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Editor's note: After his memorable visit to Yangzhou, Michael Schumann, chairman of the Board of the Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade (BWA) of Germany, shared his personal reflections, offering readers a fascinating glimpse into the city's history, culture, and modern industry.
I am continuing my annual summer tour through China, doing 10 cities in 14 days. Last week, I had a truly memorable visit to Yangzhou.
The author, Michael Schumann (left), poses for a photo with a Yangzhou official. [Photo provided to seeyangzhou.com]
Few cities in China carry such layered history. Yangzhou's story has been intertwined with the Grand Canal from the very beginning.
For readers less familiar with China: the Grand Canal is the longest man-made waterway in the world, stretching some 1,800 kilometers from Beijing in the north to Hangzhou in the south. Because China's major rivers run west to east rather than north to south, the canal was built over centuries as an artificial north-south lifeline, moving grain, salt and troops across the empire long before railways or highways existed.
Dongguan Street, located along the Grand Canal in Yangzhou, is bustling with visitors. [Photo provided to seeyangzhou.com]
Its oldest section, the Hangou Canal, was dug right here in Yangzhou in 486 BC, making the city the true birthplace of this system, which was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014. Walking along the water, it is easy to understand why Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1127) dynasty poets celebrated Yangzhou as one of the wealthiest and most beautiful cities in the empire.
The city's international ties go back even further than one might expect. According to his records, Marco Polo spent three years in Yangzhou under Kublai Khan; some versions of his Travels even claim he governed the city. While Chinese sources do not confirm a governorship, the episode underscores Yangzhou's long-standing role as a center of salt trade and East-West exchange.
Michael Schumann learns about Yangzhou's modern industries. [Photo provided to seeyangzhou.com]
Yangzhou also has a strong connection to Germany that is very much alive today: TRUMPF, the German laser and machine tool specialist, has built one of its largest production sites worldwide right here through its subsidiary JFY — a strong vote of confidence in this city as an industrial center and a great example of how German investment is thriving in China.
Beyond that, Yangzhou is home to genuine Chinese industrial heavyweights, including COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry, part of the state-owned China COSCO Shipping Corporation, and China Merchants Jinling Shipyard, part of the 150-year-old China Merchants Group.
The Slender West Lake is bathed in night lights. [Photo provided to seeyangzhou.com]
But what stays with you most isn't the history or industry — it's the city itself: elegant gardens, the Slender West Lake, canals still alive with boats — and above all, genuinely warm, welcoming people who make every conversation feel personal.
I'm grateful for the hospitality and looking forward to building on the strong foundation between our economies — historical, industrial, and human.
