My Unforgettable Romance With Yangzhou

[Prologue] An Encounter at Dusk A high-speed train from Nanjing sped for 40 minutes before arriving at Yangzhou North Station, just as dusk was settling. A cool evening breeze greeted me at the exit, carrying the unique moisture of the Grand Canal. This 2,500-year-old city, like a refined scholar in a blue robe, slowly unfolded its fan in the twilight. Following the directions of a local, I found a popular local eatery—Zhou Guniang. The Jiangzhe crayfish lived up to its reputation. As the shell peeled away in my fingers, amber-colored fat oozed out. The meat was firm and springy, and the slightly spicy and sweet sauce held the delicate charm unique to Jiangnan. At the next table, several locals were peeling crayfish with beer. Amidst the soft chatter in the Wu dialect, my first impression of Yangzhou was thus steeped in the everyday atmosphere. 📅 Itinerary Overview: This trip was short. I arrived on the first night and left on the afternoon of the third day. The 40-hour trip, however, made me fall in love with Yangzhou at first sight. ✅Day1: Grand Canal Museum of Yangzhou - Slender West Lake - Pishi Street - Dongguan Street - Caiyi Street - Siwang Pavilion ✅Day2: Siwang Pavilion - Yi Garden - Geyuan Garden - Heyuan Garden 💫Grand Canal Museum: A Millennium of Flowing Time 🔹I headed straight to the Grand Canal Museum in the morning. When I arrived at 8:45 am, the crowd had already filled three sides of the square. Upon entering, the glass curtain wall reflected the sparkling waves, as if I could see the sails of Emperor Yang of Sui's dragon boat on his southern tour. 🔹Hall 2 [Boats on the Canal] Entering Hall 2, I was immediately met by a semi-suspended wreck of a Ming Dynasty grain boat, like a time specimen just salvaged from the historical riverbed. The dark blue light and shadow in the exhibition hall rippled like water waves. The glass walkway under my feet was embedded with boat nails, anchors, and cable fragments from the Sui, Tang, and Republican periods. Every step echoed with the afterglow of a thousand years of waves. 🔹Hall 3 [Emergence - Impressions of Streets and Alleys along the Grand Canal] The realistically restored Bianhe Ancient Street made me dream back to the Song Dynasty. Suddenly, I heard the virtual sound of rain hitting the bluestone slabs. The rise and fall of the millennium of canal transportation had turned into mottled boat nails in the exhibition hall. 🔹On the top-floor observation deck, the real scenery of Yangzhou city was set against the Grand Canal Pagoda. Looking out at the distant Grand Canal, it felt like a shocking face-to-face meeting between ancient and modern times. 💫Slender West Lake: A Quiet and Elegant Beauty Without Makeup In the afternoon, the Slender West Lake was without makeup, and the Twenty-Four Bridges quietly lay on the green waves. The flying eaves of the Wuting Bridge hooked the flowing clouds, and the moss on the stone steps of the Fishing Platform was as deep and shallow as the ink paintings of Bada Shanren. As I slowly traveled by boat, the boatman hummed Yangzhou tunes. In the sound of the oars, the romantic past of Emperor Qianlong's six trips to the south had shattered into ripples all over the lake. 💫Pishi Street, Dongguan Street, Caiyi Street: Turning Through Millennium Alleys, the Scholarly Atmosphere Has Not Cooled, the Commercial Veins Are Still Warm, and the Everyday Atmosphere Is in Full Swing As dusk settled, I walked into Pishi Street, where mottled brick walls were covered with trumpet creepers. The old wooden window lattices of various artistic shops revealed a warm light, and the three characters "Yangzhou Slow" on the lintel had been smoothed by the years. Turning into a narrow and simple alley, after walking a few steps, I turned into Dongguan Street, where the blue brick horse head walls and the Starbucks sign coexisted wonderfully. In the osmanthus-honeyed lotus root flour fragrance of Caiyi Street, an old man selling jasmine bracelets was recounting the old stories of Geyuan Garden in Yangzhou dialect. 💫Siwang Pavilion: Measuring the Millennium of Guangling to Yangzhou The Siwang Pavilion in the night was like a suspended lantern, with its octagonal flying eaves picking at the bright moon. The traffic on Wenchang Pavilion was heavy, but this Ming Dynasty Kui Xing Pavilion still maintained its aloofness, making people suddenly understand the literati temperament in Yangzhou's bones. In the morning, the Siwang Pavilion faded away from the night, and the flying eaves and brackets stretched their muscles and bones in the morning glow. At a window seat on the second floor of Yi Garden, the emerald siu mai revealed a green color, the bamboo shoots in the Sanding baozi were crisp and tender, and the Thousand-Layer Cake was sweet but not greasy. I ordered a pot of green tea, chewed slowly, and the time in the tea fragrance slowed down by three beats. 💫Yi Garden: Whispers of a Century-Old Salt Merchant Behind Curtains Hidden in the deep alleys of Dongguan Street, the doors were lightly closed, and no one even asked about it. The wind passing through the hall lifted the bamboo curtain, and the century-old wisteria in the patio hung down with flower spikes, as if I could hear the laughter of the Republican salt merchants and literati. 💫Geyuan Garden: Playing Chess with Four-Fold Rockeries and Time The summer mountain was the most stunning. In the cool world built of Taihu stones, the hexagonal pavilion was reflected in the pool. In the light spots filtered by the green bamboo, I suddenly understood the true meaning of "I would rather eat no meat than live without bamboo." 💫Heyuan Garden: An Isolated Book Suspended Above the Hustle and Bustle The waterside pavilion was my favorite. The covered corridors cut the garden into layers of mirror frames. The French louvered windows of the Jade Embroidery Building conversed with the Chinese lattice windows across the ages. Sitting in front of the Pianshi Mountain House, watching the fish in the pond stir up the reflections of the rockery, and the colorful light spots refracted by the Western glass, I suddenly felt a sense of being hidden in the city. [Postscript] When leaving Yangzhou, I passed Dongguan Ancient Ferry again, and the willow trees on the Sui embankment were still green. This city has turned its millennium of elegance into drizzle and breeze, waiting for you to come and read it slowly.