Working and living in Liuzhou
January – April 2006
The story…
In 2006, I taught ESL (English as a Second language) at a college in Liuzhou, Guangxi province, China for a 4 month period.
I originally left South Africa in June of 2003 to go and teach ESL in Taiwan. I stayed for 18 months in Taiwan and then decided to experience mainland China too.
I stayed a period of 19 months in China, mainly working for one company called Delter-Telford International Business Institute. I was fortunate to move around China with them, staying and teaching in 4 different provinces: Nanjing, Wuhu (Anhui), Liuzhou (Guangxi) and lastly Shanghai.
In Liuzhou, Delter-Telford arranged for the teachers to stay on the Railway college campus in apartments, literally right next to the teaching block.
I had wonderful colleagues and fellow adventurers. We bought bicycles and cycled in and around Liuzhou to explore rural China.
I also used this as a base to travel to other scenic spots in Guangxi province, such as Nanning, Guilin, Yangshuo, and the Longji rice terraces.
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Fruit and veg vendor - Liuzhou (2006)
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About China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a unitary sovereign state in East Asia. It’s the world's most populous country, with a population of over 1.381 billion. The state is governed by the Communist Party of China and its capital is Beijing.
It exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four direct-controlled municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing) and two mostly self-governing special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macau). It also claims sovereignty over Taiwan.
It covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometers. China is the world's second-largest state by land area and either the third - or fourth-largest by total area, depending on the method of measurement.
China has a vast and diverse landscape, ranging from the Gobi and Taklimakan Deserts in the arid north to subtropical forests in the wetter south. The Himalaya, Karakoram, Pamir, and Tian Shan mountain ranges separate China from much of South and Central Asia.
The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, the third- and sixth-longest in the world, respectively, run from the Tibetan Plateau to the densely populated eastern seaboard. China's coastline along the Pacific Ocean is 14,500 kilometers long (Wikipedia).
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| Rice paddies near Liuzhou |
About Liuzhou
Liuzhou has a history of more than 2,100 years. The city was founded in 111 B.C. Liuzhou is a prefecture-level city in north-central Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, of the People's Republic of China.
The prefecture's population was 3,758,700 in 2010, including 1,436,599 in the built-up area made of 4 urban districts. Its total area is 18,777 km2 and 667 km2 for built-up area.
Liuzhou is located on the banks of the winding Liu River, approximately 255 km from Nanning, the regional capital.
Swimming in the river is a tradition of the city. The river is normally green, but sometimes in summer, floods from the mountain areas upstream bring sediment which colors the water yellow.
Liuzhou's population is made up of around 30 different ethnic groups. As in China as a whole, the majority are Han Chinese. However, around 40% of the population is made up of various minority groups, with the Zhuang minority being the largest (Wikipedia).
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On top of Ma-An Shan (Horse Saddle mountain), with a beautiful view of Liuzhou city down below
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Teaching in Liuzhou
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| Teaching and admin staff - Delter Telfort |
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| On the left our apartments, on the right the teaching block |
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| Railway College campus where Delter Telford was located |
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| Teens we taught on Sundays |
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| Students attending English club |
Exploring Liuzhou City
Liu River & Bridges
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| Hong Guang bridge crossing the Liu river - Liuzhou |
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The Fumie Bridge crossing the Liu River into downtown central Liuzhou
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| The area adjacent to Liu River - Liuzhou |
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The Fumie Bridge crossing the Liu River into downtown central Liuzhou
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| Locals washing clothes in the Liu River |
Downtown Liuzhou
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| Downtown Liuzhou |
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| Downtown Liuzhou |
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| Downtown Liuzhou |
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| A remnant of the Communist-era - wall painting, Liuzhou |
Accommodation
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| Downtown Liuzhou |
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| Liuzhou street scenery |
Transportation
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| Moving 'truck' - Chinese style |
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| Overload |
Informal business & street markets
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| Fruit and Veg stall at a market in He Ping Road - Liuzhou |
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| Skinning a chicken |
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| Fish for sale - Liuzhou market |
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| Tailor - Liuzhou |
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| Street barber - Liuzhou |
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| Small community supermarket - Liuzhou |
Living near the train tracks - Liuzhou poverty
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| 'A train track runs through it' - Liuzhou |
Liuzhou parks & retreats
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| Walking trail - Pan Long Mountain Park |
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| Taking pics in Liuzhou park |
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Cable car taking one up to Yufeng Park...
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| On top of Yushan overlooking Liuzhou |
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| View of Liuzhou from Yushan |
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| On Yu-shan hill with Conchi |
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| Conchi with Chinese kids who were eager to engage |
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| View of Yuoshanhu scenic area from a hill |
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| Fishing - Dule Park |
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| At Dule Park |
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| At a garden coffee-shop overlooking a lake - Also had a gym I sometimes used |
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Climbing steps up a hill in Liuzhou
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Liuzhou cuisine
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| Street food - Liuzhou |
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| Enjoying the local cuisine - Liuzhou |
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| Liuzhou special - Hot soupy noodles (My own translation) |
Sidewalk Street food restaurants
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| Street food - He Ping Rd, Liuzhou |
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| Street food - He Ping Rd, near my apartment |
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| Street restaurant - Liuzhou |
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| On the road with the Liuzhou Cycling club - Well-deserved hot lunch on a cold rainy day |
Agriculture
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| Farm with vegetable crops - Rural Liuzhou |
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| Strawberry fields - Rural Liuzhou |
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| Rice paddies in rural Liuzhou, Guangxi province |
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| Rice paddy laborer |
Exploring Liuzhou by bike
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| Exploring rural Liuzhou by bike |
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| The day we bought our bikes (Giant) in Liuzhou |
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| At Queshan park - Liuzhou |
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| Farmland - Rural Liuzhou |
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| Conchi with Chinese kids who were eager to engage |
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| Hand water pump - rural Liuzhou |
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| Cycling with Ron |
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| Flat tire - fortunately, a Chinese guy helped to fix |
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| More exploration around the outskirts of Liuzhou |
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| Everything can fit onto a Chinese bike |
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| Street food - Liuzhou |
Cycling in rural Guangxi with the Liuzhou Cycling Club
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| Workers working in a rice paddy - Rural Guangxi |
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Water buffaloes are used to plow rice paddies
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| Bull cart - Rural Guangxi |
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| With members of the Liuzhou Cycling Club |
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| Rice paddies - Rural Guangxi |
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| Posing with locals - Liuzhou |
After 4 months in Liuzhou, I moved to Shanghai where I had a very different experience and adventure... To read more on my Shanghai adventure click here.
