Changzhou: Mystery and Flow

The romance between the cousins was a tragic one. They grew up together and fell deeply in love, but their families believed fortune tellers who cautioned that their respective constellations were hostile. When Liu removed the veil of his bride and found she was not his cousin Yang, he fled to Shanghai and didn’t return home for 70 years. All through the decades, Yang remained in their birthplace but changed her name Shouyu the “Slender Jade” to Shouyu (different characters) the “Forever Chastity.”

Yang was actually a resourceful woman with many talents, particularly in the embroidery arts to which she devoted her whole life. The “messy-stitch” style she created was and is acknowledged as a great artistic contribution. Though she earned her fame as an embroidery master, she always remained a modest and self-effacing character. She had the opportunity to see Liu Haisu when the latter invited her to run an embroidery shop in Shanghai, but she declined because her cousin had already married and had children. According to Liu Haisu’s wife Xia Yiqiao, Yang Shouyu trembled all over when she laid eyes on her visiting Ninth Brother for the first time in 70 years, and she died soon after that meeting. No one knows what the last words were that the couple exchanged, and whether or not they soothed her broken heart.

Scenic Sites and Spots of Interest

Tourism has developed quickly in Changzhou and several scenic areas have been established in recent years, including the Tianmu Lake Tourism and Holiday Resort, the Maoshan and Tianning scenic areas, the Modern Changzhou Tourism Area, the Taihuwan Tourism and Holiday Resort, and the Yancheng Ruins Park. The city is currently promoting four choice tours – the landscape tour; the celebrities and architecture tour; the ancient temples, pagodas and Grand Canal tour; and the Dragon Culture tour.

Changzhou had 480 temples during the Southern Dynasties, but the Tianning Buddhist Temple is the only one to have survived the warfare and natural erosion of centuries. It was home to many accomplished master monks and was an oft-visited site for ancient poets and writers.

In addition, Changzhou’s Dinosaur Park is a place where both adults and children can have fun while learning a thing or two. The local specialties, such as bamboo carving, embroidery and comb making, provide examples of local arts and crafts priced for collectors or souvenir hunters.