Yangzhou, a famous cultural city with a long history,
is just across the Yangtze River from Zhenjiang and
on the bank of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. Yangzhou
was called Hancheng when it was first built under the
order of King of the Wu State Fu Chai in 486 B.C. For
years Yangzhou was one of the most prosperous towns
in China, and the construction of the Grand Canal made
it a pivot of communications and transportation from
the Sui and Tang periods to the late Qing Dynasty. After
the Grand Canal was initially completed in the Sui Dynasty
(581-618), Emperor Yang Di made three inspection tours
to Yangzhou. During his last tour in 612, peasant uprisings
swept the country and he was killed by his subordinated
here.
Yangzhou
was also an important port for foreign trade and exchanges
with the outside world in ancient China. The prominent
Tang Dynasty monk Jian Zhen (688 - 763) made six attempts
to sail from here to Japan for cultural exchange.
It is also here that a celebrated Arab Moslem, Bahaa¡¯
Eddin, stayed for ten years preaching Islamism. The
world-renowned traveler Marco Polo once served as
an official in Yangzhou.
Slender West Lake (Shouxihu)
The lake in the southeast part of the city is so named
because its long, narrow shape is similar to that
of West Lake in Hangzhou. In the park, the winding
streams are interconnected, and along their twisting
courses are such sights as Little Gold Hill (Xiaojinshan),
White Pagoda (Baita), Five Pavilions Bridge (Wutingqiao),
and Moon Viewer (Yueguan). The style of the park displays
both the splendor of northern Chinese gardens and
the elegance of southern Chinese gardens. The White
Pagoda in Lianxing Temple resembles the one in Beijai
Park in Beijing.
Grand Brightness Temple (Damingsi)
This monastery on Shugang Hill in the northwest suburb
of Yangzhou dates back to the Southern Dynasties in
the fifth century. It was where the Buddhist monk
Jain Zhen once lived and preached. Above the gate
of this famous temple is the inscription ¡°Fajing Temple¡±
written in 1765 by Emperor Qian Long of the Qing Dynasty
when he came on an inspection tour. Since then the
temple is also known as Fajing Temple. A three-port,
three-storied archway leads to Heavenly Gate Hall
(Tianmendian) and to the Grand Hall, which stands
at the rear of the temple. To the east is Clear Sky
Chamber (Qinggongge), now serving as Monk Jian Zhen¡¯s
memorial hall.
Other tourist attractions at Yangzhou include the
Qing Dynasty Geyuan Garden on the city¡¯s Dongguan
Street which is known for its bamboo groves; Xiaopangu
Garden, regarded as one of the most well-known classical
style gardens in China; the Moslem Mausoleum that
houses the tomb of Bahaa¡¯ Eddin who came to preach
a Islam and died here during the Southern Song Dynasty;
and a mosque dating back to the mid-Qing Dynasty.
Yangzhou
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