Slender West Lake is the premier attraction in Yangzhou. The park, lined with willow trees, picturesque pagodas, and loads of history has enough to keep a visitor busy for the entire day. During spring the park is an expansive wonderland of flowers and budding trees. There are few enclosed city parks in China as impressive as this, making Slender West Lake a must visit.

Five Pavilion Bridge, the unofficial symbol of Yangzhou, is found here connecting the slender lake’s shores. The bridge was constructed nearly five hundred years ago. Always bustling with activity, the bridge offers excellent elevated views of the lake. It’s also a reliable place to catch a pleasant breeze to help visitors cool down a bit on a hot summer day.

Boat rides are also a fun way to explore the lake. They can be hired quite easily (around 10 yuan per person), or rented on your own for more freedom. Within the park there is a Buddhist nunnery and a large white, somewhat out of place, Tibetan Chorta. Countless side paths, bridges, pavilions, calligraphy halls, and the historic Gong He Chun Restaurant, specializing in dumplings, pot stickers, and noodles fill up the rest of the park grounds. Following the lake north leads all the way to Da Ming Temple and Guan Yin Monastery.

Just over the stone bridge from the park’s south gate is the Yangzhou Potted Plant (Bonsai) Garden, which is another beautiful place to wander. This park is on an island in Willow Lake and maintains hundreds of very old, and actually quite interesting potted plants. The ticket to Slender West Lake also includes admission to this park. The street opposite the entrance naturally has numerous souvenir stores and restaurants. 

Combo Ticket: For 110 yuan you can get a combo ticket which includes the entrance fees to Slender West Lake, a small museum within the Slender West Lake scenic area, Ge Yuan and He Yuan.  It also includes a twenty minute ferry ride down The Grand Canal.  The ticket can be purchased at the south entrance (南门) but may not be available at other entrances.

Bus numbers 4, 5, 6, and 16 all go to Slender West Lake. Alternatively, you can take a pleasant walk northwest from the city center to reach the park. The park covers the entire NW part of Yangzhou. The south entrance is near the arched stone Hongqiao bridge. 

Another great place to wander is around the old part of town off Ganquan and Guoqing roads commonly known as 'Old Yangzhou'. There’s no telling what interesting things you’ll stumble across down these back streets. Find the canal running north and south for a beautiful scene that rivals the famous canals of Suzhou. The main streets are ideal for browsing hundreds of tiny storefronts at your own pace.  From Guoqing Road head east down the alley marked for the Fu Chun Teahouse (富春茶社), one of the oldest in Yangzhou. Not only is this teahouse worth a visit, the alley leading to it is called “scissor street” and aptly sells an eye catching variety of scissors and knives.

Any ol’ day along the canals                           Qionghua, the Yangzhou city flower

The towering pagoda seen in the distance from Slender West Lake is Da Ming Temple. The temple dates back more than 1,500 years, although it has been destroyed and rebuilt numerous times throughout history. A highlight here is the Japanese style memorial hall for the monk Jian Zhen, who spread the message of Buddhism to Japan during the Tang Dynasty. Other highlights include climbing the ten story Qiling Pagoda for excellent views of Yangzhou, on a haze free day at least. There is also a very tasty vegetarian restaurant within the temple complex, just below Qiling Pagoda.

Just East of Da Ming Temple is the hill top Guanyin Shan Monastery. The monastery becomes particularly lively during the Guanyin celebration, usually in late July or early August, when the incense inferno piles can be smelled blocks away. The hills around here are also dotted with historical sights such as the Tang Dynasty ruins and the impressively well preserved Han Dynasty Guangling Tomb.

Da Ming Temple is on the northwest side of Yangzhou. Tourist buses 1 and 2 go here as well as city buses 5 and 25. The area is also just across the road from Slender West Lake’s north entrance. 

 Looking down on Da Ming Temple from the top of Qiling Pagoda

Just north of the city center (Wenchang Pavillion) lies the tree and park lined Hu Cheng Canal 护城河 (also called the Qian Long Waterway). Yanfu Road runs along the waterway. Emperor Qianlong used this route to enter the city and visit Slender West Lake. For 50 Yuan dragon boats can be hired at the Imperial Dock to retrace the emperor’s route. The experience of the ride is recommended as the waterway likely appears not too different than it did to Qianlong centuries ago. The dock is between the Tian Ning Temple and Ye Chun Teahouse.

The somewhat silly replica boats at the Imperial Dock

At night the lights along the waterway illuminate the canal, bridges, and pagodas in the area making for a perfect after-dinner stroll. Also near the waterway, on the north bank of the river, is the easy-to-spot outdoor bird and plant market (花鸟市场). The market is yet another great place to wander about and hopefully score a unique gift.

Ge Yuan (Garden) is one of the more well known and interesting gardens in all of China. A thick bamboo forest immediately greets a visitor upon entering Ge Yuan. A closer look at the forest reveals a green palette of bamboo varieties. In fact, Ge Yuan gets its name from the character ge (个), said to resemble a leafing stock of bamboo. Emerging from the bamboo thicket comes towering rock formations, four in all that are said to resemble each season, and actually do in a refreshing way. Behind the rock formations are long corridor alley style residences, that have a surprisingly colorful feel despite being composed of gray brick. Passing through Ge Yuan is passing through three different worlds, all of which represent some of the most beautiful aspects of China.

Combo Ticket: For 110 yuan you can get a combo ticket which includes the entrance fees to Slender West Lake, a small museum within the Slender West Lake scenic area, Ge Yuan and He Yuan.  It also includes a twenty minute ferry ride down The Grand Canal.

How to Get There: Ge Yuan is just a 15 minute walk east down Yanfu Road （盐阜西路, 盐阜东路) from the Ye Chun (冶春) area. Ge Yuan can be also reached by taking the #1 or #2 tourist buses.  It should cost 10 yuan or less to take the taxi from Slender West Lake to Ge Yuan.

Ge Yuan’s official website

He Yuan is a fun garden to get lost in. Built in 1883, its maze of buildings and residences adapt some Western architectural styles, yet retain a nostalgic late Qing era feel.

This deep, rocky, and elegant place is an intricate weaving of gardens and crimson buildings meshed with buildings within buildings and gardens surrounding gardens. He Yuan emits the feeling of the sun before a rain shower.

There is a certain mystery to the grounds, as finding yourself lost within a forest of towering stones is nearly guaranteed.

A few hundred year old trees cast a long shadow over the two story buildings and lotus ponds, while smaller trees emerge from the rocks and walkways to flower in the spring. Stepping into He Yuan is an escape, and then exiting back out onto the busy street outside will feel like an unfamiliar world. It also lies in a great part of town for street browsing and alley wandering with a great Korean restaurant (Ah Li Lang) just a short walk north of the entrance.

Combo Ticket: For 110 yuan you can get a combo ticket which includes the entrance fees to Slender West Lake, a small museum within the Slender West Lake scenic area, Ge Yuan and He Yuan.  It also includes a twenty minute ferry ride down The Grand Canal.

Visit He Yuan’s official website

He Yuan is located south-east of the center of Yangzhou.  Tourist buses number 1 and 2 both go to He Yuan, as well as city bus number 9 and 19.  It is a short walk west from the south dock of the ferry to He Yuan.

The restaurant saturated intersection of Siwang Ting Road (四望亭路) and Huaihai Road (淮海路) is aptly named “food street.”  There are at least twenty large restaurants in the area. Most establishments serve hot-pot (a spicy Sichuan special), which always makes for a fun dining experience. The restaurants are all pretty similar, so you can’t exactly choose wrong. However, a personal favorite where guests can select the dishes from an open kitchen is the bamboo exterior Zhu Jia Zhuang (竹家庄). Just look for bamboo and Budweiser signs just west of the intersection.

The Fu Chun Teahouse is another traditional Yangzhou teahouse & restaurant set down a narrow alley in the old section of town. There is also a second location on Times Square in the center of town. If you can’t make it to Ye Chun, at least make a trip to Fu Chun. The fare here is, like Ye Chun, traditional Yangzhou cuisine. Notable dishes include the famous “three heads of Yangzhou,” which are a plate of large fish heads, large meatballs called “lions head,” and pigs head which is, like it sounds, a pig’s face on a plate. Worry not, there are still plenty of standard options for the less adventurous.

For those with both a tighter travel budget and a bit of a nostalgic inclination, the Lu Yang Guesthouse is a perfect place for about 50 Yuan a night. The Lu Yang Guesthouse is set down an old alley which makes one feel as if they are visiting the China of a century ago. Guests first enter 3 story arched sunlit atrium where it seems like women wearing traditional Qipao dresses should be leaning elegantly against the banister. The guesthouse dates back to the Qing Dynasty, and was once the place to stay for any big names passing through or visiting Yangzhou. Along with the historic atmosphere comes historic amenities as well though. Most rooms do not include private bathrooms, and showers only flow during summer. With this in mind, it’s possible the Lu Yang Guesthouse is more of an experience than simply a night’s lodging.

Directions: Finding the Lu Yang Guesthouse is a little tricky. It is located down an alley just north of the intersection of Guo Qing South Road (国庆南路) and Gan Quan Rd (甘泉路). The alley, called Xin Sheng Qiao (新胜桥), will be your first on the left when heading north from the intersection, look for a clock store. The guesthouse is not too far down the alley, with a green sign, on the left.