Right line
Would you fancy to follow the footsteps of poet Li Bai of Tang Dynasty to experience the same beautiful travel route during the third month of the Chinese lunar year as described by him? Yangzhou, the pearl on the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal, is definitely not a destination an experienced traveller should take for granted.
Yangzhou, which came to prominence when it was chosen by the first emperor of the short-lived Sui Dynasty (581- 618 AD) as the imperial capital, is as old as the Grand Canal, the world's oldest and longest man-made waterway running from Beijing to Hangzhou, linking the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. Yangzhou sits handsomely in the south reaches of this mind-blowing UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In history, the famous salt trade center was repeatedly praised by men of letters across dynasties as the place to both visit and settle down due to its beautiful waterways, gardens and the Slender West Lake. Its particular charm during the third month of the Chinese lunar calendar has inspired many poets, writers and composers.
What to do in Yangzhou (April 19 - May 17):
2015 Yangzhou International Economy, Trade and Tourism Festival, Apr 18 to May 17.
- Have a taste of variety of vegetarian cuisines on offer at the 2015 China Yangzhou Cross-Straits Vegetarian Culture & Green Daily Necessities Fair, April 22-26.
Venue: Jianzhen Library
Alternatives for non-vegetarians: roasted Chinese mystery snail, sticky rice-filled lotus root, Luyangchun tea, puffer fish and spring bamboo shoots are all spring specialties in the city.
- Enjoy sea of flowers at the 2015 Yangzhou Flower Festival, Apr 8- May 8.
Venue: Slender West Lake Scenic Area
Highlights from Chinese poems:
Still and cold, the moon hangs upon the rippling water waves, the bridge stood alone,
To whom, may I ask, has the red peonies alongside it blossomed from years ago?
-Jiang Kui [Song Dynasty]
Highlights from Chinese poems:
Across ten miles in Yangzhou, the spring breeze blows where,
Behind the bead curtains, no one to my love could compare.
- Du Mu [Tang Dynasty]
