A woman was held hostage by a knifeman in Yangzhou, East China's Jiangsu province on Monday afternoon before being rescued by police, Jiangsu newspaper Modern Express has reported.

The victim was a local kitchen worker, and was taken hostage by a man with a knife at about lunchtime, the report said.

Local special police arrived on the scene and defused the situation about one hour after the incident occurred. The police said the suspect may suffer from mental illness, but his criminal motive is still under investigation.