Yangzhou has a history of about 2,500 years. Its preserved old city covers an area of 5.09 square kilometers with about 340 alleys attached to some major streets.

At the easternmost end of Dongguan Street in Yangzhou, stands the Marco Polo Memorial Hall, a museum showing the Italian traveler's journey to the East in the 13th century.

Woodblock printing transformed virtually everything about the written word centuries ago, but has faded in recent decades amid challenges ranging from wars to lasers.

As a technique invented in China more than 1,300 years ago, woodblock printing was included in UNESCO's representative list of intangible cultural heritage in 2009.

Symptoms: high body temperature, dry skin without sweat and disorder of consciousness.