Intro#
"Fireworks in Yangzhou in March"
It's almost March, so let's go to Yangzhou and take a look. The landlady said we came too early. The most beautiful time in Yangzhou is when the cherry blossoms bloom on March 18th.
China Grand Canal Museum#
The first stop is the China Grand Canal Museum.
It was just after the Chinese New Year, and it was a weekday, so there weren't too many people. We were able to make an appointment for that day.
We rented an audio guide for 20 yuan, which wasn't too expensive, but the experience wasn't great. The automatic location-based audio guide often didn't work properly, so I recommend manually entering the codes to listen to the explanations.
We only had an hour and a half for the tour, so we didn't listen to the explanations for the parts we weren't interested in. We managed to visit the main exhibition halls before the museum closed.
The Grand Canal runs through multiple cities and provinces, and the museum is located in Yangzhou. If you come to Yangzhou, it's worth a visit.
Pishi Street & Dongguan Street#
We stayed near Heyuan, and due to road construction on the way to Pishi Street, we had to take a detour to get there.
Maybe because of the temperature drop and light rain, there weren't too many people on the street. These two streets are not far from each other and are both commercial streets. Pishi Street is slightly wider, while Dongguan Street has more of an ancient street feel.
There are also streets nearby, such as Caiyi Street, that have a strong local flavor and are suitable for walking, buying snacks, and experiencing the leisurely lifestyle of the people of Yangzhou.
Heyuan Garden#
The next morning, our first stop was Heyuan Garden.
I had been to Lion Grove in Suzhou before, but the experience was terrible. It was overcrowded, and the scenery wasn't as exquisite and delicate as expected. So I was a bit worried about visiting Heyuan Garden this time.
But after arriving, all my doubts were dispelled. With a suitable number of visitors, the experience of visiting the garden was very good. The scenery was exquisite and suitable for taking photos. I recommend visiting the garden during the off-peak season to avoid large crowds and have a better experience.
Wenchang Pavilion & Siwang Pavilion#
Due to time constraints, we decided to skip visiting another garden and went to Wenchang Pavilion and Siwang Pavilion instead.
These are two pavilions located next to the street, and there isn't much of a tourist experience.
Daming Temple#
Next, we took a taxi to Daming Temple, but it started raining heavily as soon as we arrived. The rain was too heavy, and it made the experience less enjoyable, so we decided to cancel our plan to visit Slender West Lake.
Yangzhou Rubbing Massage Center#
We heard that rubbing massage in Yangzhou is an intangible cultural heritage, so we went to the well-known Yangzhou Rubbing Massage Center. We chose the 70-minute 198 yuan package on Meituan.
At the Yangzhou Rubbing Massage Center, each person has their own pool, so there's no need to worry too much about hygiene. The entire process takes place in a small room with only two people. Before the massage, we soaked in a bath. Since I rarely take baths, the hot water was a bit overwhelming, and I quickly felt numb. The experience of being massaged was quite novel, with a sense of rhythm and sound. However, perhaps due to not being accustomed to it or having high expectations, the experience was not as impressive as expected.
While getting a massage, I chatted with the masseur. For a 198 yuan package, the masseur only receives around 50 to 60 yuan. Even though it's a well-known place like the Yangzhou Rubbing Massage Center, the masseurs for the 198 yuan package are not master-level (maybe you can pay more for that).
Surprisingly, after the two-hour massage, it was drizzling when we entered the center, but when we came out, it was snowing heavily. The ground was covered with a thick layer of snow.
Eating and Drinking#
Yangzhou Lion's Tower Restaurant#
Originally, we planned to go to 7 Chi 8 Ba Sunshine Restaurant to try authentic Yangzhou cuisine and Yangzhou fried rice. But then we found a restaurant called Yangzhou Lion's Tower next to our hotel, so we decided to try it first.
Yangzhou cuisine is light, and I didn't taste any spiciness or saltiness.
The signature dish, Lion's Head Meatballs, priced at 98 yuan, was different from what I had tried elsewhere. First, the taste was lighter, and second, the texture was softer. It also had a whole egg yolk inside. Personally, I think 98 yuan is a bit expensive.
The value of the Wensi Tofu Soup lies more in its visual appeal and novelty, and it didn't add much to the taste.
The Yangzhou Fried Rice lived up to its reputation. Although the overall taste was not much different from what I had elsewhere, it was fragrant, and the ingredients were plentiful (considering the price).
The Stir-Fried Pork Kidneys had a typical soy flavor commonly found in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai regions. The pork kidneys were cut into large pieces, and the portion and quality were reasonable for the price, but if you're used to the taste of pork kidneys in the Sichuan and Chongqing regions, you might find it a bit heavy.
The Braised Shredded Pork with Bean Sprouts was also well-known. The tofu products inside were different from what I had imagined, and the taste was lighter.
The average cost per person was around 140 yuan, and the portions were quite large compared to Shanghai. If you haven't tried it before, you can give it a try. If you have tried it, there's no need to go again.
Copper Pot Chicken#
After trying Yangzhou cuisine, we didn't plan to try it again. We just went into any restaurant we saw on the street. Copper Pot Chicken was not expensive, with an 88 yuan meal for two people, and it was more than enough to eat.
Plain Food#
Plain Food was also highly recommended. I went to the one on Dongguan Street, and the restaurant wasn't big, but it was indeed a good value for money. I recommend it to anyone visiting Dongguan Street.
Snacks#
In addition to the above, I also tried Yangzhou yogurt, stinky tofu, and plum blossom cake.
Yangzhou yogurt is just regular yogurt, and I didn't find anything special about it.
The stinky tofu on Dongguan Street is quite unique and different from the more common stinky tofu in Changsha. The black and white stinky tofu also have different prices.
I had tried plum blossom cake in Suzhou before, and the taste was similar.
!
Stinky Tofu on Dongguan Street
Outro#
The cost of traveling in Yangzhou is not high, and there are many places to visit. Even if you just find a place to sit on Pishi Street, it feels very pleasant.
If you have the opportunity, come to Yangzhou in March and see it for yourself.
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