While it wasn't the fireworks season of March, Yangzhou in early May was bursting with spring, with flowers in full bloom. My family members traveling with me said that if they had visited during other seasons, the lack of vibrant colors would have been a far cry from the beauty. However, the sheer number of tourists during peak season still significantly diminished the experience... Another aspect of the Slender West Lake Scenic Area that I felt was poorly planned was the lack of a direct boat trip from the South Gate to the North Gate. We walked through the entire area from south to north, and wanted to take a boat directly back to the South Gate, but that wasn't an option. We also wanted to take the distinctive, semi-open, human-powered boat, but that wasn't an option either. They said the boats were only available after we walked back to the boat station in the middle... Overall, it added a lot of effort and time to our itinerary. I'm also curious: do you need a driver's license for the small boats you can rent in the scenic area? On our return boat trip, the water traffic on some of the scenic area's bridges was extremely congested, and there were no traffic signals, which made for an unexpected accident.