Huai'an was for centuries one of the most strategically important cities in China, a transit hub on the Grand Canal where grain from the south was transferred northward to feed the imperial capital. That era left behind a layered city of historical monuments, temple complexes, and a culinary tradition — Huaiyang cuisine — that is considered one of China's four great regional cuisines. Today the city is quieter than its imperial heyday, which makes it accessible in a way that more heavily visited places are not.
The two most visited sites are the Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall and the former residence of Wu Cheng'en, the Ming Dynasty author of Journey to the West. The memorial to China's first premier is respectful and substantial; the author's home is more modest but evocative. The Zhenhuai Building, a 12th-century structure now serving as a city museum, and the Tang Dynasty Wentong Pagoda are worth seeking out, as is the former residence of Zhou Enlai — a well-preserved Qing-era compound that gives a sense of the educated gentry life he was born into.
Huaiyang cooking at its best is subtle, technically demanding, and deeply satisfying. Pingqiao tofu is a creamy white soup made with minced chicken and fine strips of silken tofu; Wenlou soup dumplings have thin wrappers and a rich, gelatinised broth. Yellow eel prepared with a variety of techniques appears across the menu, and the regional breakfast culture — centred on congee, dumplings, and soft pastries — is worth rising early for.
High-speed rail connects Huai'an East Station to Nanjing in under an hour and to Shanghai in about two hours. Huai'an Lianshui Airport, 22 km northeast of the centre, runs domestic services and a handful of regional international routes.