Ge Garden, built in 1818 by Huang Zhijun, head of the salt traders association, is famous for many types of bamboo and different rockeries.(Shanghai Daily)

The Wang mansion was built according to strict hierarchy, as family members and servants were assigned rooms of different size, with different decor, depending on their positions. Areas for men and women were also strictly divided, as in the garden's triangular Boat Hall, which was shaped like a boat. Understandable for a salt trader on the canal. The boat's bow was designed as a public area for women in the family to gather and learn poems, play musical instruments and go. Women's leisure activities were limited.

The Lu Mansion, one of the largest salt traders' mansions and one of the most typical, is divided into nine areas containing more than 200 rooms. The entire mansion was made of the best wood and contained ornate, painted carvings decorating pillars, beams, window frames and other elements. The best craftsmen were hired.

The renovated mansion is now a restaurant featuring the private menu of the Lu family.

Yangzhou City

Location: Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest

Population: 4,414,681 (2010)

Inhabitants: 2,146,980

Historically it is one of the wealthiest of China's cities, known at various periods for its great merchant families, poets, painters and scholars.

Some of China's most creative and eye-catching dishes come from the Yangzhou school of cuisine called Huaiyang. It is China's eight major culinary styles.

The city is famous for its public bath houses, lacquerware, jadeware, embroidery, paper-cut, arts & crafts. It was awarded Habitat Scroll of Honor in 2006.

Yangzhou is also very famous for its toy industry (especially stuffed animals). Many tourists from neighboring cities travel to the city for its good-quality and low-priced toys.

By Yao Minji (Shanghai Daily)