Yaowan Ancient Town is developed and constructed by Xinyi Luoma Lake Tourism Development Co., Ltd. The planned construction area of ??Yaowan Ancient Town Scenic Area is 85.62 hectares. Over the past three years, 520 million yuan has been invested in the protection and development of the ancient town scenic spot, building more than 800 houses, dredging more than 500 meters of the back river and moat, erecting 5 landscape bridges, and building a new parking lot of 100,000 square meters; the Wu Family Courtyard has been completed , Zhao Xinlong Jiangyuan Store, Dongdangdian, Xidangdian, China Pawn Museum, Yaowan Folk Museum, Daqingyaowan Post Office and other 10 scenic spots.
The town has an administrative area of ??116 square kilometers, a township area of ??3.6 square kilometers, and jurisdiction over 21 administrative villages with a total population of nearly 70,000. In 2012, the town's total fiscal revenue was 130.4197 million yuan, the per capita income was 11,551 yuan, and the comprehensive tourism revenue exceeded 400 million yuan. Yaowan Ancient Town is located at the intersection of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and Luoma Lake in Xinyi City, Jiangsu Province. Surrounded by water on three sides, it is an ancient water town with a history of more than a thousand years. It is known as the Golden Triangle of Golden Waterways and Little Shanghai in Northern Jiangsu. It has profound historical accumulation and many cultural landscapes. As early as the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Yaowan was an important commercial town in northern Jiangsu with a prosperous market and strong popularity. Businessmen from 18 provinces across the country set up chambers of commerce and built stores here. Businessmen and missionaries from 10 countries in the world built businesses here. Shops, churches, business missionaries, the two main streets formed in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties still maintain their original style. There are 834 ancient residential groups, chambers of commerce, ancient temples, stele pavilions, ancient bridges, ancient locust trees, ancient pines and other humanities. There are more than 20 natural landscapes, which are called Zhouzhuang in the south and Yaowan in the north by experts and media.
Taoist Master Yun Longzi, a master of Feng Shui, visited Yaowan Ancient Town and said, "Yaowan Ancient Town is a blessed place for Taoist practice. There are many famous Taoist temples here in history." At the same time, Yaowan Ancient Town is built along the canal. The canal is the dragon vein of China. Yaowan Ancient Town is a geomantic treasure and will surely become a famous tourist attraction in the country. Yaowan Town is an ancient water town with a history of more than 1,300 years. It is known as the "Golden Waterway Triangle" and "Little Shanghai in Northern Jiangsu". During the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, this area was under the jurisdiction of Zhongwu State. In 618 AD, the Tang Dynasty implemented the state and county system, and a town was built in Yaowan, which was first named Yutou Town. In the Tanlu earthquake in 1668 AD, Yutou Town was destroyed. Later, it was moved to the bend of the canal in the south of the town to build a kiln and burn bricks, and rebuilt the new town. Many passing ships anchored here, hence the name Yaowan. Relying on the advantages of water transportation, Yaowan has gradually developed into an important terminal and commercial town on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. During the heyday of water transportation in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Yaowan was an important water and land hub in the north and south, with ships reaching Suzhou and Hangzhou in the south and Beijing and Tianjin in the north. Industry and commerce flourished for a time. By the early Republic of China, the town's permanent population reached 30,000 and the floating population reached 15,000, so it was sometimes known as "Little Shanghai". There are more than 360 businesses, factories, and workshops in Yaowan Town, including famous pawn shops, trough shops, banks, grain stores, cloth shops, and inns. The joint ventures include Sino-US joint venture Mobil Oil Company, Sino-British joint venture Asia Oil Company, Sino-French joint venture Wuyang Department Store, Sino-British joint venture egg white factory, etc. At that time, the silver notes pawned in Yaowan could be exchanged for cash at designated banks in 18 provinces in China. The town has chambers of commerce from 8 provinces including Jiangxi, Shanxi, Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Anhui, Fujian, and Su Zhenyang, commercial agencies from 10 provinces including Qinghai, Zhejiang, and the three eastern provinces, as well as 2 churches and 8 temples. There are nearly a hundred businessmen and missionaries from the United States, Britain, France, Russia, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada and other countries stationed in the town. Most provinces in China and more than 10 countries in the world have trade relations with Yaowan. The rich history has given birth to Yaowan’s unique folk culture, food culture, commercial culture, religious culture and logistics culture. Yaowan has attracted countless celebrities to stop and stay. Historical celebrities such as Yue Fei, Zhu Yuanzhang, Shi Kefa, and Emperor Qianlong have all left their footprints in Yaowan. The patriotic general Zhang Huatang lived in Yaowan for many years. There are many celebrities in Yaowan. The famous Ming Dynasty general Gao Zuo who fought with Shi Kefa in Yangzhou, the Qing Dynasty Zhenyuan General Ma Congkai, and the martial arts scholar Zang Yuqing were all from Yaowan. A large number of precious historical relics such as Qing Dynasty imperial edict stone tablets, murals, calligraphy and paintings, and embroidered porcelain have been unearthed in Yaowan. The remaining ancient merchant guild halls, ancient temples, ancient bridges, ancient locust trees, celebrity stele pavilions, etc. have high cultural relic value. There are more than 800 ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, more than 100 of which are included in the intangible cultural heritage list of Xinyi City (Xuzhou City). Yaowan has created a group of influential wealthy businessmen and celebrities. After they left Yaowan, they spread Yaowan culture widely. To this day, "Yaowan Street" is still built in Nanjing, Suzhou, Shanghai and other places.
In 2013, it will apply for world cultural heritage together with the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal! Yaowan Ancient Town has its unique ancient architectural style, the scenery of the river and the lake, and its rich and ancient historical and cultural relics.
Ancient dwellings, ancient streets, ancient shops, ancient docks, and ancient relics have created the cultural taste and cultural connotation of Yaowan Ancient Town. It is a true reflection of the inheritance of ancient canal culture among the people. The ancient town is surrounded by water on three sides, with sparkling blue waves and beautiful scenery. The streets and alleys are unique, with blue bricks and gray tiles in the courtyards, staggered pavilions and pavilions, and cornices on the roofs. It is known as the Jianghuai River for its beautiful shape, and has always been called the Grand Canal of China. An ancient town and tourist attraction.