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发表于 2019-3-26 12:56:53 来自:
Xiantao City, Hubei – A Rising Light to the West
I have visited China thirty-six times over the past twenty years, and have marveled each time at how rapidly China has developed. My Wife, Xiaoming, is from Wuhan, Hubei Province, and we have a house there. We have seen much of Wuhan, and it has become my “picture” of Hubei, especially as Wuhan has changed, becoming “different each day” (as their saying goes).
My “picture” of Hubei was changed last week when I visited Xiantao City.
A friend of Xiaoming’s – Liu Yao Shan – invited us to visit his hometown “in the countryside.” Yao Shan knows that I enjoy the countryside and was kind in offering to spend a day showing us an interesting place to the west of Wuhan. What a wonderful surprise!
Yes, there is countryside near Xiantao City, and I enjoyed seeing it, especially the aquaculture and fish farming. There is also a wonderful conservation area at Shahu Wetland Park, where we visited and were greeted by many local people, young, middle-age and older, all very friendly and happy to welcome a “laowai”. It was a warm feeling, one I used to feel in Wuhan when Wuhan was not a “busy” as it is today. That warm feeling came back at Shahu Wildland Park.
Another of Yao Shan’s friends, Ms. Xu drove out to greet us at Shahu Wetland Park. She joined as we enjoyed picking strawberries near there at a newer farm operated by a family Yao Shan and his good friend, Zheng Xiang Long, have come to know. Xiang Long recently retired as Principal of the middle school in Shahu and knows many people – former Students – around Xiantao.
Ms. Xu treated us to a very tasty lunch at a very friendly restaurant in Shahu, then gave us a personal tour of her company there, “XianTao Shell Carving “.What amazing work! What imaginative craftsmanship! What a competent manager Ms. Xu showed us to be. We hope she can offer her unique art all over the world – I think much of it belongs in museums!
We then drove into Xiantao City and WOW! We went from countryside and wetland into a thriving city within a short drive. Our first stop was LiuTan Park, where that warm feeling from Shahu Wetland Park was repeated, reinforced, and deepened by the warm welcome of local people who were enjoying the nice day, the fragrant blossoms, and the picnic areas. Just like earlier in the day, all the people, young, middle-age and older, were very friendly and happy to welcome an obviously foreign visitor.
As we walked thru LiuTan Park, our group grew in size to about eighteen people, including a writer Mr. Xiaozuoyu who is 84 year young man who is in much better physical condition than me even at 10 years my senior! And Mr. Tumingyan ,Liuchangming who are stories teller. And Ms. zhangxiuling and her husband from shanxi , Ms.huochunzhi gave me her cutting work. And Ms. Liu -a manager of the group is a very warm and interesting woman, and such a professional photographer, we joined their group and she offered to help us record our time in LiuTan Park.
Our last stop was Park Restaurant, where at least twelve of us enjoyed a fine meal and more “ganbei” that I have shared for many years. It was another warm feeling; a good time; fun! And to close the evening, Mr. Cai joined our table to further welcome Xiaoming and me, and to invite us to visit Xiantao City again.
We will certainly do so – return to Xiantao – in the near future. I hope that warm feeling provided by the very friendly people, in both the natural setting AND the developing city, will stay with me for a long time. But, don’t take my word for it. Go and see for yourself. Visit Xiantao City soon, a rising light to the west!
Joe
2019.3.23
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