In the past weekend, Nantong City of Jiangsu Province welcomed a group of international visitors, who were invited by Discover Jiangsu Project to witness the charm of this coastal city. Let’s take a look at their trip!
For the first time ever, the tour to Nantong was hosted jointly by the Information Office and Foreign Affairs Office of Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government. Nearly twenty participants joined the experience, including officials of Spanish and Argentinean consulates in Shanghai as well as expats living in Jiangsu.
The opening ceremony was held at the entrance of Nantong Museum, which was founded in 1905 by Zhang Jian张謇, a famous patriotic industrialist in late Qing Dynasty. While the ceremony featured Zhang’s contribution to the city, the whole trip in Nantong centered around the traces left by this pioneer in the modernization efforts of China.
The participants had a first-hand traditional Chinese opera experience at Linggong伶工 Academy, which was also founded and sponsored by Zhang Jian as the first comprehensive drama school of China for both Chinese and western music arts. Besides facial make-ups, the team also had a taste of intriguing opera knowledge, and some simple moves and gestures.
As a city with Yangtze River and Haohe River flowing through, Nantong surely had boat trips to offer. The team walked by the riverside and cruised in Haohe, to understand the ecological restoration fruits achieved here and Zhang Jian’s city planning ideals back in his days.
On the second day, participants got to witness how Zhang’s legacy impacted contemporary world. At the yarn factory of Dasheng Group, which was a major start-up of Zhang Jian a century ago, has now evolved into a large corporation with over 10 thousand employees and cutting-edge technology in production lines, exporting its products to nearly 50 countries and regions. At the industrial park located around Dasheng, the team tried soap making and movable type printing, which were both important industries in early modern China.
(Source:ourjiangsu.com)
