武汉 Wuhan
My new Home: Bei Hu Jia Ri, Xin Hua Xia Lu, Wuhan, Hubei, P.R.China!
The Lonely Planet guide states that Wuhan is "one of China's most massive and upbeat cities...a sprawling and gargantuan alloy...with levels of money and modernity that rival Shanghai." I have spent almost the same amount of time in both cities now, and I would say that Wuhan as a whole is much more modern with respect to my personal definition of the word. The people are far more civilized when it comes to foreigners here. They hardly stare at all nor do they yell 'hellooooo!'. The stores have prices on them instead of making you bargain. The CEO for Starbucks is even coming for a special tasting next week, and today I got a special invite from the barista I have a crush on!
(Side note: Wuhan didn't have a single starbucks last year. Now they have 5.... BUY STARBUCKS STOCK!!!)
(This is the view from my hallway)
Furthermore, far more Chinese people speak English here (from I'd say 0.1% in Shanghai to at least 5% in Wuhan). These elements of what I would perceive to be modern not only make me feel more comfortable here, but it also gives the local people an appearance of being more worldly and multicultural. The mass amounts of trade via the Yangtze over the last millennium quite obviously swapped DNA as well as goods. Therefore, Wuhanese people are very visually diverse; they have more facial hair, more muscles (stronger bodies), are taller and fitter looking than any other city I have been to in China. To me, this is modern.
(the building to the far right is where I live...on the 23rd floor)
Wikipedia notes that "Wuhan has currently attracted about 50 French invested companies, over one third of French investment in China, the most among Chinese cities." And a guy I met while applying for my work visa at the police station told me that there are 6000 expatriates living in Wuhan; of which over half are Japanese and a quarter are French. The population of Wuhan is just over 9 million. Now, although I am not longer a math teacher, I can quickly grasp that the Western expatriate population accounts for less than 1% of Wuhan residents. Yet I haven't really felt out of place here like I did last year.
"Wuhan is a city with both an ancient history and a thriving present. Historic relics excavated from ancient tombs tell the city's long history dating back 3,500 years. In the period of Pre-Qin (770 B.C. - 221 B.C.), this was the land of the State of Chu (one of the seven warring states before Qin, in China's first feudal dynasty) and was the cradle of the brilliant Chu Civilization. Starting here, merchants followed the great Yangtze River and lake network to expand businesses throughout the entire country. In the Qing Dynasty, Hankou became one of the four best-known towns in the country. For centuries, this city has been the center of trade and transportation in central China. Today it is an important hub in central China and a feature of Yangtze River cruises for sightseers and businessmen traveling from Sichuan to Shanghai or Hong Kong."
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/wuhan.htm
And look, you can buy shoes for less than $5CDN! (1CDN=7RMB) One of my favorite parts of living in China. Who knew I'd become a shoe girl, let alone enjoy shopping!?
Wuhan is actually a conglomerate of three previously independent cities: Wuchang (to the East of the Yantze); Hankou (to the North of the Han river and West of the Yantze); and Hanyang (to the South of the Han river and the West of the Yantze). Needless to say, there are a lot of ferries, bridges, and water around. "Wuhan is recognized as the political, economic, financial, cultural, educational and transportation center of central China." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuhan
I live in the epicenter of this bustling concrete jungle, in Hankou. In fact, I am a block away from the world's 18th largest building. Within my fist 5 days here, I had oriented myself over the course of about 5 hours of jogging, 30 hours of walking, 5 hours in taxi's and 4 hours on the bus. I got an English(ish) map from the Shangri-la, and attempted to see every tourist spot on it. Throughout this plethora of exploration, I managed to get lost so many times that I also must have seen every local highlight as well.
On Saturday I spent the full day in Wuchang, which is where the East Lake is that I posted a rant about, but it also hosts most of the notable sights in city. In addition, most universities and foreigner stores (like Metro) are found on this side of the river.
(side note: the Yangtze is at least a half kilometer across here. It is so daunting and massive. It blows the Columbia and the Fraser Rivers out of the water...so to speak;))
As a tourist in my own town, a notable sight I went to see was Yellow Crane Tower. It used to be a military observation post, and is now considered Wuhan's city symbol. "The Yellow Crane Tower has a very long and complicated history. It was first built in 223, during the Three Kingdoms Period (220 - 280). Due to the ideal location, it was built by Sun Quan (182 - 252, King of Wu) as a watchtower for his army. After hundreds of years, its military function was gradually forgotten and the tower was enjoyed mainly as a picturesque location" http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/hubei/wuhan/yellowcrane.htm
The following day, I thought it fitting to spend my Sunday morning at the Guiyuan Temple, a Buddhist monastery, located in Hanyang. The best part was the turtle pond. Apparently in China, it's not just the people that need population control.
I guess you could say I am back to loving it here. I love the markets. I love shopping here. I love walking around at night through the alleys and startling Chinese people with my round eyes then trying new food. I LOVE buying cute shoes for 3 dollars!!!
I love Chinese people. They have such amazing energy. And Wuhanese have thus far topped them all (although the Tibetans in Zhongdian/Shagri-la come a very close second). The girls in the nail salon hold my hands and rub my tattoos and touch my eyelashes and coo over me. The taxi drivers here are so patient with me and my horrible Chinese. And the kids are so cute, too. A praying mantis and chop sticks is all they need to have fun!
Besides the boring old British men that rule the roost at my school, there are a few younger Welsh guys who've got potential. In addition, the Chinese staff is amazing and I am really looking forward to getting to know them. Here is the daunting gate to WHBC (Wuhan British College) on Wan Song Yuan Lu (street of a thousand trees) where I work.
And here are all 14 of the poor students who have to listen to my rants 20 times a week. Only 3 girls;( and one of them is hiding). Their parents pay more in tuition a year (to have a long-nosed-round-eyed-white-faced-laowai yap at them) than the average Chinese person makes in 10 years. I'm planning an starting a humanitarian club. we'll do fundraising events and stuff and they can decide who to give the money to in their community.
Lastly, my home, supplied by the school, is definitely a perk to the job. Here is the view from my bedroom.
My living room.
And my kitchen.
If you are wondering why these last few pictures seem a bit foggy, I think it is because the day I took them was so hot and humid that it was like taking pictures underwater! It is a good thing I like hot weather. We get a lot of it here.
P.S. My school is still looking for an AP English teacher. This is like first year University English. You'd need at least a degree and then maybe a teaching degree or a Master's. (Two of the 8 foreign teachers I work with here have PHD's). The pay is the best I have every heard of in China along with three month's paid holiday per year, and the school and city are great. if you're interested, just send me an email and I'll hook you up with details.
The Lonely Planet guide states that Wuhan is "one of China's most massive and upbeat cities...a sprawling and gargantuan alloy...with levels of money and modernity that rival Shanghai." I have spent almost the same amount of time in both cities now, and I would say that Wuhan as a whole is much more modern with respect to my personal definition of the word. The people are far more civilized when it comes to foreigners here. They hardly stare at all nor do they yell 'hellooooo!'. The stores have prices on them instead of making you bargain. The CEO for Starbucks is even coming for a special tasting next week, and today I got a special invite from the barista I have a crush on!
(Side note: Wuhan didn't have a single starbucks last year. Now they have 5.... BUY STARBUCKS STOCK!!!)
(This is the view from my hallway)Furthermore, far more Chinese people speak English here (from I'd say 0.1% in Shanghai to at least 5% in Wuhan). These elements of what I would perceive to be modern not only make me feel more comfortable here, but it also gives the local people an appearance of being more worldly and multicultural. The mass amounts of trade via the Yangtze over the last millennium quite obviously swapped DNA as well as goods. Therefore, Wuhanese people are very visually diverse; they have more facial hair, more muscles (stronger bodies), are taller and fitter looking than any other city I have been to in China. To me, this is modern.
(the building to the far right is where I live...on the 23rd floor)Wikipedia notes that "Wuhan has currently attracted about 50 French invested companies, over one third of French investment in China, the most among Chinese cities." And a guy I met while applying for my work visa at the police station told me that there are 6000 expatriates living in Wuhan; of which over half are Japanese and a quarter are French. The population of Wuhan is just over 9 million. Now, although I am not longer a math teacher, I can quickly grasp that the Western expatriate population accounts for less than 1% of Wuhan residents. Yet I haven't really felt out of place here like I did last year.
"Wuhan is a city with both an ancient history and a thriving present. Historic relics excavated from ancient tombs tell the city's long history dating back 3,500 years. In the period of Pre-Qin (770 B.C. - 221 B.C.), this was the land of the State of Chu (one of the seven warring states before Qin, in China's first feudal dynasty) and was the cradle of the brilliant Chu Civilization. Starting here, merchants followed the great Yangtze River and lake network to expand businesses throughout the entire country. In the Qing Dynasty, Hankou became one of the four best-known towns in the country. For centuries, this city has been the center of trade and transportation in central China. Today it is an important hub in central China and a feature of Yangtze River cruises for sightseers and businessmen traveling from Sichuan to Shanghai or Hong Kong."
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/wuhan.htm
And look, you can buy shoes for less than $5CDN! (1CDN=7RMB) One of my favorite parts of living in China. Who knew I'd become a shoe girl, let alone enjoy shopping!?
Wuhan is actually a conglomerate of three previously independent cities: Wuchang (to the East of the Yantze); Hankou (to the North of the Han river and West of the Yantze); and Hanyang (to the South of the Han river and the West of the Yantze). Needless to say, there are a lot of ferries, bridges, and water around. "Wuhan is recognized as the political, economic, financial, cultural, educational and transportation center of central China." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WuhanI live in the epicenter of this bustling concrete jungle, in Hankou. In fact, I am a block away from the world's 18th largest building. Within my fist 5 days here, I had oriented myself over the course of about 5 hours of jogging, 30 hours of walking, 5 hours in taxi's and 4 hours on the bus. I got an English(ish) map from the Shangri-la, and attempted to see every tourist spot on it. Throughout this plethora of exploration, I managed to get lost so many times that I also must have seen every local highlight as well.On Saturday I spent the full day in Wuchang, which is where the East Lake is that I posted a rant about, but it also hosts most of the notable sights in city. In addition, most universities and foreigner stores (like Metro) are found on this side of the river.
(side note: the Yangtze is at least a half kilometer across here. It is so daunting and massive. It blows the Columbia and the Fraser Rivers out of the water...so to speak;))
As a tourist in my own town, a notable sight I went to see was Yellow Crane Tower. It used to be a military observation post, and is now considered Wuhan's city symbol. "The Yellow Crane Tower has a very long and complicated history. It was first built in 223, during the Three Kingdoms Period (220 - 280). Due to the ideal location, it was built by Sun Quan (182 - 252, King of Wu) as a watchtower for his army. After hundreds of years, its military function was gradually forgotten and the tower was enjoyed mainly as a picturesque location" http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/hubei/wuhan/yellowcrane.htmThe following day, I thought it fitting to spend my Sunday morning at the Guiyuan Temple, a Buddhist monastery, located in Hanyang. The best part was the turtle pond. Apparently in China, it's not just the people that need population control.
I guess you could say I am back to loving it here. I love the markets. I love shopping here. I love walking around at night through the alleys and startling Chinese people with my round eyes then trying new food. I LOVE buying cute shoes for 3 dollars!!!
I love Chinese people. They have such amazing energy. And Wuhanese have thus far topped them all (although the Tibetans in Zhongdian/Shagri-la come a very close second). The girls in the nail salon hold my hands and rub my tattoos and touch my eyelashes and coo over me. The taxi drivers here are so patient with me and my horrible Chinese. And the kids are so cute, too. A praying mantis and chop sticks is all they need to have fun!Besides the boring old British men that rule the roost at my school, there are a few younger Welsh guys who've got potential. In addition, the Chinese staff is amazing and I am really looking forward to getting to know them. Here is the daunting gate to WHBC (Wuhan British College) on Wan Song Yuan Lu (street of a thousand trees) where I work. My walk to work and back is just over half an hour and is really pretty; through parks and along the tree-lined road. I go through a main park where the entire city seems to show up to dance in the mornings for exercise.
And get this, there is a random roller coaster in the park! I figure it will be a good stress relief on Friday afternoons.
Here is the office I work in. My principal is the man standing up. My desk is farther right of the picture where the Chinese staff are all supposed to sit. It was a little too 'white' for me over on the left side of the room. Plus I work closer with the Chinese staff than I do with other foreign teachers so it made sense to me to sit with them. Though tradition does not approve of it.
And get this, there is a random roller coaster in the park! I figure it will be a good stress relief on Friday afternoons.
Here is the office I work in. My principal is the man standing up. My desk is farther right of the picture where the Chinese staff are all supposed to sit. It was a little too 'white' for me over on the left side of the room. Plus I work closer with the Chinese staff than I do with other foreign teachers so it made sense to me to sit with them. Though tradition does not approve of it.And here are all 14 of the poor students who have to listen to my rants 20 times a week. Only 3 girls;( and one of them is hiding). Their parents pay more in tuition a year (to have a long-nosed-round-eyed-white-faced-laowai yap at them) than the average Chinese person makes in 10 years. I'm planning an starting a humanitarian club. we'll do fundraising events and stuff and they can decide who to give the money to in their community.Lastly, my home, supplied by the school, is definitely a perk to the job. Here is the view from my bedroom.
My living room.
And my kitchen.
If you are wondering why these last few pictures seem a bit foggy, I think it is because the day I took them was so hot and humid that it was like taking pictures underwater! It is a good thing I like hot weather. We get a lot of it here. P.S. My school is still looking for an AP English teacher. This is like first year University English. You'd need at least a degree and then maybe a teaching degree or a Master's. (Two of the 8 foreign teachers I work with here have PHD's). The pay is the best I have every heard of in China along with three month's paid holiday per year, and the school and city are great. if you're interested, just send me an email and I'll hook you up with details.
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