Yangzhou enjoys a history of about 2500 years. During the Han and Tang dynasties, Yangzhou was so prosperous that it was titled “the most prosperous city in the whole world”. The construction of the Jing-hang Grant Canal during the reign of Emperor Suiyang made the ancient Yangzhou a traffic hinge. During the middle period of the Qing Dynasty, Yangzhou, as a water transportation hinge and the biggest salt distribution center in China at that time, became one of the 10 biggest cities with the population of above 500 thousand in the world.

Due to its long history, the old town of Yangzhou with an area of 5.09 square kilometers is one of the well preserved ancient historic cities in China. There are many historic sites and cultural relics, among which 148 are of Cultural Relic Protection units located in the city zone. Among these sites, following ones are the most famous: the Hangou Canal, the Guangling Tomb of the Han Dynasty, the Mausoleum of Emperor Suiyang, Daming Temple of the North and South Dynasty, sites of old towns of the Tang and Song dynasties, the Tang Jianzhen Memorial Hall, the Islamic Puhading Tomb built during the Song Dynasty, the Immortal Crane (Xianhe) Temple, the Slender West Lake, the private Ge Garden garden of Ming and Qing styles, and the He Garden. These sites add charm to Yangzhou city.

During its long cultural development, numerous statesmen, literati and artists left many masterpieces during their visit in Yangzhou. For example, famous poets of the Tang Dynasty like Li bai, Du Fu and Du Mu once lived in Yangzhou; the painting school “Eight crackpots of Yangzhou”, which was represented by Zheng Banqiao and Jin Nong, was developed in its own style during the Qing Dynasty. During the Qing Dynasty Yangzhou culture underwent a rapid development in terms of the Yangzhou Opera, Comic Dialogue, colleges, engraving printing, epitaph making and book collection.