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Showing posts from September, 2018

Experiences of Liuzhou - Part 1

We love living in Liuzhou but also appreciate that moving to a new country can be a difficult decision fraught with potential difficulties. In this new series of posts, visitors and newcomers to the city talk about their first impressions... Arriving in China for the first time can be a very daunting experience and most people will turn up with a number of preconceptions about what to expect.  I was no different; however, I was proved wrong very quickly and I now leave China having had a spectacular time and knowing I only scratched the surface. I spent most of my time in the provincial city of Liuzhou. Here I was quickly surrounded by, and welcomed into, an amazing community of people from all over the world and none were more welcoming than the locals. I had an introduction to Chinese night life from an Indonesian and Nigerian, ate street food with a Chilean, sang KTV with local Chinese and got to witness how an English couple can be taken into the heart of a very w

Introducing Liuzhou - Part 3: 龙潭公园 Longtan Park

In part 3 of our series introducing Liuzhou, we visit another park; but not just any park: the most picturesque place in the city... Longtan Park is stunningly beautiful and the city's only 6A scenic area (or maybe 5A, the internet isn't entirely clear on this). Regardless, this is a must see place when you visit, and a natural choice for our cover photo when showing the world what Liuzhou has to offer. Situated around 3km south of the city centre, and easily accessible by public transport, Longtan Park is an unmissable spot, and somewhere you should go to regularly if you live here. As well as the wonderful scenery, the park also demonstrates Guangxi's rich culture, drawing from local minority communities and employing performers from the Zhuang, Dong, Miao and Yao ethnic groups among others. The park offers demonstrations of traditional dancing, singing and other performances, as well as playing host to a great restaurant showcasing local cuisine. As wit

Introducing Liuzhou - Part 2: 马鞍山 Ma'an Mountain

We previously introduced Fei'e Road, Liuzhou's clothing retail hub. Nearby is one of the most famous parks in Liuzhou, Ma'an Mountain, which we'll tell you more about here in part 2... This is, hands down, one of the best parks in Liuzhou. Not necessarily the most beautiful, but somewhere which will, perhaps more than anywhere else in the city, show you an authentic slice of Chinese life and culture. Rising abruptly out of the ground just south of the river, it also plays host to the spot where you can see the most famous view of the city, shown below. Local Chinese, particularly elderly residents, come to the park everyday to sing, dance, play music, play chess, gamble, feed the fish, debate and chat. This park gives you an unsanitised view of real Chinese life, in complete contrast to the shiny malls and steal and glass towers in the city centre. It's a great way to spend an afternoon, watching the impromptu concerts and groups of old people dancing in uniso