泰州旅游外宣材料-英文.docx

The Phoenix City of China, A Place of Auspice and Tranquility Profile of TaizhouBuilt in the sixth year of the reign of Emperor Yuanshou of the Han Dynasty (i.e., 117 B.C.), Taizhou has two districts of Hailing and Gaogang and four cities of Jiangyan, Xinghua, Taixing and Jingjiang under its direct administration, with a land coverage of 5,793 square kilometers and a population of 5.04 million. Taizhou is an excellent tourism city in China and a famous historical and cultural city in Jiangsu Province. It has been boasting a rich pool of talents and cultural relics and has produced a galaxy of celebrities and sages since ancient times. The outstanding figures in Taizhou include Shi Naian, the author of the Water Margin (also known as the Outlaws of the Marsh, which is one of the four famous Chinese classical works), Zheng Banqiao, a representative personage of the “Eight Immortals of Yangzhou”, and Mei Lanfang, a Peking Opera master. Taizhou is also the hometown of Hu Jintao, the incumbent President of China. Geography and Climate Located in the central part of Jiangsu Province, Taizhou is a coastal city to the north of the Yangtze River with flat and low-lying plains. Since it lies in the north subtropical humid climate zone, Taizhou has clear-cut seasonal changes and abundant rainfall. With an average annual temperature of 16 and annual precipitation of 886mm , Taizhous annual frost-free period lasts for 224 days. Densely covered by rivers and endowed with rich products, Taizhou is known as a “land of fish and rice”, which is similar to a land of milk and honey in the west, and a “land of aquatic products” as well. Jiangyan and Xinghua, the two nationally designated eco-demonstration regions, are examples of ecological environment protection in the Yangtze River Delta. The Hengcun Village along the Jiangyan River was awarded the “Global 500 Environments” by the United Nations.Outbound TrafficTaizhou is surrounded by Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, Shanghai Pudong Airport, Nanjing Lukou International Airport and airports of Wuxi and Yancheng. Taizhou Port has direct regular lines to 104 countries and regions. Beijing-Shanghai Expressway, Nanjing-Nantong Expressway, Nanjing-Jingjiang-Yancheng Expressway and River-side Expressway run through Taizhou, and its railways are connected to the national network of trunk railways. International Exchanges As a city along the Yangtze River, Taizhou is accelerating its opening-up to the outside world. More than 40 countries and regions have made investments here and more than 1,700 foreign-funded enterprises have been established. Taizhou developed sister city relations with eight cities in the world, namely, Newport News of the United States, La Trobe of Australia, Eumseong-gun of Korea, Kotka of Finland, Barrie of Canada, Schwbisch Hall of Germany, Hutt of New Zealand and Huy of Belgium. Tourist AttractionsTaizhou is an ancient city with the vitality of youth. It boasts profound cultural heritage and rich historical relics. Its over 2,100 years history has left Taizhou valuable and abundant cultural tourist resources, including the unique Confucian culture, the culture of salt tax, religious culture, the culture of opera, bonsai culture and water culture. Taizhou has a broad range of cultures for appreciation and a large number of attractions for tourism. Fengchenghe Scenic ResortWith no mountains, Taizhou is surrounded by water. Embraced by water, Fengchenghe Scenic Resort is a natural ecological landscape rare in modern cities. The four treasures of Taizhou, namely, history, opera, folk customs and commerce, are best represented by 20-odd scenic spots such as the Overlooking-the-sea Building and the Peach Blossom Garden. The old street of Taizhou on the east of the resort not only assembles over 100 traditional snacks and restaurants from all over the country, but also showcases the intangible cultural heritage of Taizhou.Guangxiao TempleBuilt during the reign of Emporor Yixi of the East Jin Dynasty (405418 A.D.), Guangxiao Temple is over 1,600 years. In its time-honored history, eminent monks came forth in large numbers from the Guangxiao Temple. Eminent monks that have bonds with Taizhou have become Buddhist abbots in the contemporary Chinese Buddhism, from Hong Kong, Taiwan to the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and even the United States. The big names include Liao Zhong, incumbent President of the World Buddhist Sangha Association, founder of the University of Hsuan Tsang in Taipei and Abbot of the Shandao Temple, Cheng Yi, Vice President of the World Buddhist Sangha Association, President of the Kegon Buddhist Church in the United States and Chairman of the Kegon Association, Wu Yi, Vice President of the World Buddhist Sangha Association and Abbot of the Sarnath Temple in Hongkong, Long Gen, President of the Singapore Buddhist Federation, Zi Li, Abbot of the Yinxiu Temple in the Philippines, and Hao Lin, President of the Buddhist Association of the United States and Abbot of the Dongchan Temple in New York. Mei Lanfang Memorial MuseumMei Lanfang Memorial Museum is a garden of Ming and Qing Dynasty buildings, an architectural complex in memory of Mei Lanfang, the Peking opera master. He started studying Peking opera at the age of eight and took the stage at 11, acting the role of Ching I (usually a role of faithful and moral women, especially a faithful wife, lover or maiden in distress) and concurrently Tao Ma Tan (a role of female heroic warrior). He is reputed as the head of “four famous Dans in Peking opera”. The performing art he initiated ranked one of the three performing systems of the world theatre, Stanislavskys System (Soviet Union), Brecht System (Germany) and Mei Lanfang System (China). In the world, he is the synonym for Chinese opera and even Chinese theatre. In the 1930th, he had once visited Japan, the US and the Soviet Union, achieving an unprecedented success.Qiao GardenQiao Garden is located in downtown of Taizhou. It was first built during the period of Emperor Wan Li of the Ming Dynasty with a history of 430 odd years. It is the oldest private garden in North Jiangsu. It is not large, but has strong characteristics of riverside towns in the South of Yangtze River. Undergoing centuries of profound changes, the landscaped garden, in a natural style of primitive simplicity, still maintain the distinctive features of Ming Dynasty. Qinhu National Wetland Park Compared to the “kidney of the Earth”, wetlands constitute one of the three ecological systems of the Earth together with oceans and forests. Qinhu National Wetland Park is a national 4A tourist attraction, and the first in Jiangsu Province and the second in the country state-level wetland park. The park is located in the region of Lixia River, one of the three well-known low-lying lands in the country, with a land coverage of 26 square kilometers. Qinhu National Wetland Park is a typical weald-like wetland park characterized by semi-natural farming wetlands. There are 153 species of wild plants and 97 species of wild animals including such rare species as mi-lus, red-crested cranes and alligator sinenses in the park. Many events are held every year in the park, such as Qintong Boat-Gathering Festival, Wetland Eco-tourism Festival and Qinhu Lake Food Festival. The Ancient Town of Qintong Qintong is a famous historical and cultural town in China. According to ancient records, it boasted a well-developed economy and a splendid culture 3,000 years ago. The town is surrounded by water and the streets are paved with crushed granite. Ancient and famous trees, such as ancient locust trees of the Tang Dynasty, the ancient camellia with tens of thousand flowers of the Song Dynasty and Chinese little-leaf box trees of the Ming Dynasty, serve as beautiful backdrop and add radiance and splendor to 60,000 square-meter ancient buildings and 12 historical relics under protection. Among them, the ancient camellia tree grows as high as 11 meters in over 800 years. The Chairman of the International Camellia Society Gregory Davies commented, “Your 800-year-old pine nut camellia tree is indeed a great treasure for the international camellia trees, a World Camellia Cultural Heritage, and the king of artificially cultivated camellia in the world”. Zheng Banqiaos Former Residence and Memorial MuseumThere are two gateways and three skylights in Zheng Banqiaos Former Residence, which is secluded with arches and small studies. The memorial museum has exhibitions like “A brief introduction of and the artistic achievements of Zheng Banqiao”. Zheng Banqiao (16931765), is a major representative of “Eight eccentric painters of Yangzhou” of Qing dynasty. He was a world-renowned calligrapher and painter and litterateur, famous for three specialties “poetry, calligraphy and painting”. His works about orchid and bamboo spread widely in the world and was quite popular among the people. His calligraphy, known as “Liu Fen Ban Calligraphy”, embracing the characteristics of the regular script, the cursive style, the official script of the calligraphy and the seal character, gave a strong impetus to the development of contemporary calligraphy. He once inscribed several famous tablets. Two most often-quoted and widely loved ones were “Where ignorance is bliss, its folly to be wise” and “Suffering a loss is a blessing”.Ancient Gingko Forest Park in TaixingThe gingko is a relict plant before the glacial age, contemporary with the dinosaur. It is called “living fossil” by the academic circle and “longevity tree” by the public. “Where most of gingkoes in the world are in China, most of gingkoes in China are in Taixing”. The average output of gingkoes in Taixing amounts to a third of the national total; the overseas sales volume amounts to 80 percent of the national total, and the yield of gingko nuts contributes to 90 percent of the world total. The provincial-level Ancient Gingko Forest Park in Taixing occupies an area of 9,800 acres (tantamount to 6,533,268 square meters), being the largest concentrated area of ancient gingkoes nationwide. The core area has 13, 800 odd transplanting gingkoes, over 10,000 of which are fruit-hanging trees. There are three thousand-year old ancient gingkoes, 1600 gingkoes more than 200 years old and 3800 odd gingkoes more than 100 years old. FestivalsTaizhou is a marvelous place known for giving birth to great men and endowed with rich resources. Every place has its own rich local culture and customs, and the festivals and celebrating events are popular among both the local people and tourists. The Event of “Striking the Bell to Greet the New Year and Pray for Happiness” in Guangxiao Temple on New Years Eve At the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year every year, Guangxiao Temple in Taizhou holds the event of “Listening to the Bell and Greeting the New Year”, on which tourists can not only participate in the praying ceremony, but also strike the bell to greet the Chinese Lunar New Year with the Buddhist abbot. Time: December 31 of the lunar calendar Venue: Guangxiao Temple Qintong Ship-Gathering Festival With a history of more than 800 years, Qintong Ship-Gathering Festival starts from the second day of Qingming Festival (also called the Pure Brightness Festival, a sacred day of the deceased according to the Chinese calendar) every year, when thousands of ships and tens of thousand of boat people gather together to form a spectacular scene. The National Tourism Administration makes it one of the ten folk festivals in the country. Time: April 6May 6 Venue: Qinhu Scenic Resort, Jiangyan Qinhu Lake Food Festival With aquatic products like crabs captured by bamboo fish-traps, shrimp balls, fish cakes and turtles in the Qinhu Lake as its raw materials, the Eight Delicacy Feast of Qinhu Lake applies the processing techniques of Huaiyang Cuisine to present more than 200 dishes. Many events are held during the Food Festival, such as cooking contests, a week-long delicacy fair, a specialty snack fair and other tourist activities. Venue: Jiangyan Time: Early AprilMay As Jingjiang is an alluvial plain of the Yangtze River, the ancestors of Jingjiang people are migrants from all corners of the country. After hundreds of years integration and innovation, Jingjiang formed a unique culinary culture. It was awarded “Chinas Town of Fresh Vegetables of the River” and “Chinas Town of Steamed Dumplings Filled With Minced Meat and Gravy” by the Association of Chinese Cooking. With a history of over 200 years, steamed dumplings filled with minced crab spawn and gravy, a traditional and famous snack of Jingjiang, is called one of “Chinas Four Major Wheaten Food” together with Goubuli Steamed Dumplings of Tianjin, Nanxiang Small Caged and Steamed Dumplings of Shanghai and Sanding Steamed Dumplings of Yangzhou. Time: Early AprilMay, and November Venue: Jingjiang Ancient-Camellia-Appreciating Festival First planted at the end of the Song Dynasty, the camellia with tens of thousand flowers in the ancient town of Qintong is a peerless treasure with the longest diameter of the base, the tallest body of the tree, the most flowers, the most flourishing growth and the oldest history among the artificially cultivated camellia discovered in the world. During the festival, there are such local folk performances as tale chanting, phoenix singing, lion lamps, kiln labor workers chants and drama in ancient costumes. Time: Early April Venue: The Ancient Town of Qintong Zheng Banqiao Art Festival The first Zheng Banqiao Art Festival was held by Xinghua in 1993, and it has been held every two years ever since. The main activities during the festival include large-scale art performances, cultural seminars on the Water Margin, protection of cultural heritage, promotion of tourist routes and cooking competitions.Time: Late OctoberEarly November Venue: Xinghua Taixing Gingko FestivalTaixing is traditionally known as “Chinas Town of Gingko”. Its specialty “Big Buddhas Finger” gingko seeds are renowned at home and abroad for its thin skin, tender kernel and high nutrition. China (Taixing) Gingko Festival started as a biennial event in Taixing in 2002.Venue: Taixing Time: OctoberNovember Tourism and ShoppingTaizhou has a lot of special local products and handicrafts, which are high-quality goods and best choices for souvenirs and gifts for relatives and friends. Large shopping malls with a floor area of over 30,000 square meters include the Zhongbai No.1 Store, Central International Shopping Center, Gold Eagle Shopping Center and Wenfengqianjiahui. On the well-known pedestrian streets like Pozi Street and Fortune Square, stores stand in great numbers and there is a dazzling array of beautiful commodities. Silk Clothing The silk clothing of Taizhou is made of 100% mulberry silk fabric, with pure material and exquisite workmanship. Major brands include Benxian and Yamixiang. Among them, Benxian silk pajamas were designated as commodities for the use of Diaoyutai State Guesthouse and became important gifts of Party and State leaders in their friendly exchanges with other countries. Taizhou Pickles The soy sauce pickles of Taizhou combine the four traditional features of being fresh, sweet, crisp and tender, and have developed ten major lines of products, including pickles, sauce, soy sauce, vinegar and fermented bean curd. As early as the reign of Emperor Xuantong of the Qing Dynasty, soy sauce pickles branded as Five Fortune of Xinghua received an award in the Southeast Asia Product Trade Fair. “Big Buddhas Finger” Ginkgo SeedsAs the main variety of ginkgo seeds in Taixing, which has such features as big kernel, thin skin, much juice, high kernel rate and storable, the “Big Buddhas Finger” is the only pollution-free ginkgo seeds designated by the 1999 Kunming World Exposition. Huangqiao Sesame Seed CakeHuangqiao baked sesame-seed-coated cakes are divided into two major types, ordinary and sophisticated. The ordinary type includes crispy cakes, square cakes, sesame -seed-coated cakes and triangular cakes. The sophisticated type comprises cakes with such fillings in them as leaf lard and fried pork flakes, leaf lard and sugar, sweet osmanthus, Longhudou, crab spawn, shrimp meat and jujube paste. Jingjiang Dried Meat Dried meat is the most famous specialty of Jingjiang, and many people know of Jingjing because of its dried meat. With fine materials, unique formulas and a dozen of traditional processing procedures, Jingjiang dried meat is paper-thin, square in shape and bright in color like agate and ruby. Jingjiang dried meat has such va