Besides the fireworks in March and Huaiyang cuisine, what else can truly represent Yangzhou?

Mention Yangzhou

Some people think of fresh and peaceful food

And the leisurely and comfortable rhythm

So say

"Fireworks in March in Yangzhou"

(Scenery of the Slender West Lake Scenic Area in Yangzhou, the above is from Li Bai's "Farewell to Meng Haoran at the Yellow Crane Tower", photographer @方飞)

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Some people think of the ingenious garden

And picturesque scenery

So say

"A ten-year dream in Yangzhou"

(Spring scenery in He Garden, the above is from Du Mu's "Sending Away My Feelings" Photographer @Fang Fei)

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Some people think of the long history

And the quiet alleys of the ancient road

So say

Yangzhou is just a lonely historical city

(Please view the Qiling Pagoda of Daming Temple in Yangzhou in horizontal mode, photographer @雷鑫)

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But when you look deeper into this city

You will find

Yangzhou is not only home to the misty Jiangnan

Not only is there cultural context

Behind the leisurely and quiet

Yangzhou is a city that is determined to make progress and never gives up.

Peak or valley

It never stopped moving forward

It broke through thousands of years ago

Experienced

But not falling into the blue sky

01

Jiangbei's Jiangnan

"May I ask where Yangzhou is? It is south of the Huai River, north of the Yangtze River, and west of the sea."

Yangzhou is located between the Yangtze River and the Huai River.

Jiangbei

It's its location

In the northwest corner of today's Yangzhou city

The shallowly raised hills are the highest point in Yangzhou.

For thousands of years, rivers have been eroding

The entrained sand keeps piling up

It creates a nearly flat land with dense rivers and lakes.

(The above is quoted from Yang Guang's "Dragon Boat Ride", the figure below is a schematic diagram of Yangzhou's topography and water system, drawn by @俊/Planetary Research Institute)

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"The waters of Jiangnan warm the city of Yangzhou, and the sound of strings and pipes fills the pavilions"

The water network spreads across Yangzhou

Jiangnan

It's its temperament

The sky is filled with mist and hazy rain

Boating on the waves

Everyone will firmly believe that Yangzhou is a water town in the south of the Yangtze River.

(The above quote is from Yao Nai's "Riding a Boat with Wang Yuqing to Pingshan Hall and Sending Him to Lin'an Prefecture", the picture below is the ruins of the Tang City, located at the north gate of Slender West Lake, photographer @城市穿梭客)

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Thousands of years ago

On this warm and fertile plain

The ancestors of Longqiu Village were the first to live here

And gradually developed into a mature Neolithic culture

Longqiu Culture

This was found in today's Yangzhou.

Earliest traces of human activity

(A pig-shaped pottery jar unearthed from the Longqiuzhuang site, which is located in Longqiu Town, Gaoyou City. Photographer: @脉影, map: @阿土/星球研究院)

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Western Zhou Dynasty

A group of Huaiyi people migrated to Yangzhou

Here the early states were established

(Sword of King Fuchai of Wu. The state of Qian was good at making bronze swords at that time. Photographer: Liang Xiaojun, map: Atu/Planetary Research Institute)

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Tribes Develop Culture

Ethnic groups became nations

This land is sandwiched between the Central Plains and Jiangnan

Communicating with the people around me with difficulty

But fate soon turned around

In the late Spring and Autumn Period, heroes fought for supremacy

The Wu Kingdom in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River rose rapidly

The ambitious King Wu turned his attention to the north

But the rushing river has become a natural barrier

The long journey north to attack Qi

The voyage is long and the waves are rough

King Wu understood

We must break through the river

(Yangzhou Shaobo Ship Lock on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, photographer @潘锐之)

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Yangzhou is bordered by the Yangtze River in the south and the Huai River in the north.

It is an important waterway hub for the northern expedition to Qi.

486 BC

King Fuchai of Wu built a city here

It is called Han City

In addition to building the city, Fuchai also dug canals

A waterway connects several large lakes

The Huaihe River and the Yangtze River are now connected.

Goods from the north and south can now be exchanged conveniently

This is the earliest clearly recorded canal.

Hang Canal

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Yangzhou Ancient Canal, photographer @杨奎)

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A Han Canal and a Han City

Opening up the 2500-year history of Yangzhou's urban construction

Yangzhou breaks through the rivers

With unique transportation advantages

From then on, it stood firmly on the stage of history

(Sketch of the location of Yangzhou City in different periods, drawn by @阿土&俊/Planet Research Institute)

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During the Han Dynasty, Yangzhou was the capital of the vassal state of Wu.

Under the reign of King Wu Liu Bi

At this time, Yangzhou was renamed Guangling

If Fuchai forged a sword for Yangzhou

Then Liu Bi created another powerful weapon in Yangzhou's hands

Salt

The east of Wu State is the sea, rich in sea salt.

However, salt transportation has long relied on inefficient human labor.

So it's similar to three hundred years ago

Another artificially dug canal was born in Yangzhou

Salt Transport River Opened

Salt grain was transferred from Yangzhou to all parts of the country

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Yunyan River and Jiangdu Water Conservancy Hub. Today, Jiangdu Water Conservancy Hub is the source of the East Route Project of South-to-North Water Diversion Project. Photographer @杨诚, map @阿土/星球研究院)

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Boiling salt, digging rivers, smelting copper, casting coins, and building Guangling City

Liu Bi's three-pronged approach

During these forty years, the state of Wu was prosperous.

Yangzhou also ushered in the first wave of prosperity in history

The poet Bao Zhao recalled Yangzhou at that time

Axles of cars collide with each other, and pedestrians are shoulder to shoulder.

The streets are densely populated, and the sounds of singing and playing resound through the sky.

"The car is hung with a wheel, and the person is on his shoulders

The shops are full of people, and the music is booming.

(The above is from Bao Zhao's "Ode to Wucheng", and the picture below is the Great King Temple. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, people in Yangzhou built the Great King Temple beside the Han Canal to worship Fuchai and Liu Bi. Photographer: @潘锐之)

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Build rivers and connect them to the river, break through the river

Yangzhou is no longer a small city in the north of the Yangtze River

It was a battleground during the Three Kingdoms period.

It was a refuge for refugees during the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

(Diagram of Han people's migration to the south, drawn by @俊/Planet Research Institute)

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The Han Canal failed to write the final chapter that Fuchai expected

But quietly laid out the prologue of Yangzhou

02

Distant Hub

Since ancient times, the center of the world has only been in the Central Plains.

Yangzhou wants to get closer to the center and break through the distance

The canal is also needed

Although the old Han Canal route was a major innovation

But the detour is long and the lake is wide

In case of strong winds, the ship is very likely to capsize

Therefore, Yangzhou's waterways have been continuously upgraded over the years.

Straightening the bends in the Eastern Han Dynasty

Greatly shortened the sailing distance

In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, new roads were dug and weirs and dams were built.

Keep the canal open

In 587, Emperor Wen of Sui conquered the Southern Chen

A river was dug to transport food and supplies

Starting from the Yangtze River in the south, passing through Sheyang Lake in the east, and reaching Shanyang in the north

The name is Shanyangdu (dú)

This canal completely changed the fate of Yangzhou

(The weir mentioned above refers to the earth dam, and the picture below is the ancient Yangzhou Hangou old road, photographer @方飞, map @俊/Planet Research Institute)

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Shanyang Du was opened, and the Sui army marched south

Conquer Chen in one fell swoop and unify the world

After Emperor Yang of Sui ascended the throne

The Grand Canal was dug across the country.

The north-south water system is now connected

Yangzhou is located at the intersection of the Grand Canal and the Yangtze River

Becoming a water transport hub

(The picture below shows a busy cargo ship on the Mangdao River. Photographer: @潘锐之, map by @俊/Planet Research Institute)

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Early Tang Dynasty

The arable land in the north can no longer meet the needs of the rapidly increasing population.

The imperial court needed grain from the southeast to be transported to Beijing.

The central government began to rely on Yangzhou

After the An-Shi Rebellion

The economic lifeline of the Yellow River Basin is controlled by the three towns of Heshuo

The court became increasingly dependent on the Jianghuai area

After that

The rise of the Maritime Silk Road

Yangzhou is located along the coast, along the river and along the canal.

It became an important town in the south that the dynasty could not leave.

(Diagram of the main transportation routes in Yangzhou during the middle and late Tang Dynasty, drawn by @俊/Planet Research Institute)

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People from all over the world come and go

Converging in Yangzhou with different missions

Salt merchants, tea merchants, jewelers

Merchants from all over the world gathered here by water.

The cloth merchants of Bashu and the salt merchants of Yangzhou exchanged what they had

"The trade of hemp and salt between Shu and Wu has been going on since ancient times, and boats carrying thousands of hu of salt can sail as fast as the wind."

The huge ship loaded with cargo looks as big as a rainbow from a distance.

"The boat is floating like a white rainbow"

Thousands of boats race against each other

"Ten thousand ships come here, and sail past Yangzhou"

(The above is from Du Fu's "Ten Quatrains of Kuizhou Song" and "Three Rhymes and Three Pieces", Li Bai's "After the Chaos and Separation, Heaven's Grace Flowed to Yelang, Recalling the Old Travels, Writing My Feelings and Presenting it to Wei Taishou Liangzai of Jiangxia", the picture below is the Yangzhou China Grand Canal Museum, photographer @刘庚源)

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Foreigners also set foot in Yangzhou

Some do business here

Bringing precious spice jewellery

Some are officials here

Cui Zhiyuan , a Silla native , served as the inspector general in Yangzhou

Four years later, he returned to his homeland as a "national messenger"

Some simply settled down

Limohulu

"Born in the Western Regions, I sailed here and settled down in a house I chose."

(The above is from the tombstone of Li Mohulu, the picture below is a Tang Persian green-glazed pottery pot collected by Yangzhou Museum, the picture is from @Visual China, the map is @Atu/Planet Research Institute)

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Ships of various sizes

Traveling day and night on the criss-crossing water network

Weaving a business network in Yangzhou

Then along the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal

Spread to all parts of the country

Population growth and economic prosperity

The city gradually expanded

Han City, which was established in the Spring and Autumn Period, finally came down from Shugang

(Please watch in horizontal screen, snow scene of Guanyin Mountain in Yangzhou. Guanyin Mountain is located at the east peak of Shugang Mountain and is the natural commanding height of Yangzhou City. Photographer: @方飞)

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Every blade of grass here

Can inspire the poet's talent

Yangzhou has become a carnival for literati and poets

"Little Prince of Social Life" Li Bai continues to welcome and see off guests in Yangzhou

"Farewell to My Cousin Sheren Ben at Xinhe , Tiguazhou"

" Farewell to the Gentlemen of Guangling"

" Farewell to Guangling"

"Staying at the Secluded Residence of Nanguo in Guangling"

"Reminiscing about the Past and Giving to Lu Diao, the Magistrate of Jiangyang"

(Qiling Pagoda of Daming Temple in Yangzhou, poets such as Li Bai, Gao Shi, and Bai Juyi have climbed the pagoda to write poems, photographer @方飞)

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Other poets also bid farewell to their friends in Yangzhou

Farewell to Mr. Zheng in Guangling by Gao Shi

Meng Haoran's " Farewell to Xue Ba in Guangling"

Liu Changqing's "Re- sending Doctor Liang to Jizhou at Guazhou Posthouse"

Cui Hao's " Seeing a Friend Back to Suzhou from Weiyang"

(The Twenty-Four Bridges of Slender West Lake in Yangzhou are covered in mist and rain, photographer @舒小简)

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One masterpiece after another was born in Yangzhou

Liu Yuxi's "A thousand sails pass by the side of the sunken boat, and a thousand trees bloom in front of the dead tree"

Being commented on as "thinking there was divine help"

Zhang Ruoxu's "Life is endless from generation to generation, and the moon on the river looks the same year after year"

Commented as "a unique and outstanding work, which is of great value"

Li Bai's "My old friend left the Yellow Crane Tower and went to Yangzhou in the fireworks of March"

Not only was it rated as "the real immortal pen"

It also made Yangzhou famous through the ages.

(The picture below is Diaoyutai, Slender West Lake, photographer @舒小简)

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According to statistics

There were about 120 poets in the Tang Dynasty

Wrote more than 400 poems related to Yangzhou

About 100 famous poets have visited Yangzhou.

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Yangzhou in Tang poetry, the above data statistics are from "Complete Tang Poems" and "Supplement", map by @阿土/Planet Research Institute)

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Trade activities are in full swing

Residential and commercial areas are no longer clearly divided

"Ten miles of long streets and market towns, and fairies on the moonlit bridge"

The streets will not be deserted after dark.

"Thousands of lights illuminate the blue sky in the night market, and guests with red sleeves flock to the high-rise buildings"

(The above is from Zhang Hu's "Traveling in Huainan" and Wang Jian's "Viewing Yangzhou City at Night". The picture below is the night view of Yangzhou Dongguan Street, photographer @方飞)

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Time and space can no longer restrain our rising enthusiasm

The millennium-old market system began to disintegrate.

Yangzhou has become a real " Tang Dynasty City That Never Sleeps "

People at that time praised it as "Yang Yi Yi Er"

After the Tang Dynasty

Yangzhou bids farewell to the glory of "Yangzhou One and Yizhou Two"

The city site was also reduced due to the war, and military defense was the main purpose.

(West Gate of Songjia City, image source @Visual China, map @Atu/Planet Research Institute)

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But whenever the world is at peace

Yangzhou will attract countless scholars and poets

Ouyang Xiu served in Yangzhou during the Song Dynasty

Eight years later, he still reminisces about Yangzhou

"I planted the weeping willows in front of the hall, how many spring breezes have you come for?"

(The weeping willows on the shore are one of the city trees of Yangzhou. The above is from Ouyang Xiu's "Chaozhongcuo·Sending Liu Zhongyuan to Weiyang", photographer @城市穿梭客)

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His student Su Shi came to Yangzhou and ate a lot of delicious food

Gaoyou salted duck eggs, Gaoyou Lake hairy crabs

It has already been "Strictly Selected by Dongpo"

I am not satisfied after eating it myself, so I want to give it to my friends.

"In late spring, water shield grows as fast as butter, and in early spring, ginger sprouts are fatter than meat."

(The above is from Su Shi's "Yangzhou Sends Local Products to Shaoyou", the picture below is Gaoyou Salted Duck Eggs, picture source @Visual China)

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During the Yuan Dynasty, many cities in the Jianghuai region rose

Yangzhou still relied on its transportation advantages to become an important financial center of the imperial court.

As cultural exchanges between China and the West become closer

More and more foreigners come to Yangzhou by water.

The most famous is Marco Polo

He described Yangzhou as a vast and powerful city.

"The city is very large, and the twenty-seven cities under it are all good cities. This Yangzhou city is quite powerful."

More than thirty years after Marco Polo left

Odoric, also a Roman, also came to Yangzhou

He described Yangzhou as "a magnificent city"

(Statue of Marco Polo on Dongguan Street in Yangzhou, image source: Visual China)

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So far, whether the political power center is fixed in the north or moved to the south

Is the distance far or near?

Yangzhou has always been an important town in the south of the Yangtze River that the imperial court could not leave.

It breaks through the distance with the canal

Step by step "walked into" the center

Rivers become thoroughfares

Border town becomes important town

Yangzhou has completed its identity transformation

But the story doesn’t end there

This time

It will use salt as its blade

Carve a new footnote

03

A multifaceted businessman

In fact

Yangzhou does not produce salt

Ming and Qing Dynasties

The country is divided into several salt zones for buying and selling salt

The Lianghuai Salt Area covers many provinces and is densely populated.

Market demand is far greater than other salt areas

The salt production capacity of Lianghuai Salt Field is far ahead of other countries.

The Lianghuai Salt Transport Commissioner was located in Yangzhou.

(Diagram of the main salt-producing areas and the number of salt-producing areas in the Qing Dynasty, drawn by @俊/Star Research Institute)

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Excellent salt production capacity alone is not enough

Yangzhou salt merchants are the richest in the world, which is inseparable from the catalysis of the system

The northern border needed to be protected in the early Ming Dynasty

But the cost of military supplies is high

The military cannot be self-sufficient

The government thought of the businessmen active everywhere

It is stipulated that merchants only need to transport grain to the border

You can exchange it with the government for a patent certificate for buying salt.

Salt

This method is called " opening the center "

(Please watch in horizontal mode, the Changlu Salt Field looks like an eyeshadow palette, photographer @亂言)

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In this way

The Lianghuai Salt Field is close to the Yangtze River and has developed water transportation.

Quickly favored by salt merchants

"The Huai River and the Huai River are connected by rivers and are easily accessible by water."

Merchants from Shanxi and Shaanxi

It rose first by virtue of its geographical advantage of being relatively close to the border.

Become the most powerful Shanxi and Shaanxi business group

After the salt law reform

Merchants only need to pay silver to get salt permits

The geographical advantage fell into the hands of Huizhou merchants who were closer to Yangzhou.

The Shanxi and Shaanxi business groups were gradually replaced

(The above is from "A Survey of Ming Dynasty Salt Merchants", the picture below is Siwang Pavilion, photographer @王培源)

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The salt law of the Qing Dynasty basically followed that of the Ming Dynasty

The salt industry is almost monopolized by salt merchants

They bought salt at the Lianghuai Salt Field at the price of 2 coins per catty.

But it was sold at 20 coins per catty.

Unimaginably high profits

Salt merchants play with small amounts of salt

Accumulating amazing wealth

Breaking through identity restrictions

He controlled half of the imperial court's economy with a humble role

Late 16th century

The annual tax revenue of Lianghuai Salt Area takes the lead

It is 3.8 times that of the second place Changlu Salt District

(Salt-peeling activity at Changlu Salt Field, image source: @Visual China)

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Excluding taxes, transportation and other costs

Yangzhou salt merchants made a profit of 7.5 million taels of silver per year

At that time, the Qing government's annual fiscal revenue was 45 million taels.

The income of Yangzhou salt merchants was one-sixth of the entire Qing government’s income!

Moreover, it is estimated that

The salt industry capital in Yangzhou is

75 million taels

In 1772, the silver in the central finance department of the Qing Dynasty was

More than 78 million taels

The Yangzhou salt merchants were as rich as a country, and it was no exaggeration

(Wang's Garden, a salt merchant's residence, photographer @Fang Fei, map @A Tu/Planet Research Institute)

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Yangzhou Salt Merchants after Financial Freedom

Beyond scholars, farmers, and workers

The status of "merchant" was raised to the top

They are no longer bound by their identity as "businessmen"

Social roles become more diverse

The thousand-year-old boundary between merchants and scholars

The salt merchants broke through

More than a thousand years ago

Li Bai was confined by his merchant family background

Lost the qualification to take the imperial examination

More than a thousand years later

Yangzhou's salt merchants could not only participate in the imperial examinations

Served as an official in the court and went to Beijing to pay tribute

Unimpeded access

The identity of a businessman is no longer a "stumbling block"

Instead, it became a "pass"

(The Yangzhou section of the Qianlong Southern Tour, in which Kangshan is where Jiang Chun, the chief salt merchant of Yangzhou, lived. Image source: @alamy)

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The salt merchants were not only well-educated

Even in return, he funded the literati

They rely on their strong financial resources

A large number of books and classics were stored for scholars to read.

Brothers Ma Yueguan and Ma Yuelu specially built a "Collection of Books Building"

More than 100,000 volumes of books

During the Qianlong period, the government intended to compile the Siku Quanshu

The Ma family donated a large number of rare books to the court

(Wenhui Pavilion, Emperor Qianlong ordered people to hand-copy 7 copies of the Siku Quanshu and store them in seven places, one of which is in Yangzhou Wenhui Pavilion, photographer @李伟)

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The relationship between businessmen and literati is unprecedentedly close

Among the cultural celebrities in the entire lower reaches of the Yangtze River

Almost all of them had dealings with Yangzhou salt merchants.

The literati who have been “high above” for thousands of years

Now, it is funded by businessmen

People at that time praised Guangling as "a great inn for scholars all over the world."

(Some works of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou: Hua Yan's "Snow Covered Tianshan Mountain", Wang Shishen's "Plum Blossoms, Orchids and Stones", Li Fangying's "Ink Painting of Ancient Pine Trees". Wang Shishen and Luo Ping, two of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, were sons of Yangzhou salt merchants. Image source: @Wikimedia Commons)

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The love of learning prevails in Yangzhou

Businessmen build academies outside and hold gatherings at home

Among the salt merchants in Yangzhou at that time

Astronomer, painter, poet

Historian, mathematician, celebrity

An unprecedented gathering

(The characters and identities in the Jiuri Xingan Feast, image source @Cleveland Museum of Art, map @Atu/Planet Research Institute)

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The combination of wealthy merchants and literati

It also has a significant impact on the history of architecture.

That is what shaped the urban space of Yangzhou.

Yangzhou Gardens

Today, when we talk about gardens, we often use Suzhou as an analogy.

But at that time

The gardens in Yangzhou are even better.

“Hangzhou is famous for its lakes and mountains, Suzhou is famous for its markets, and Yangzhou is famous for its gardens and pavilions.”

(Beautiful view of He Garden in Yangzhou, photographer @方飞&Visual China)

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Because salt merchants often entertained scholars, celebrities and officials from all sides

A table of good wine and good food is essential

Salt merchants provide the most exquisite delicacies

Hire famous chefs at a high price and prepare delicious dishes

Huaiyang cuisine is famous all over the world

(Yangzhou delicacies: hot dried shredded vegetables, crab roe soup dumplings, Yangzhou fried rice, image source: @Visual China)

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After satisfying your appetite

Who doesn't want to comfort their ears?

So we arranged another "concert"

The salt merchants then set up private classes and recruited famous talents from all walks of life.

The integration and rebirth of the two types of drama in Yangzhou

(Yangzhou Opera, photographer @城市穿越客)

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They broke through the border

A businessman and a scholar

An urban designer

Build bridges and roads, find salt merchants

Maintain water conservancy and find salt merchants

Build docks, organize shops, and find salt merchants

Yangzhou's salt merchants painted their skins and sculpted their bones

Rebuilding Yangzhou

(Please watch in horizontal mode. The roofs of Yangzhou City under the light and shadow are like layers of microwaves. Photographer: Li Wei)

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Unfortunately

Yangzhou breaks through all the way

But failed to break through the cage of the times

A shackle called " closure " has quietly wrapped around its throat

In a closed era

In the closed country

Closed carnival

The ending is already determined

So when the country's doors are opened

When open and advanced cities rise

When the old times ended

Yangzhou's advantages vanished overnight

(Wenchang Pavilion witnessed the prosperity and desolation of Yangzhou, photographer @黄兆勇)

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The salt merchants who indulged in pleasure

Haven't realized yet

What does it mean that the Yangtze River is receding and the coastline is moving eastward?

They have huge business capital.

But they have not developed a business system that can be passed down from generation to generation.

When the times change

There is no agriculture or handicraft industry that can serve as the mainstay of the economy.

The salt merchant collapsed

Yangzhou's growth has stopped

(Sketch of the changes in the location of Yangzhou City and the Yangtze River over the dynasties, drawn by @俊/Planet Research Institute)

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Awakening from a dream, the world has changed

Cities are rising and competing with each other

Yangzhou's journey is revival

04

A new journey

The challenge is difficult

The luck is bad

In 1905, the Shanghai-Nanjing Railway opened

Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou and other places along the route have risen

Missed Yangzhou

In 1912, the Jinpu Railway opened

Xuzhou, Jinan, Bengbu and other places took the opportunity to develop

Bypassing Yangzhou

Until 2004

The first railway was opened in Yangzhou

The railway era had been over for nearly a hundred years.

2020

Yangzhou's first high-speed railway is finally here

Decades have passed since the high-speed rail era

(Wanfu Bridge and high-speed rail at sunset, photographer @方飞)

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Yangzhou needs to change, must change

But what does Yangzhou have?

When the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949

There are only three decent companies in Yangzhou city

A small power plant, a wheat flour mill, and a seasonal egg factory

Nicknamed "two and a half factories"

(The former site of Yangzhou Wheat Flour Factory, photographer @方飞)

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Since industry is insufficient, then develop industry

Yangzhou is making every effort to regain its glory

“Break through the shackles of ‘centred thinking’”

"Do what you say, do what you decide, do it immediately, and do it to the end"

So cheering

In 1978, taking advantage of the reform and opening up

Yangzhou vigorously develops industrial economy

Automobiles, ships, machinery, containers

Air conditioners, chemicals, clothing, and specialty small industries

Going forward in parallel, it is known as the "Yangzhou phenomenon"

From "Two and a Half Factories" to "Eight Dragons Dancing Together"

(Sketch of some leading manufacturing enterprises in Yangzhou, drawn by @阿土/星球研究院)

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It is not enough to fill the gaps in the industry

The once advantageous industries also need to change

Shipbuilding industry has been developed since ancient times

Today, new energy vehicles have entered the homes of ordinary people.

Yangzhou takes the lead in combining batteries with giant ships

The world's first two 700TEU pure battery-powered container ships

(An intelligent production line in an intelligent manufacturing company in Shaobo Town, Jiangdu District, image source: @Visual China)

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Development is not limited to "big industry"

Yangzhou people, who are quite talented in business, quickly discovered the business opportunities of "small industries"

In 1976, the first toothbrush factory was established in Hangji Town, Yangzhou City

After that, toothbrush factories of all sizes sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

Today, Hangji produces 7.4 billion toothbrushes per year

80% of the country's toothbrushes

"Wherever there are humans living, there are toothbrushes produced in Hangji"

(A toothbrush factory in Hangji Town, an ecological and technological new city, has an automated production line for toothbrushes. Image source: Visual China)

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Lesser known than a toothbrush

There are also plush toys in the hands of children

1950s

Yangzhou people used the leftovers from making clothes to produce the first batch of cloth dolls

Nowadays, almost half of the plush toys in China are produced in Yangzhou.

“The world’s plush toys are in China, and China’s plush toys are in Yangzhou”

(Plush toy mall in Yangzhou, image source: Visual China)

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While pursuing new industries

Yangzhou has not abandoned its profound cultural heritage

In the past, scholars and poets gathered

What remains is the fragrance of books filling the city

(Zhongshuge, a new internet celebrity check-in spot due to its unique interior design, photographer @陈洁)

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In the past, merchants and wealthy people gathered here.

What remains is a leisurely and calm

(Sculpture of a pedicure scene in Yangzhou, image source @Visual China, map @A Tu/Planet Research Institute)

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In the past, skilled craftsmen gathered

What is left behind is the inheritance of the torch

(Some of Yangzhou's intangible cultural heritage: woodblock printing, Yangzhou lacquerware, Yangzhou jade carving, Yangzhou paper-cutting, photographer @陈洁)

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If we look at the whole country

Yangzhou's competitiveness remains strong

In 2023, Yangzhou will have a per capita GDP of 161,900 yuan.

Ranked among the top 20 cities in China

On par with many provincial capitals

This is Yangzhou

Breaking through the rivers

Breaking distance

Breaking boundaries

Breaking out of a "general history" of prosperity

Now, although the journey is long and the road is long,

But after going through so many hardships, I still remain in the blue sky

Please take a look

Wait until the wind rises and breaks through the clouds!

Everyone, sigh

Wow, boom! This is Yangzhou!

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Yangzhou City where ancient and modern civilizations complement each other, photographer @柳叶氘)

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This article was created by

Written by : Xiong Huo

Image : Zhou Xuguang

Map : Jun

Design : A Tu

Reviewer : Zhou Tianxiu & Xia Ya & Chen Jingyi

Cover Photographer : Fang Fei & City Traveler

Audit Expert

Pan Sheng, professor at the School of Social Development, Nanjing Normal University

Note:

1. There are many different opinions about the regional scope of Jiangnan. This article generally refers to areas south of the Yangtze River and around Taihu Lake.

2. The locations of Yangzhou marked on the maps in this article are the current locations of the Yangzhou Municipal Government.

【References】

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[2] Zong Jinlin, Yangzhou Local Chronicles Editorial Committee. Yangzhou Local Chronicles[M]. Local Chronicles Publishing House, 2014.

[3] Zhao Changzhi. History of Jiangsu Local Culture. Yangzhou Volume[M]. Jiangsu People's Publishing House, 2021.

[4]An Dongli. On Yangzhou: A Chinese City from 1550 to 1850[M]. Zhonghua Book Company, 2007.

[5] Chu Weilin, Liu Chengfu. The Most Yangzhou: History and Culture of Yangzhou[M]. Nanjing University Press, 2015.

[6] He Yimin. Research on Declining Cities in Modern China[M]. Bashu Publishing House, 2007.

[7] He Yimin. Urban development and social change in modern China (1840-1949). Science Press, 2004.

[8] Zhu Zhenghai. The Grand Canal and Yangzhou[M]. Guangling Publishing House, 2007.

[9] Wei Minghua. The Story of Yangzhou: Green Willows and Bright Moon Reflecting the Pearl Curtain[M]. Xinxing Publishing House, 2021.

[10] Zou Yilin. Boats travel between north and south: China's Grand Canal[M]. Jiangsu Phoenix Science and Technology Press, 2018.

[11] Liu Shilin. The Six Thousand Miles of Grand Canal and Twenty-One Cities in Chinese History[M]. Shanghai Jiaotong University Press, 2022.

[12] Zhu Jiang. Disappearing Sails: The Maritime Silk Road and Yangzhou[M]. Southeast University Press, 2014.

[13] He Bingdi and Wu Renshu. Yangzhou Salt Merchants: A Study of Commercial Capital in Eighteenth-Century China[J]. Studies in Chinese Social and Economic History, 1999(2):18.

[14] Yang Jing, Zhang Jinchi, Zhuang Jiayao, et al. Analysis of urban evolution in Yangzhou over the past 2500 years based on 3S technology [J]. Journal of Peking University (Natural Science Edition), 2012, 48(3):459-468.

[15] He Yimin. The decline of traditional Chinese industrial and commercial cities in modern times: Taking Suzhou, Hangzhou and Yangzhou as examples [J]. Journal of Southwest University for Nationalities: Humanities and Social Sciences, 2007, 28(4):11.

[16] Wang Bo. Yangzhou City and the Grand Canal[J]. Popular Archaeology, 2018(8):11.

[17] Wang Bo. Yangzhou City and the Maritime Silk Road[J]. Popular Archaeology, 2018(11):4.

[18] Ruan Zhengzheng, Wang Xinyuan, Han Weiguang, et al. Remote sensing archaeological study of the changes of Yangzhou city sites in historical periods [J]. Journal of Anhui Normal University: Natural Science Edition, 2010(2):5.

[19] Zhu Zongzhou. The social role played by salt merchants in Yangzhou[J]. Journal of Yangzhou University: Humanities and Social Sciences, 2011(1):6.

[20] Zhu Zongzhou. The relationship between Yangzhou salt merchants and feudal government during the Ming and Qing dynasties [J]. Salt Industry History Research, 1998(4):14.

[21] Du Xiaomei. Research on Tang Dynasty Poems about Yangzhou[D]. Capital Normal University, 2001.

[22] CCTV documentary “Yangzhou Salt Merchants” 2011