Yangzhou
ChinaCfa
© OpenStreetMap, CARTO
烟花三月下扬州 | Sail south to Yangzhou in the misty-blossom third month
Why visit
Slender West Lake (Shòu Xīhú) is the obvious draw, not actually slim but a long, narrow chain of garden-edged ponds with the famous Five-Pavilion Bridge and the White Pagoda. Wander the Heyuan and Geyuan classical gardens, masterworks of Qing dynasty private garden design. The Daming Temple complex includes the rebuilt Jianzhen Memorial Hall to the monk who introduced Buddhism to Japan. The old town's Dongguan Street has snack stalls and merchant houses. Yangzhou is the cradle of Huaiyang cuisine, try dazhu ganlao (shredded tofu in chicken broth), wensi tofu (impossibly thin shreds), Yangzhou fried rice (the original), and morning lion's-head meatballs.
When to avoid
Slender West Lake gets crowded during the cherry-blossom and peony seasons (late March through April) and during Chinese national holidays, visit at opening or in the evening. Summer plum rains in June to July are sticky and humid. Mainland China visa needed. Yangzhou is sometimes covered by 144-hour transit-visa-free policies via Shanghai or Nanjing. English is limited. Install translation apps. The local food is rich and oily for unaccustomed stomachs, ease in slowly. WeChat/Alipay essential.