Yangzhou

Intro

“Amid the mist and blossoms of March, sail down to Yangzhou.”

March was almost here, so we came to Yangzhou for a look. The hostess said we were still a bit early—March 18, when the cherry blossoms 🌸 are in bloom, might be when Yangzhou is at its prettiest.

China Grand Canal Museum

First stop: China Grand Canal Museum.

It was right after Chinese New Year and still a weekday, so it wasn’t too crowded—I even booked the wrong time slot and could still get one for that same day.

We rented an audio guide for 20 yuan. The price wasn’t bad, but the experience wasn’t great either—the location-triggered commentary often failed, so I’d suggest entering the code manually and listening to it that way.

We only had an hour and a half for the visit, so we skipped the audio for the parts we weren’t interested in. By around closing time, we’d made it through the main exhibition halls.

The Grand Canal runs through multiple cities and provinces, and the museum sits in Yangzhou. If you’re in Yangzhou, it’s worth a visit.

Pishi Street & Dongguan Street

We were staying near He Garden. Since the road to Pishi Street was under construction, we had to take a big detour to get there.

Maybe because of the colder weather and drizzle, the streets weren’t too crowded. The two streets are close to each other and both are shopping streets—Pishi Street is a bit wider, while Dongguan Street feels more like an old street.

Nearby, Caiyi Street and a few other streets are full of that everyday street-life atmosphere—good for a stroll, grabbing some snacks, and soaking up the unhurried vibe that’s uniquely Yangzhou.

He Garden

Early the next morning, our first stop was He Garden.

When it comes to gardens, I’d been to the Lion Grove Garden in Suzhou before, and the experience could only be described as awful—packed with people, and the scenery didn’t seem particularly refined either. So I was a bit worried about this trip to He Garden.

But once I got there, all my doubts were gone. With a reasonable crowd, the garden experience is really nice—the scenery is exquisite and very photogenic. I’d still recommend going to gardens in the off-season; once the crowds get too big, there’s no experience left.

Wenchang Pavilion & Siwang Pavilion

Time was tight, so we decided to put Ge Garden, another garden, aside for now and first go check out Wenchang Pavilion and Siwang Pavilion.

They’re just two pavilions standing by the side of the road—there isn’t much of an experience to speak of.

Daming Temple

Next, we took a cab to Daming Temple. It started raining the moment we arrived, and the rain was heavy enough to make the visit unpleasant, so our planned next stop, Slender West Lake, was called off.

Yangzhou Back-Scrubbing House

We’d heard that Yangzhou back-scrubbing is an intangible cultural heritage, so we went to Yangzhou Back-Scrubbing House, which is widely considered to be an authentic spot. We chose the 70-minute option for 198 yuan on Meituan.

At Yangzhou Back-Scrubbing House, it’s one person per pool, so we didn’t worry too much about hygiene. The whole session takes place in a small room with only two people in it. Before the scrub, you soak in the bath. Since I rarely take baths, the heat was a lot to handle, and I went numb before long. The back-patting was a novel experience—the rhythm and the sound. Maybe because I wasn’t used to it, or maybe because my expectations were too high, the experience wasn’t all that surprising.

While getting scrubbed, I chatted with the attendant. For a 198-yuan package, the attendant only takes home around 50 or 60 yuan. Even at a place as famous as Yangzhou Back-Scrubbing House, the person handling the 198-yuan package isn’t master-level (maybe paying more would change that).

To our pleasant surprise, it was drizzling lightly when we went in, and after our two-hour back-scrub we came out to heavy snowfall, with a thick layer already on the ground.

Food & Drinks

Yangzhou Lion House

We had originally planned to try the most authentic Yangzhou cuisine and Yangzhou fried rice at 7 Eat 8 Bar Sunshine Restaurant, but then we noticed there was a Yangzhou Lion House right next to our hotel, so we tried it first.

Yangzhou cuisine is light—I didn’t taste a single hint of chili, and it wasn’t too salty either.

The signature lion’s head meatball was 98 yuan. Compared with the ones I’ve had elsewhere, its flavor was lighter, its texture was softer, and there was a whole egg yolk inside. Personally, I think 98 is a bit expensive.

The value of Wensi tofu soup lies more in the presentation and the novelty; on the palate, I didn’t feel it added much.

Yangzhou fried rice truly lives up to its name. The overall flavor wasn’t hugely different from what I’ve had elsewhere, but it really was fragrant, and the ingredients were generous (after all, the price is right up there).

Stir-fried kidneys had that typical sauce flavor of the Jiangsu–Zhejiang–Shanghai region. The kidney slices were cut big, and the portion and quality were reasonable for the price. But after getting used to kidney dishes in the Sichuan–Chongqing area, I felt the kidneys’ own taste was a bit strong.

Boiled dried-tofu shreds was another dish I’d long heard about. The bean-curd ingredients inside were different from what I’d imagined—fairly light.

It was around 140 per person, and the portions were pretty big—a lot more substantial than in Shanghai. If you’ve never tried it, give it a shot; if you have, there’s no need.

Copper Pot Chicken

After trying Yangzhou cuisine, we didn’t plan to try it again. We just walked along the road and went into whatever looked good. The copper-pot chicken wasn’t expensive—the 88-yuan meal for two was more than enough to fill us up.

Plain Tea and Rice

Plain Tea and Rice was also recommended by everyone. I went to the Dongguan Street location. The shop isn’t big, and it really offers good value. I’d recommend it to anyone visiting Dongguan Street.

Snacks

Besides that, we also tried Yangda yogurt, stinky tofu from Dongguan Street, and plum blossom cake.

Yangzhou yogurt is just regular yogurt—I didn’t find anything special about it.

The most distinctive one was the stinky tofu from Dongguan Street. It was very different from the more common Changsha-style stinky tofu, and the black and white versions were even priced differently.

I’d had plum blossom cake in Suzhou before, and it tasted about the same.

Outro

Yangzhou isn’t an expensive place to travel, and there’s no shortage of things to do. If the weather is nice, even just finding a spot on Pishi Street and sitting there for a while feels pleasant.

If I get the chance, I’ll wait for the real March and come back to see Yangzhou again.