Yangzhou, a famous city since ancient times, is situated in the eastern part of the plain of the Middle-Lower Yangtze Plain as well as the middle of Jiangsu Province. It looks across to the Yellow Sea in the east, with two cities Nantong and Yancheng in between; it neighbors two counties Liuhe and Tianchang to connect Nanjing in the west; it faces Zhenjiang and Wuxi in the south, with the Yangtze River cutting through; it borders the Huaishui River in the north, adjoining Huaiyin City; and it has the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal running through from the south to the north. It is a pivot of water and land transport since long time ago, the throat of south-north inner water shipping and the significant doorway to northern Jiangsu.

Yangzhou is the hometown of CPC General Secretary Jiang Zemin. With a history of over 2,480 years, it is one of the first batch 24 historical and cultural cities proclaimed by the State Council.

The west suburb of Yangzhou City is a landscape since the Period of the Six Dynasties. It was originally called Paoshan River or Baozhang River. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it adopted the name of Changchun Lake, for it surrounded the north Changchun Hill. A poet of the Qing Dynasty once wrote a poem to compare it to the West Lake in Hangzhou, spreading the fame of Thinner West Lake.

Not far from the Thinner West Lake is Shugang Hill, where a lot of temples are located. The hill is known as the most dedicate hill in South China.

Other famous scenic spots include the Heyuan Garden, known for hills and forests in city; the Geyuan Garden, which is known for rockeries in four seasons; the glaring Wenchang Pavilion; the world-famous Grand Canal; the Dahong Bridge across the Thinner West Lake; and the remains of palaces left by emperors of the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). With so many beautiful scenes, Yangzhou is acclaimed to be the pearl in the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.