Yángzhōu
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A city strategicly located on the Grand Canal just north of the Changjiang. Flourished during the 17th and 18th centuries when it was the home of wealthy salt merchants. Famous for it's coutesans and women of the night, who cattered to to merchants and officials whose wives and families were in their native places. Yangzhou was one of the capitals of the Sui Dynasty (581-618). The Sui was a short but productive dynasty. Yang Guang, also known as Emperor Suiyang, the second and final emperor of the Sui Dynasty (581-618) took power in 604 and is credited for the construction of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal. It is said that he had the Great Canal built so he could sail to Yangzhou in East China's Jiangsu Province to appreciate the jade-colored blossoms! He also improved internal administration during his reign; granaries were constructed, the Great Wall was extended along the northern borders, and two capitals were built near the Yellow River, with another in Yangchow. Yet Yang is remembered as one of the most brutal emperors in Chinese history. there. He was buried beside a pool in Hanjiang County in Yangzhou. His tomb is said to have been hit by thunders several times, thus the body of water nearby is known as "Thunder Pool." |