Blogs from Taizhou, Jiangsu, China, Asia - page 13

Today I received the documentation from my friend Arthur Lee, the Foreign Affairs Director for Taizhou Teachers College, needed to apply for the "Z" Visa. It is the one-year visa, designated for foreign-expert-status, and is issued by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, P.R.C. It is an impressive looking document, with the required red signature-stamps. It will permit me to visit the Visa Agency, which is helping me with the process through the Chinese Consulate in Houston, Texas. There might be some additional red-tape, such as a medical-physical and some vaccinations. For those who are interested, I will continue to post the process of the efforts. Until the certainty of the Visa, I am still somewhat hesitant about the travel arrangements. The freighter from Miami to Hong Kong is still on top of the ... read more

Food, one of my favourite topics! None more so than when I am travelling through, and in this case, living in, a new and exciting place. Taizhou is located on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, about 3hours NW of Shanghai, one of the most fertile and productive regions of China. Consequently there are always lots of fresh ingredients available. The cuisine here is generally considered to be of the “Eastern School” although with the variety of fresh ingredients and condiments and the increasing mobility of China’s population, many styles of cooking are gaining popularity. In my short time here I have been given the opportunity to try a wide variety of local dishes. Surprisingly, peanuts seem to be a very common ingredient, usually fried whole. They are not only used in appetizers but other ... read more