Woke up at 5 AM for a bite of morning tea, but ended up drunk by the Slender West Lake until dusk!

Just back from Yangzhou, my soul is still soaked in the lively atmosphere of the tea house! 🍵 Here, every three steps is a garden, every five steps an old shop, engraving "leisure" deep into your bones! Spend a little money to be a "Yangzhou gentleman" for a day, here’s a direct insider’s guide!

🍜 Highlight 1: Morning Tea War! Dim sum that hits the soul
✔ Quyuan Teahouse (Black Pearl but worth it!):
- Get a number at 5 AM! Jade green shrimp dumplings, thousand-layer oil cake sweet and soft, five-spice buns bigger than fists! The environment feels like a royal garden, dining with style! (Beware of scalpers)
✔ Locals’ secret list:
- Yiyuan Restaurant: Window seats with views of Siwang Pavilion + same-style buns! Three-spice buns and hot shredded tofu are solid picks!
- Garden Teahouse: Best value for money! Green pepper shredded pork noodles are intoxicating, about 30 RMB per person!
- Jiangjiaqiao Dumpling & Noodle Shop: Shrimp roe dumplings + potstickers, pepper soup base is addictive! Open 24 hours, a lifesaver!
✔ Morning tea unwritten rule:
Reserve a seat first, then order! A pot of Lvyangchun tea with the full set, savor it slowly like a local—that’s the essence!

🏞 Highlight 2: Master the garden lounge! Turn life into poetry**
✔ Hidden Slender West Lake tips:
- Free entry before 7:00 AM! Own the empty shots! Morning mist + White Pagoda + Five Pavilion Bridge look like a Song Dynasty painting.
- Best boat route: South Gate → Twenty-four Bridge, boatwomen row and tell local legends, ten times better than walking!
- Secret photo spot: Stone Boat at Xuyuan entrance frames the Fishing Platform perfectly, your social feed will explode!
✔ Choose between Ge Garden or He Garden?
- Ge Garden: See the seasonal rockery design! Hugging Mountain Tower for bamboo silhouette shots, fewer people, great photos!
- He Garden: The top garden of the late Qing dynasty! 1500 meters of covered corridors, wear a qipao and instantly become a lady!
✔ Free hidden healing spots:
- Xiaopangu: A mini garden hidden in Dingjia Bay, Taihu stone caves are mesmerizing!
- Tianning Temple red walls: Ginkgo season is legendary! Zen vibe + autumn colors = unbeatable atmosphere.

♨️ Highlight 3: Skin and water massage heaven! Traditional scrubbing experience
✔ Classic Yangzhou scrubbing parlor:
198 RMB package: hot towel rub + tapping + mask, the auntie’s technique will make you “hurt and ascend to heaven”! ⚠️ Book in advance!
✔ Affordable alternative:
Old Street Bathhouse (Guoqing Road): Experience the same as local gentlemen for just a few dozen RMB, full of local flavor!
✔ Must-know mantra:
“Morning skin wrapped in water, evening water wrapped in skin” — this is the secret to Yangzhou’s slow life!

🍲 Highlight 4: Huaiyang cuisine assassin! National banquet for 50 RMB per person
✔ Best value main meals:
- Dachao Huai (Heyuan Road branch): Wooden bucket fish soup with beef brisket, grilled durian, creative Huaiyang flavors!
- Shuangdong Restaurant: Lion’s head meatballs softer than tofu, Wensi tofu soup with incredible knife skills!
✔ Street snack guide:
- Qingdoujia Cheese (Dongguan Street): Mint flavor refreshes and cuts grease!
- Fanji Huoshao: Egg + pork tenderloin, crispy to the point of crumbling!
- Chen’s Duck Blood Vermicelli: Dry mixed kidney flower noodles! Rich oil and red sauce aroma will make you cry!

💣 Avoidance tips (Yangzhou foodie edition):
1. Dongguan Street trap: Main street is commercialized! Explore Pishi Street (artsy shops) and Renfengli (local alleys) for more authentic vibes!
2. Transport curse:
- Old town alleys are narrow! Shared electric scooters > taxis > buses, take tourist shuttle buses (2 RMB direct) to major attractions.
3. Accommodation tricks:
- Don’t stay near scenic spots! Choose around Wenchang Pavilion (central), Slender West Lake West Gate (quiet), or try Changle Inn (old house renovation).
4. Souvenir pitfalls:
- For Xie Fuchun salted duck egg powder, trust the old shop on Dongguan Street! Sanhe and Simei pickles are cheaper at local supermarkets!
5. Seasonal tips:
- March-April “Fireworks in March” is overcrowded! November ginkgo yellow + off-season is better for experience.

💥 Viral quotes collection (Essence of Yangzhou):
“In Yangzhou, waking up at 5 AM to queue for morning tea — it’s not madness, it’s faith!” (Foodie awakening)
“When the scrubbing auntie hits: my Ren and Du meridians are open!” (Intangible heritage shock)
“The boats on Slender West Lake: rocking away, shaking all the anxiety out of my bones…” (Slow life impact)
“Yangzhou has mastered the word ‘leisure’: tea in gardens, chatting in bathhouses, strolling under the moonlit city!” (Soul summary)
“Huaiyang cuisine assassin: 50 RMB per person, eating the same happiness as Emperor Qianlong!” (Value flex)

🚤 Slow travel itinerary:
Day 1 Watercolor tour:
Morning: Tea at Quyuan → Slender West Lake boat ride → Ge Garden rockery cave exploration
Evening: Traditional scrubbing experience → Dongguan Street night stroll (photo only, no eating)
Day 2 Ancient alley flavor hunt:
Morning: Jiangjiaqiao dumplings → Pishi Street photo shoot → He Garden as a lady
Noon: Shuangdong lion’s head meatballs → Xiaopangu exploration
Evening: Dachao Huai grilled durian → Wenchang Pavilion night view
Day 3 Fireworks finale:
Garden Teahouse noodles → Tianning Temple red walls → Renfengli old alley stroll → Buy pickles and head home

🌟 Soul-stirring summary:
Yangzhou, a city that turns life into a landscape painting!
It makes foodies willing to charge at dawn for a bun, and lets lazybones lounge in gardens until time stands still;
It taps your Ren and Du meridians with scrubbing, and gently conquers the world with three knives (kitchen, pedicure, barber);
It’s unhurried, yet on the high-speed train home, you suddenly understand the weight of “stealing half a day of leisure.”

🌙 Pick an off-season departure!
Wait for an ink-wash dawn at Slender West Lake’s morning mist,
Bite into jade green shrimp dumplings amid the old teahouse’s bustle,
Listen to old gentlemen chat about the Sui and Tang dynasties in the steamy bathhouse—
Yangzhou’s slow pace is calm deep in its bones,
Once here, you won’t want to rush again.