Jiangyan is known for being the birthplace of the former General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Hu Jintao.

Jiangyan has previously also been called Hailu (海陆), Wuling (吴陵), and Taizhou (泰州).

The Qintong Boat Festival (溱潼会船) has a long history that can be traced back to Ming dynasty.

In 1990, Jiangyan was awarded the Global 500 Roll of Honor by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for its success in protecting the environment and increasing grain yield through wide use of marsh biogas ponds.

Located in the center of Jiangsu province, Jiangyan is bordered on the east by Hai'an and Dongtai.

Jiangyan's railway station, located north of the town, has both ordinary trains (K/Z), on long-distance routes, and modern, faster D-trains running from Nantong, Hai'an, Taizhou, Yangzhou, and Nanjing and since the Hutong Yangtze River bridge opened in 2020, through to Shanghai in around 90 minutes.

For two consecutive years, Jiangyan has been named among the "Best 100 districts in China", in terms of comprehensive strength, investment potential, urbanization quality, green development, and technology innovation.

During the festival, boats from nearby villages and towns converge on Xique lake for a few days of celebration.