作为淮安四大城市名片之一，“文化名城”彰显着这座城市的核心魅力。淮安的文化特质，根植于贯通南北的枢纽区位，成形于开放包容的文化传统。

As one of Huai’an’s four signature features, “Famous Cultural City” embodies the city’s core appeal. Huai’an’s cultural character is rooted in its position as a hub linking north and south and shaped by its open and inclusive traditions.

淮安秦时置县，已有2200多年历史，曾是漕运枢纽、盐运要冲；至明清时，与扬州、苏州、杭州并称为京杭大运河沿线的四大都市。依托这一区位，南北商贸流通与人口迁徙日益频繁，各地商人、工匠、文人汇聚于此，多元民俗、技艺与思想在此交融，为淮安文化奠定了开放包容的根基。

The history of Huai'an can be traced back to the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC), over 2200 years ago. It once served as a major grain-transport hub and a key salt-transport center. By the Ming and the Qing dynasties,  it was known alongside Yangzhou, Suzhou, and Hangzhou as one of the four metropolises along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. Thanks to this location, the flow of goods and the migration of people between north and south grew increasingly frequent, bringing merchants, craftsmen, and scholars from various regions together here. Their diverse folk customs, crafts, and ideas blended, laying an open and inclusive foundation for Huai'an's culture.

开放交融深刻塑造了淮安开放包容、开阔务实的城市精神。这种精神浸润着一代代淮安人，也塑造了杰出人物的品格。西汉开国名将韩信，在多元地域文化熏陶下练就坚韧忠诚、胸怀大局的品格；中华人民共和国开国总理周恩来，在这片开放包容的文化土壤中成长，涵养出清正奉公、心系家国的崇高品格。大批英才涌现，正是淮安开放包容文化基因的生动体现。

Openness and integration have profoundly shaped Huai’an’s urban spirit—open, inclusive, broad-minded, and pragmatic—a spirit that has nurtured generations of Huai’an people and helped shape the character of the city’s outstanding figures. Under the influence of diverse regional cultures, Han Xin, a founding general of the Western Han Dynasty, developed perseverance, loyalty, and a broad perspective. Growing up in this open and inclusive cultural environment, Zhou Enlai, the founding Premier of the People’s Republic of China, cultivated a noble character of integrity, dedication to public service, and devotion to his country. The emergence of numerous outstanding talents vividly reflects Huai’an’s open and inclusive cultural DNA.

同样的文化基因，也孕育了淮安丰硕的文化成果。吴承恩融汇各地民俗与水乡风貌，写成《西游记》；淮剧、淮海戏兼取北方质朴与南方温婉；博里农民画、茶馓制作等非遗融汇各地技艺，形成独具特色的活态文化。洪泽湖大堤、清江大闸等作为中国大运河世界文化遗产的遗产点，则见证了淮安千年开放交融与南北文化交流。

This same cultural DNA has also produced rich cultural achievements. Wu Cheng’en blended folk customs from various regions with water-town features to write Journey to the West. Huai Opera and Huaihai Opera combine the simplicity of northern art with the delicacy of southern art. Intangible cultural heritage items such as Boli Farmers’ Paintings and the making of Cha San incorporate techniques from various regions and form a distinctive living culture. The Hongze Lake Embankment and the Qingjiang Sluice, as heritage sites of the Grand Canal World Heritage, bear witness to Huai’an’s millennia-long openness and integration and to cultural exchange between north and south.

今天，淮安传承千年枢纽城市的开放基因，立足现代综合交通优势，持续开展跨区域交流，在兼容并蓄中创新传承，让源远流长的运河文化在新时代焕发新的活力。

Today, Huai’an carries on the openness that defined its millennia-old status as a hub. Building on its modern integrated transportation strengths, it continues to engage in cross-regional exchanges, innovating and passing on its heritage while embracing diversity, bringing new vitality to its time-honored canal culture in the new era.

枢纽是根，开放是魂，交融是径。这样的文化积淀，铸就了淮安名副其实的“文化名城”。

The hub is the root, openness is the soul, and integration is the path. It is this cultural foundation that has earned Huai’an its well-deserved title as “Famous Cultural City.”