Blogs from Taizhou University, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China, Asia - page 3

One of the most joyfull days during my teaching assignment at Taizhou Teachers College came on Monday, May 26th, 2008. The Olympic Torch Run through China was about to reach the city of Taizhou. There had been a delay, since China was still deep in mourning on the 23rd of May, the day originally scheduled for the presentation of the Olympic Torch Run in Taizhou. Taizhou, the "City of the Phoenix", was only one of five cities in the prosperous province of Jiangsu, to host this once in a life-time, historical event. The four others were the garden-city of Suzhou, the beautiful, historical city of Yangzhou, the former capital of China, Nanjing, and the coastal city of Nantong. Taizhou had been preparing for months, to make sure the event became a special and momentous day for ... read more

Finally, I can publish this blog after it being "almost" completed since January. So, for those of you who have wondered what has become of me, here is a synopsis of the last semester in Taizhou Teachers College! From the arrival of our freshman last September, through our Autumn Sports Carnival in November and the many activities and cultural events since, I hope you will enjoy this overview of my everyday experiences in Taizhou Teachers College. There are a large number of photos, so apologies to those of you who have slow internet connections! In coming weeks I will take you on a journey to the North of China to experience the Snow and Ice Festival in Haerbin, to the coastal city of Qingdao, famous for its beer and as being one of the top wedding ... read more

My time in Taizhou has been made more "colorful" by many invitations to Chinese weddings, especially among the English-staff of our college as well as some of Arthur's friends. The occasions have become wonderful introductions into the changing trends of China's ancient customs, as Western tradions enter and begin to permiate many aspect of China's thousand year old traditions. As in the United States, weddings are now big business, though, throughout China's history, they have always been expensive occasions, but today at least most modern brides and grooms get to choose their own partners. The wedding industry in China has developed at an amazing speed in only the last 15 years. The effect of this growth has been a boost to other industries such as the fashion houses, hairdressing, jewellery and gifts, furniture and home appliances, ... read more

Yes, it's been some months since I published a new blog, but this is proof I have not fallen off the edge of the earth! The approach of Xmas is always a good impetus to put pen to paper, or in this case, fingers to the keyboard! In the next week or so I will bring you up to speed with a synopsis of this past semester, my fourth at Taizhou Teachers College. That is if our appalling internet connections will allow! In the meantime, read and on and share in some of the fun of the past week or so of celebrating Xmas "Chinese Style". This is my second Xmas in China and I’m still a little surprised by the enthusiastic adoption of this very Western Festival by my Chinese friends. This is especially as ... read more

The National Holiday for China is October 1st. On this day in 1949, Chairman Mao declared the P.R.C. from the rostrum of Tian'anmen Gate in Beijing to throngs of proud and cheering Chinese citizens. Each year this National Holiday celebration continues in importance and significance, and the festivities now include the first seven days of every October. These 7 days in October are now known by the Chinese as the "Golden Week" for travel. Increasingly, China's ever-more affluent 1.4 billion people enjoy this vacation as national tourists, traveling to China's grand sights, sharing pride and quality time with family and friends. Students around the country also anticipate these first seven days in October, as millions of them prepare return-visits to their families, much like our students travel home during the Thanksgiving-holidays. The college and university "freshmen ... read more