#96 Teaching at Taizhou Teachers College, China (My city in China: THIS IS TAIZHOU, the City of the Pheonix, Part 1)

It is difficult to imagine, unless one has been a personal witness, how much Taizhou has changed its image and sky-line in only 2 years. That is the time since my first visit to this "mid-size" Chinese-city of 5 million inhabitants. Now it is my place of satisfying employment as a college teacher, and here I will continue to enjoy my second, comfortable home for some years to come.

My time in China, especially in Taizhou and its surroundings, is truly the adventure of a life-time. The undertaking of this journey continues to teach and enhance my love for life, and gives me daily reasons to be grateful for my extra-ordinary blessings. I am so happy to share them with you through this wonderful media, the internet, and with help of the founder of the TravelBlog, Ali, without whose efforts this endeavor would not be so possible.

In this "very lengthy" entry (#96), containing 115 photos, l can only "attempt, venture, and endeavor" to inform and enlighten you, on what makes Taizhou such a special city for me. Please don't grow tired, looking at these pictures. They will tell you so much about my new home.

I will have to leave it up to you to visit me, and surely, you will agree with my observations:

During Marco Polo's visit to "the City of Phoenix", as Taizhou was known, Marco Polo said this: "The city isn't very big, yet full of extreme, worldly fortunes of all kinds." (A phoenix is said to be the most beautiful deity-bird, and Taizhou was simply called "the City of Phoenix" in the ancient times.)

Taizhou has a history of over 2,100 years, which will reach its "modern" zenith in May of 2008, when the "Olympic-Torch" will pass proudly through its center, on its way to the 29th Olympics in Beijing, where opening ceremonies will be held on August 8, 2008, (08/08/08), numbers that are traditionally most auspicious in Chinese traditions.

Taizhou is feverishly preparing for this, "its own" moment of glory. I walk the city frequently, and as far as I can see, it will be ready to receive the thousands of prominent visitors from around the country and from around the world, who will witness this special event, and who will walk the streets of a "beautiful" Taizhou.

The last, great momentous event for Taizhou took place on July 1st, 2005, when the newly constructed, modern Taizhou Railway Station opened. This has spawned rail-traffic directly to the capital Beijing, the great cities of Harbin, Lanzhou, Wuhan, Shenzhen, Xi'an, Chengdu and many other major cities in the West of the P.R.C.

More connections are planned via high-speed railways, which will whisk passengers over the new "Taizhou Bridge", reaching Shanghai in only two and one-half comfortable hours. The modern and grand "Taizhou Bridge" is nearing completion, crossing the Yangtze River Delta. Its tracks will stimulate dozens of new and needed rail-connections to the great cities in the South of China. I just can't wait.

A newly planned, modern airport, to be shared between the cities of Taizhou and Yangzhou, is bringing more excitement to the conversations of the locals, and underscores the growth and importance experienced by this "City of Phoenix". From a new airport, the passengers can then reach Taizhou's city-center within 30 minutes.

During China's first dynasty, the Qin Dynasty, 221 B.C - 206 B.C, (the dynasty responsible for the "Terracotta Warrior Army"), Taizhou was called Haiyang, and it was known as Hailing during the Han Dynasty, 206 B.C. - 220 A.D. It became a prefecture in the Tang Dynasty, 618 A.D. - 907 A.D, when it received its present name, Taizhou, also meaning "prosperous prefecture".

During its long history, Taizhou has been blessed with a galaxy of talented personalities, and most recently, with China's current President, Mr. Hu Jintao, who spent his childhood in this city. Here he was a student in the city's primary- and secondary school system. The schools are well-known to the proud Taizhou residents, and I have visited them several times, and had opportunities to observe its current teachers.

Along with many other historical-sites in this fast-growing municipality of "5 million", the schools, in which Mr. Hu Jintao prepared for his destiny, have recently received a serious face-lift, no doubt to honor its famous citizen as well as in preparation for the ceremonies planned upon arrival of the "Olympic-Flame", at the end of May 2008. Mr. Hu's childhood "Alma Maters" have become "must-see-sites", being visited by an increasing number of admiring, Chinese tourists, who are actively encouraged to enjoy this ancient city.

Taizhou is also the home-town of such consummate personalities as Shi Naian, the author of "All Men are Brothers", Zheng Banquiao, a well-known calligrapher and painter in the Qing Dynasty, and Mei Lanfang, the world-renowned master of Peking Opera, and a hero for the Chinese, having refused to ever perform for the Japanese during their occupation.

There are many dozens more outstanding luminaries, who have made Taizhou their home over the many centuries of the city's history, and are remembered in the preservation of their residences, public-statuary, and parks around Taizhou. Some 130 of these spots have been ranked as historical relics, enjoying provincial- and municipal preservation.

Taizhou has been proudly named as a "Famous Historical and Cultural City in Jiangsu Province". Some 10,000 relics, many are rare treasures in Chinese history, are kept in museums and scenic spots in- and surrounding the city. There is the Rishe Garden, Chengru Temple, Yuefei Temple, the Four-mouthed well, the Si Pailou (a decorated archway), Anding Academy's Boat-like Hall, Shi Nainan's Tomb, Zhen Banquiao's Former Residence, Mai Lanfang Museum, Baima Temple (the birthplace of PLA Navy Force), and the Huang Qiao Campaign Memorial Hall.

Being close to the Yangtze River and the Yellow Sea and endowed with smooth land, this coastal city has a favorable geographical location, and is known as the birthplace of "the Peoples Liberation Army Navy Force".

In the heart of the city, the Guangxiao Monastery is famous for its one-thousand year history. The Guangxiao Temple is the culmination of Buddhism in Taizhou. In the past, most abbots of the temples in the famous mountain monasteries around China came from Taizhou, hence the saying: "Monks in charge are mostly from Taizhou". The Guangxiao Temple is the first and largest one to have been built among the ancient temples in Taizhou.

Among the gardens of Taizhou, the Rishe Garden is most notable. The Rishe Garden is celebrated as: "...the garden, that looks arresting in the sun", in Tao Yuanming's poem "Retreat and Return". The garden is not so big, yet well-conceived, small and exquisite. Its charm is equal to that of the Zhuozheng Garden in the famous garden-city of Suzhou, the Geyuan Garden in the small but splendid city of Yangzhou, and other famous gardens in China.

The Mei (plum) Garden, part of the residence of Mei Lanfang, is the best place to know about this, one of the greatest and most famous Beijing Opera masters:

In the Garden, the stately Mei Lanfang Pavilion will quickly attract the visitor's attention. A statue of Mei Lanfang, carved from a solid block of marble-stone, stands as a reminder to one of China's heroes of the arts. This graceful artist has captured the heart of every Chinese, for his refusal to co-operate with the Japanese-forces during WW II. Any request and order for theater productions, to entertain the occupying Japanese forces, were refused by the brave artist, at great peril to his own life.

After W.W. II he met with many of the world's famous as he traveled the globe and was greeted by notables, among them Charlie Chaplan. A second, artistic, graceful, white-marble statue, this one of the Royal Concubine Yang played by Mei Lanfang, stands elegantly within the living-compound and adorns the garden, surrounded by an exquisite pond. This beautiful representation of one of the famous characters in Beijing Opera, Concubine Yang, for which Mei Lanfang is most famous, continues to capture every visitor's imagination, and it continues to make my heart beat faster during each of my frequent visits.

As a land of fish and rice, Taizhou is China's key base for producing grain, cotton, vegetable and aquatic products. Its Green Food Base is recognized as "Global 500 Best Green Food Base" by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). "The Big Buddha Finger" brand gingko is the only gingko appointed by the Kunming World Fair. The dao fish (Cutlass fish), shi fish (Reeves shad), and hui fish (Chinese herring), which are famed as "Three Yangtze River Delicacies", enjoy their reputation at home and abroad.

Taizhou is blessed with fertile land and is rich in products. Rivers and lakes criss-cross the area, and these offer a sound irrigation system. It is known as "a land of fish and rice", "a land of live pigs", "a land of ginkgoes", and "a land of aquatic products".

Taizhou abounds in rice, wheat, oil plants, cotton, peanuts, live pigs and fresh water fish, and continues to be one of the most important state production-sites for these products. The city successfully develops and increases the production of agricultural and subsidiary agricultural products, such as ginkgoes, crabs, mushrooms, soft-shelled turtles, shrimps, and fresh water butterfish.

Special products, as "Dafuzhi" ginkgoes, "Drunken crabs of Zhonzhuang", choice sesame oil, Wufu (five blessings) pickles, quick-frozen shrimp meat, dehydrated vegetables, and preserved duck-eggs are sold in many dozens of countries such as Japan, the U.S., and Korea.

Taizhou ranks the first in China for annual ginkgoes output, which totals over 3,800 tons each year.

The medical industry plays a key role in Taizhou's economic development, and has been ranked first for many successive years in the medical industry of Jiangsu Province. The largest Pharmaceutical Park in China, reserved only for the medical industry, is now under construction within the city limits.

The Yangtze Pharmaceutical Group, through more than 30 years of painstaking efforts, has become China's largest "herbal-medicine-extracting-base".

Chunlan, famous for its air-conditioner production, refrigerator production, machinery processing, and motorcycle production is first among the five highly developed industries, that have formed Taizhou's special economic characteristics:

1. The car industry: producing cars, motorcycles, special vehicles and their auxiliary equipments.
2. The electromechanical industry: producing engines, compressors, decelerators, generatiors, and other products.
3. The domestic appliance industry: producing various household appliances with the air-conditioner as its principal product and their auxiliary equipments.
4. The chemical industry includes: the petrochemical industry, fine chemical industry, medical industry, and consumer goods industry.
5. The food industry: producing special foods, green foods, etc.

A Mechanical Park and a Chemical Park surrounding the city of Taizhou have been greatly developed and increase in size and importance.

The ship-building industry continues to enjoy tremendous growth and is achieving greater importance.

Historically, the city of Taizhou has always been a political, economical, cultural and communication center in the center of the eastern Province of Jiangsu, one of China's most progressive and most developed provinces. To continue its progress and achievement, successful education will continue to play a pivotal role, and Taizhou maintains a superb tradition of respecting teachers and valuing education.

Dozens of famous primary- and secondary schools continue to play a major role in educating Taizhou's children and young, China's future, President Hu Jintao was among them.

Tens of thousands of students from Taizhou enter universities and colleges within the city and throughout China year by year. In the year of 2004, the first winners in the university entrance-examinations in liberal art and science all came from Taizhou.

A College of Science and Technology, associated with the famous Nanjing University and the Taizhou College of Nanjing Normal University have been receiving students on major, modern, newly-constructed campusses.

I teach at Taizhou Teachers College, the oldest college in this city, which has been producing some of China's fine teachers for decades.

A new- and major Vetenary and Animal-husbandry college campus now produces many of China's needed vetenerians and animal experts.

Law schools and business schools also continue to impact Taizhou's renowned name as a center of learning.

Much eager construction of more places of education continues at a rapid race in- and surrounding this, one of China's top 100 cities, Taizhou, the City of the Phoenix.

The State Education Ministry, guided by the spirit of re-grouping higher education resources, and assembling advantages of the many industries supporting Taizhou's rapidly expanding economy, is now developing and constructing a Higher Education Park, with an area of over 3 square miles. It will focus the energies of all the campusses as "one" modernized "Taizhou University", a grand honor for the progressive city of Taizhou, Jiangsu in China.

Thank you for taking the time to read this extensive presentation and entry of my present home in China. I did take much time and effort to gather and compile the information. I urge you to take another look at the photos, and enlarge their images for greater details. Your comments, suggestions, thought, ideas, and questions will be received with great appreciation, for I love hearing from you. My heart and thoughts are always with you. I do miss all of you very much.

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