The city lies at a strategic position along the Grand Canal.
With the Canal now listed as a World Heritage Site, Yangzhou is looking to react, and revitalize its former glory.
"This year, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage is going to improve the monitoring and management of the Grand Canal at multiple sites. This will further help with the protection of the Grand Canal. A new Yangzhou Grand Canal Protection book and map are in the works right now, and they'll reflect the new preservation policies of the canal as a world cultural heritage site. Residents will continue to see improvements in water quality, as well as new roads and lighting along the canal," said Jiang Shili, deputy director of Grand Canal Nomination Office.
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| Global Ambassadors for the Grand Canal |
As well as being an important transport hub, Yangzhou was once one of China's cultural capitals. Opera thrived here... an early precursor of Beijing opera. The city's Jade, lacquerwear and paper-cutting all had their own unique styles.
Today, there's no cargo on the canal, but the city's artistic culture lives on.
The Grand Canal made Yangzhou a prosperous city and an important cultural hub in China in its heydays. Today, with the Grand Canal as a World Culture Heritage site, Yangzhou is a now a city on the world map, but what can the locals benefit from it?
The old streets are now filled with small souvenir shops, boutiques and restaurants.
It's early morning, and the streets are already quite busy.
Good news for store owners who say they've already seen a difference, since the Grand Canal gained its new status.
And it's not just business owners - locals residents here say they're enjoying the renewed interest in their city.
That could make the Grand Canal one of the oldest parks in the world and certainly the only park where you'll find yourselves greeted by an enchanting queue of porcelain-clad ambassadors.
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