Last weekend saw me headed to another neighbouring city- this time with one of my students who had kindly offered to be my personal guide of her hometown. Caught the bus on Friday afternoon - took about 1 1/2 hours- got settled into my hotel and then we went out for dinner. WELL what a dinner it was........Yangzhou individual hot pot was my introduction to the cuisine of this area. Eating hot pot is not a passive activity: you must select morsels of prepared raw food from plates scattered around the table, place them in the pot, wait for them to cook, fish them out of the soup, dip them in the preferred sauce, and then eat them hot, fresh, and tender. Melody excelled herself and ordered such a variety - meats, fish, vegetables - that it was impossible to stop eating!!! The highlight for me was the lamb.....might sound boring but believe me when you have lived in a country where lamb is an unrecognisalbe taste it is a rare find indeed to find the freshest spring lamb. Mind you for someone who never cooks this whole restaurant proved to be a bit of a novelty with Melody having to tell me when everything was cooked. Left there feeling much like we all do after Xmas.......ate far too much but enjoyed every morsel. Our only worry is that it is pouring with rain and we have our fingers crossed that it stops before we head out in the morning.

A little bit about YANGZHOU: 扬州.
There is a little verse, much quoted in reference to Yangzhou, which goes something like this:
Brilliant moonlight, orioles, flowers and pavilions of jade,
All attest to the past and present glories of Yangzhou.

Yangzhou, noted for its history and culture, is located in central Jiangsu Province in Southeast China (about 100kms from Nanjing), the convergent point between Yangtze River and the Great Canal of China. Yangzhou has more than 2500 years of history, and honored to be the UN's best habitat city and model city of living environment and environmental protection. Marco Polo once served here as a municipal official. With a population of about 4.4million people the city is covered by beautiful parks in addition to the famous tourist spots.

Saturday morning saw me up bright and early as Melody was picking me up at 0730 to begin our day of sightseeing. Started off eating a typical Yangzhou breakfast of baozi as we rode on the local bus out to Slender West Lake - our first stop for the day.- the early start being so that we would escape most of the tour groups. Yangzhou is also famous for "Baozi." Baozi is a steamed bun filled with meat and sweet spices. A good snack for those on the go is sanding baozi, buns filled with chicken, pork and bamboo shoots. A personal favorite of the Sui emperor was, made of pork and supplemented with clams, mushrooms, crab meat or goose meat.
Slender West Lake is the most well-known scenic resort in the city. It is a man-made lake. Narrow in shape, the lake is like a tall and slender beauty in comparison with the West Lake in Hangzhou of east China's Zhejiang Province, thus it got its name. 4.3 kilometers in total length with an area of over 30 hectares, Slender West Lake is surrounded by weeping willows and various attractions including White Pagoda, the Five Pavilion Bridge, Xiaojin Hill, Fuzhuang, 24 Bridge and many others.

Slender West Lake is a typical example of Chinese water-based garden art combining the grace and elegance of the south with the grandeur and magnificence of the north. Walking along the lake, you can see many elegant styles of architectures. Some line along the shore of the lake, and others are actually built over the lake. They all possess different kinds of beauty. Numerous poems have been left by famous poets about the beautiful lake adding to its cultural importance.

Slender West Lake is known for its 24 attractions, among which the most amazing one is 24 Bridge. Built with white marble, the bridge is 24 meters (appox.79 feet) long, 24 meters (also appox.79 feet) wide, with 24 parapets and 24 steps hence the name - 24 Bridge. It looks like a marble ribbon fluttering on the water or a rainbow lying over the lake. The highest scenic spot in the lake, Xiaojin Hill offers a breathtaking panorama of the lake from the kiosk on top of the hill. Most of the architectures and rockeries on the hill are remains of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911).

I will let my photos speak for themselves but have to say that this was a beautiful spot and it is no wonder that it is the highlight for many visitors to Yangzhou. We spent several hours wandering around the various attractions with Melody telling me all about the history in English while at the same time testing me on my Chinese characters to read the signs. I think it was great practice for both of us!!

Nest stop was Daming Temple not far from the lake so we walked there. No rain today but it was a little chilly in the early morning so a walk was just what we needed to warm ourselves up a bit.


Daming Temple- The original temple was built in Liu Song Dynasty (420-479 CE). In 1765 during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Emperor Qianlong went south on an inspection tour. When he came here, he granted the name Fajing to this temple. In 1980, the Statue of Jianzhen was exhibited from Japan to China; then, this temple regained its original name. Jianzhen, an accomplished monk in the Tang Dynasty, acted as abbot of Daming Temple to carry forward Buddhist disciplines. During the history of more than one thousand years, Daming Temple reached its peak in the Qing Dynasty during which Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong arrived in Yangzhou City several times. With unceasing enlargement, its scale became larger and larger, and finally it became one of Yangzhou City's Big Eight Temples in the Qing Dynasty.

The temple building itself is similar in both style and structure to other Chinese temples. On entering the temple gate, visitors are greeted by a stately archway that was built in memory of the old Qiling Tower. The hall behind the archway is the Hall of Heavenly Kings, in the center of which sits the big-stomached Maitreya Buddha, smiling widely to welcome guests and visitors. The next hall is the Mahavira Hall, the main focus of the temple. This hall is dedicated to the Great Buddha, Sakyamuni. His figure dominates the center of the room while statues of other Buddhist gods surround him. These gods are responsible for the good harvest and peaceful life of the people. The remaining space is that of the Scripture Repository.

However, the most spectacular feature is the Qiling (soul living) Pagoda. First built in the Sui Dynasty (581-618), the tower was later burnt down during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and then rebuilt again. Standing 70 metres high it can be seen from miles away and for us it acted as a guiding landmark as we walked towards the temple.


We then headed back into the old part of the city riding in this little motorised trolley.....the driver spending most of the way telling us that we had bargained him down too low for the trip especially as he was carrying a "rich" foreigner!!!. We soon gave him a quick lesson about the fortunes, or lack thereof, of some foreigners. By the time we reached our destination he was apologising to me!! Melody took me to Dongguan Street which is an ancient street with many old shops selling all sorts of Yangzhou snacks....... which I then had to sample all those that didn't contain egg....

The ten major snacks of Yangzhou are: Sanding baozi(steamed stuffed bun), Qianceng You Gao(cake), Shuangma Subing(crisp cake), Feicui Shaobao(steamed dumpling with vegetable filling),Gan Caibao (vegetable steamed stuffed bun), Yeya Caibao(duck steamed stuffed bun),Nuomi Shao Mai(rice dumpling),Xiehuang Zheng Jiao(crab steamed dumpling), Cheao Shao Mai(crab steamed rice dumpling) and Ji Si Juanzi(chicken cake). One of my favourites was Yangzhou Niu Pi Tang (扬州牛皮౻ 8;, Yangzhou Gummy Candy) which was first sold almost 200 years ago when Yangzhou was the port for salt transportation and grain transportation and the place favored by government officials and literati. It had a wide spread among people of varied social status.


The street is 1122 meters long and paved with slates. In the past, it was not only the water and land transportation route in Yangzhou, but also a commercial and cultural centre. It is also home ot one of Yangzhou's famous service industries - knives.

Yangzhou's service industries are often referred to as the "three knives" - the kitchen knife, razor and pedicure knife for which the city is famous. The kitchen knife is a byword for Huaiyang cuisine (cuisine from the Huaibei and Yangzhou regions), which is one of the four major cuisine styles in China and famously boasts elaborate cutting techniques. For example, a piece of tofu with a width of no more than two centimeters can be sliced into 18 separate layers by chefs specializing in Yangzhou cuisine. The razor is emblematic of Yangzhou's reputation for hairdressing and shaving, services that even delighted the Qianlong Emperor (1711-1799) during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). A pedicure knife typifies the exceptional skills of Yangzhou people who are adept at peeling the dead skin off feet and at curing athlete's foot and other skin and nail diseases.

In 2010 it was selected as one of "10 Famous Historical and Cultural Streets" by a national program which evaluates streets on their historic importance, cultural significance, preservation, economic vitality, social visibility, and protection and management. She also took me to meet her grandmother who has lived in one of the back alley of this street for over 60 years. Difficulty in conversing with my limited Chinese but she was delighted when I accepted a cup of tea. At the end of the street lies the Grand Canal providing us the opportunity to see this waterway as it winds its way from Beijing to Hangzhou. WOW what a walk through history this street proved to be.

Next stop was Geyuan or Ge Garden....... I just can't get enough of Chinese gardens and appreciate each one I visit. I love the feeling of peace and tranquilty and admire each one for its unique character.

Geyuan Garden is the best-preserved and most valuable garden with longest history. The garden is not large, but it has exquisite and delicate arrangements. The garden is especially prestigious with its rockworks and bamboos. Strictly constructed and creatively designed, the Geyuan Garden is unique in China and one of the most famous gardens of Yangzhou. Geyuan Garden was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and was later rebuilt as a private garden in 1818 during the Qing Dynasty. Huang Zhiyun, a rich salt merchant and the owner of the garden, thought highly of the upright character of the bamboo. What’s more, the bamboo leaves look like the Chinese character 'ge', so the name of 'Geyuan' was given. Originally, there were more than one hundred kinds of bamboo in the garden, but today only a sprinkling of bamboo can be seen.

Then it was off to visit another famous garden in Yangzhou. this time Heyuan.

Heyuan Garden was named with the family name, "He", of its owner, He Zhidao, in Qing Dynasty. Built in 1883, its maze of buildings and residences adapt some Western architectural styles, yet retain a nostalgic late Qing era style. The eastern part consists of a quadrangular hall, rockery and hexangular pavilion, where people used to be entertained. In the southern part of the pavilion, there is a landscape with flower nursery containing the Chinese national flower, Peony. The western part is comprised of houses linked together, central pavilion and rockery, and is the center of the garden, where the owner used to live. The southern part is relatively small but carries a special prestige because its rockeries are made up of special yellow rocks hence different from other gardens in Yangzhou and its neighbors.

By this time we had been on the go for 12 hours and I was feeling exhausted but we hadn't quite finished the day yet........ Melody decided to take me to a little "hole in the wall" restaurant which serves Yangzhou's unique cuisine. Some of China's most creative and eye catching dishes come from the Yangzhou school of cuisine called Huaiyang which is considered as one of four cuisine styles of China. Huaiyang Cuisine is centered on Yangzhou. Huaiyang cuisine is known for being light and sweet tasting. The original color of each ingredient is preserved after cooking, and no oily sauce is added, so as to retain the fresh savor of the food. Far and away the most famous creation of Huaiyang cuisine is Yangzhou Fried Rice, which will not surprise many as simply being... fried rice stir-fried with shrimp, ham, egg, peas and seasonal vegetables, a variety of wonderful flavours and textures. I have to say that it was the BEST fried rice I have ever tasted...the chef was a little worried it would not be the same without the egg but I assured them it was wonderful and proceeded to eat every mouthful in appreciation. I have no idea how I squeezed in any more food as it has seems like I've been eating all afternoon!!!! We then went back to Melod'y home where I met her parents who insisted we eat some fresh fruits prepared especially for my visit......I managed to eat a few pieces of watermelon before biding everyone goodnight.

Totally exhausted I crashed once I hit my hotel room intent on getting a good night sleep before more sightseeing tomorrow morning before we head back to Nanjing after lunch.
Melody must have read my mind as when I awoke on Sunday morning my legs were so sore from all the walking the day before and she picked me up using her family's electric bike!!! We were able to zip around sitting on the bike as we headed off for a traditional Yangzhou breakfast. Are you getting the idea that much of this trip seems to revolve around food??? Breakfast consisted of all these different dumplings and baozi each one being absolutely delicious. i did have a laugh though......Melody ordered me an orange juice (as I don't drink soy milk) but it was served hot just like her milk!!!

We passed by the Wenchang Pavilion, also known as Pavilion of Flourishing Culture. This round, three-story pavilion was built in 1585 and celebrates the city's rich cultural traditions. Standing west of the Pavilion of Flourishing Culture is a five-story Tang Dynasty pagoda. Built in 837 AD, it is the oldest pagoda still standing in Yangzhou.


We headed to the Yangzhou Museum which is housed in an ultra modern building.

Yangzhou Museum is a medium-sized museum with nearly 30,000 cultural relics. It has several themed display halls including an Overview of Yangzhou History and Culture, Calligraphy and Painting Hall. Live displays of old printing techniques adds to this interesting section of the museum. Five hundred cultural relics are displayed in the meantime and this reflects the historic and culture scenes of Yangzhou. The gem of the museum is a Yuan-dynasty glazed vase/bottle which has a blue background and a white dragon. Definitely no photos are allowed the number of security guards ensures that!! It is one of only 3 of these in the world – the others 2 – one in Beijing and one in Paris are slightly smaller than this one. Needless to say the people of Yangzhou take great pride in this national treasure.

It was then time for lunch......yes...more food. This time a vegetarian restaurant run by the Buddhist monks. I really have no idea what some of the dishes I ate were....some tasted like chicken or fish but Melody assured me they were all vegetables!!! We then dashed back to Melodys home where her mother served us homemade chicken soup to ensure we would not be hungry on our journey back to Nanjing!!! We both slept on the bus going back totally exhausted.

All in all it was a most enjoyable weekend seeing one of China's most beautiful cities, gorging myself on the most delicious foods and had the company of my delightful student to enrich my knowledge and understanding of her hometown. Probably not on the tourist map for many but then that is the delight I have in living here and learning about the hidden gems the country has to offer.

Bye for now. xx