C12 | Life Travel The Sunday Times | Sunday, July 22, 2018 Sunday, July 22, 2018 | The Sunday Times Travel Life | C13 A city worth its salt

Dongguan Street (above) dates back 1,200 years.

Classical gardens and architecture Yechun Teahouse (left), built off the salt trade make the Chinese seen through city of a must-visit the arch of a A father and son enjoy the scene of the Heyuan in Yangzhou with its traditional style of architecture. PHOTOS: MARK ANDREWS bridge.

Mark Andrews meaning garden, Geyuan is far A man doing taiji It offers 10 varieties of , in- 180722_mayangzhou // Yu Hui (5209) more than just a garden, as its south- in front of cluding sandingbao stuffed with SIZE: 1col x 3.8cm ern part is dominated by the Huang Changsheng pork, chicken and bamboo, and an- family mansions. Pavilion. other with shredded turnip. For most Singaporeans, Yangzhou Likely the richest family in their Also on offer are various is almost synonymous with fried time in Yangzhou, the family’s Huaiyang-style shao mai and rice. Even in , knowledge of wealth can still be appreciated in steamed dumplings. the city seldom extends beyond the the Nanmu Hall, which uses liberal Walking off one too many baozi dish. quantities of precious nanmu by the side of the ancient Grand CHINA This was not always the case. wood, a durable softwood. Canal, I pass by Changsheng Pavil- Yangzhou Yangzhou was once one of the Exiting from the mansions, I find ion, which means “long life”. richest cities in the realm. But by- myself on Dongguan Street, which An elderly man is taking the pavil- passed by modern transportation today is the touristy heart of the old ion’s name literally and intently SUNDAY TIMES GRAPHICS from around 1908, when the Shang- town. It is 1,122m long and dates practising taiji. hai to railway was com- back 1,200 years. Crossing back over to the west pleted, it fell into obscurity. The city itself celebrated its side of the canal, I call in at Lu’s For- GETTING THERE However, this also means that 2,500th anniversary in 2013. mer Residence (22 Kangshan Jie). Scoot (www.flyscoot.com) flies from much of its rich cultural heritage is The street is lined with Ming- and Built in 1897 by Lu Shaoxu, a salt Singapore to Nanjing, the capital of still intact today for tourists wish- Qing-style buildings and there are merchant originally from province in eastern China. ing to discover an alternative desti- plenty of less busy alleys, with lots province, it is the largest existing From Nanjing, infrequent trains nation in China. of atmosphere, to duck into. residence. from Nanjing Station to Yangzhou Located just north of the mighty At the eastern end, Dongmen is a Covering nearly 10,000 sq m, it take about 50 minutes. MUST River in the central part of towering gate that marks the point has more than 130 rooms and cost Alternatively, frequent bullet Jiangsu province, it was the Grand where merchants once entered the 78,000 pieces of silver to build. trains from both Nanjing and -HAV E Canal, the great arterial waterway city from the . Its construction just about Nanjing South station take from linking Beijing and Hangzhou, Today, the high gate offers a good marked the zenith of the town’s for- about 20 minutes to reach which both made and broke the vantage over the streets of the old tunes before the Beijing-to-Shang- Station, which is located city’s fortunes. town. hai railway eclipsed the importance almost opposite Yangzhou on the Access to the north-south and A short distance from Dongmen of the Grand Canal. Today, the build- other side of the Yangtze, on the east-west trade routes on the water- is a statue of Marco Polo on horse- ing plays host to an upscale Nanjing-Shanghai route. Then from way made Yangzhou an important back by Taizhou Road, which runs Huaiyang-style restaurant. Zhenjiang Station, there is a hub for the sale of rice, salt and silk alongside the ancient route of the Huaiyang cuisine is characterised frequent bus service across to during the Tang dynasty. Grand Canal. by dishes that are not spicy and Yangzhou. But it was salt, a monopolised According to the Venetian’s tale usually quite sweet, along with the For Chinese train information, go commodity subject to government in The Travels Of Marco Polo, writ- use of local Zhenjiang vinegar. to www.travelchinaguide.com/ taxation, which really built the city. ten around 1300, he served as an of- Heyuan (www.he-garden.net), lo- china-trains. Yangzhou’s proximity to the ficial in the city from 1282 to 1287. cated nearby, for once is not the marshes of northern Jiangsu that Although no Chinese accounts product of a salt merchant. yielded sea salt allowed the city to corroborate the story, there is evi- Built in the current form in 1883 TIPS prosper by using the waterway net- dence, from both writings and by government official He Zhidao, • While Yangzhou is not as large as work to control distribution to tombstones, of a thriving Italian it is again a fine example of a classi- some Chinese cities, it is a good seven nearby provinces. community involved in trade in the cal garden. idea to stay near its centre. Salt wealth rubbed off onto the early 14th century. The residential buildings show • Central Yangzhou can be architecture, a legacy that remains One tomb well worth a visit, I dis- the crossover of the times with explored on foot, but hiring a today. cover on the final day of the three Western elements creeping into bicycle from bicycle-sharing apps Those who have visited Suzhou days I spend exploring the city, is the traditional style. Mobike or Ofo is a good option. will find the carefully manicured the Mausoleum of the Western Han This is most evident with the fur- • Do not expect any English to be southern-school classical style of (98 Pingshantang Donglu). nishings, but can also be seen in the spoken. If you cannot speak INTRODUCTORY garden at Geyuan (www.ge-garden. Located in the forested hills to French-style shutters and fire- Mandarin and would like to take OFFER net) in Yangzhou familiar, but you the north of city, it contains the places. A unique element is the cov- cabs, ensure that your Enjoy an additional will wonder where the crowds are. burial chambers of Liu , the first ered corridor linking the buildings destinations are written down in 20% off all Outdoor Considered one of the four best king of Guangling – the first settle- and spanning 1,500m. Chinese for the driver. Furniture gardens in China, the “Ge” in the ment in Yangzhou – and his queen. In the gardens, I peer into the garden’s name comes from the It was uncovered in 1979 and sub- tury, properties from as far back as Even on a cold winter’s day, the Yangzhou-style fried rice – rice is Moon In Water Pool. Sure enough, Terms & Conditions apply. shape of the Chinese character, sequently moved to this site. the Sui dynasty began modifying Five Pavilion Bridge has no short- fried with prawns, ham, eggs and even in daytime, it is as if I see the which resembles the silhouette of The coffin, which is over 2,000 the landscape. age of visitors. vegetables such as peas or bamboo moon’s reflection, courtesy of the bamboo leaves. years old, is made from cypress and These were then linked during Built in 1757, it combines the ar- shoots – is of course offered in rock’s trickery. To take part in SPH “Shop & Win” Entering from the north, a glade without nails. It utilises the the to welcome then chitectural styles of northern and restaurants. But it is actually baozi Rounding off my final day’s explo- Natural Living contest, visit of bamboo, set among water fea- Huangchang Ticou building style emperor Qianlong on his southern southern China with its central (steamed buns) which are the local ration, I choose to take a leaf out of Hegoa Extendable tures, beckons me to the central and such a structure and proportions inspections, when he toured the twin-eaved pavilion flanked by four obsession. the locals’ book. Table With 4 Folding sphshopandwin.com part of the compound. were usually reserved for emperors. south of the country in a show of single roofed pavilions on each side There is an old saying in These days, the bathhouses are Chairs (1 Winner) & Geyuan as seen today dates back Located a short walk from the power and governance. and set atop a bridge. Yangzhou, “zaochen pi bao shui wan- not so alive, but the pedicure and Timber Lounge Set OR scan this code to 1818 when Huang Zhiyang, a salt tomb and covering more than Although it is called a lake, it is Nowadays, the bridge symbolises shang shui bao pi”, which translates foot massage tradition remain. (1 Winner) Worth Over For enquiries, email merchant, bought the land and set 30ha, the Slender is ar- just as much a park for relaxation. not just the park, but the city itself. as “in the morning, you put water I forgo the pedicure for soaking [email protected] about redesigning the gardens. guably the city’s premier attraction. Weeping willows line the banks of Legend claims that the nearby on your skin and in the evening you my tired feet in water before the $20,000 The main rock feature is the cen- Dating from the Qing dynasty, it the waterways and, in springtime, White Pagoda, another of the park’s put your skin into water”. pains are kneaded out, while I think tral part of the garden, and it is di- links a series of smaller moats and the parkland comes to life with 24 scenic spots, was built in one Local inhabitants traditionally about Yangzhou’s past. Organiser Prize Sponsor vided into different scenes to allude private villas built by salt traders. jade-white qiong flowers, the offi- night in 1784 to welcome Qianlong started the day off in teahouses serv- to the four seasons. Its long slender shape is due to it cial flower of the city. on his inspection. ing baozi before rounding the day [email protected] Red maples accentuate yellow originally being the course of the Given the large size of the park, it A replica of Beihai Park’s struc- off in bathhouses. stones that represent mountains Baozhang River. would be easy to spend a day explor- ture in Beijing, the Yangzhou ver- Some swear by Yechun Teahouse • Mark Andrews is a Shanghai-based and valleys in autumn, for instance. While the lake in its current form ing but, as I discover, the best sites sion is more elegant and graceful, (10 Fengleshang Jie), which dates British lifestyle writer and Despite the “yuan” in its name, dates back only to the mid-18th cen- throng the middle of the park. locals say. back in its current form to 1877. photographer.