In Taizhou with Charly

Taizhou is a modern city. It is representative of the modern China, the workshop for the world. In fact, it was here that the modern Chinese approach of socialised capitalism began. What was first known as the “Taizhou Experiment” was where communist China first began allowing entrepreneurs to try their skills. Because of all this, it is a modern city of high-rise buildings and mushrooming apartment blocks. But in the heart of it is the old street of Haimenlao. It is near the docks, and some distance from the modern parts of the city.
But although it is some distance from my hotel. All I would have to do was to follow Zhongxin Boulevard northwards, and when I reached a roundabout, turn right onto Zhongshan Road. Then, after a while I would come to a square, and Haimenlao would be on my left.

And so, on September 1st, I left my hotel early in the morning and set out on my way, bringing Charly with me. There is actually a canal that runs beside Zhongxin Boulevard, and it is much more pleasant to follow the canal than the street beside it. The path beside the canal begins with a number of statues. And this is where my inability to read Chinese leaves me at something of a disadvantage. I can only presume that they are historical characters of local or national importance.

As I followed the canal, I saw people exercising: dancing to music in the early morning or practicing tai chi. Depending on the direction you look along the canal, it can seem as if little has changed over the years. Or even from the same place looking in a different direction, it can seem as if everything has changed, and old China is no more.
And so I reached the roundabout. It is a point where different canals join, as well as several streets.

I turned eastwards onto Zhongshan Road. The route took me alongside the canal at first, but soon my street and the canal parted ways. From there, Zhongshan Road is a busy commercial thoroughfare, with the shops and businesses of a modern city.
Eventually, I reached the entrance to Haimenlao. The street is guarded by two lion statues.

Haimenlao is a preserved street of artisans’ shops and a few older buildings. I mentioned that it is near the docks, so it is natural that the customs house of the city should be here, with a façade that could only be Chinese. Some of the shops are decorated to look older than they probably are. But this is China, so it is important to savour the atmosphere rather than question its authenticity.

There is a market in Haimenlao at weekends. It is the equivalent of a European flea market. The articles on sale range from complete junk to interesting and ancient looking curios. I was probably the only westerner in the market that morning, and many sellers invited me to buy, but I declined. Between what might cause difficulty at customs in Switzerland, and not knowing or understanding the authenticity of the things I saw, I decided to take a cautious approach. Maybe another time, I will go for something here.

 

I decided to go back by a different route. After briefly following the Zhongshan Road westwards, I turned south onto Jeifang Road and soon I was passing the Baiyun Feipu Park with its hilltop pagoda. I have been there before, so I gave it a miss this time. The weather showed signs of coming rain, so I walked on. Perhaps another day I will go there again.

Reaching Shifu Boulevard, I turned westward. At the junction is the Fangyuan Property company. Interestingly, while many businesses choose stone lions as symbolic guardians of their entrances, the Fangyuan company chooses elephants. It is the only enterprise I have ever seen in Taizhou to do so.

Along Shifu Boulevard, I passed the local headquarters of the communist party. I have been told that the inscription on the stone at the front is “Let a hundred flowers bloom”. The quote is from Mao Tse Tung and is often misquoted as “Let a million flowers bloom”. As I mentioned, Taizhou is the centre of entrepreneurial enterprise in China, so the phrase is apt, whether I have it right or not. And as if to support that intent, the vacant square beside the building is carpeted in flowers.

Soon after that, I was back at my hotel, my walking done for the day. And my step count for the day was 29725 steps.