges" in this highly modernized city.