Yangzhou, as an ancient place name in China, can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period or even earlier. The ancient "Kyushu" refers to "Yangzhou", which is different from Yangzhou today. It is a broad geographical concept, covering the southeast of China and the south of Huaihe River.

In 3 19 BC, the state of Chu built Guangling City. Guangling is the birthplace of Yangzhou today. In the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Bang named his nephew Liu Bi as the King of Wu, with Guangling as its capital. During the Three Kingdoms period, Wei and Wu were at war, and Guangling became a military stronghold in the Jianghuai area. In the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Guangling was renamed "Wu Zhou".

In 589 AD, the Sui Dynasty unified China, and Emperor Wendi changed "Wu Zhou" to "Yangzhou".