My extraordinary life in China has begun over 4 years ago and it is continuing as we speak. I have taught English and French to Chinese undergraduates in the ancient, charming town of Shaoxing, (home of the famous Zhejiang writer, Lu Xun) at Yuexiu University of Foreign Languages for my first two years in China. I loved teaching in Shaoxing and enjoy going back to that special town as often as I can. Shaoxing is replete with many inland waterways and canals which add a lot of scenic beauty to the 2,500 year old town. I met many foreign teachers at the university and thankfully some of them are still there teaching either at Yuexiu or at other teaching centers in Shaoxing and Keqiao, the ancient silk town to the West. One of my main free-time activities in Shaoxing was to climb the old Shan Lu Feng mountain just 10 minutes by push bike from where I lived on campus at Yuexiu. I thoroughly enjoyed climbing up to the top of Shan Lu Feng where there exists a flourishing Buddhist monastery which welcomes visitors openly. The view from the peak is panoramic, and you can see the center of the town of Shaoxing, as well as the mountains towards the port city of Ningbo to the East.
Since living in Shaoxing, I have lived and taught English at high schools in Hangzhou (including the famous "Number 2 High School" in Hangzhou, the town with the amazing West Lake ("Xihu") where I met the assistant curator of the West Lake Museum, Mr. Liu, who treated me to many sumptuous meals around the lake, and took me to Tangxi, and Zhuji, the town where one of the four beauties of ancient China, Xi Shi, was born. I cherish a red football shirt he gave me when he invited me to a weekend 40th year reunion of his college contemporaries in Zhuji, where I went to the Xi Shi museum and sang at a karaoke event after the meal. What wonderful experiences Mr. Liu gave me!! He was responsible for the administration and upkeep of a big hill in Hangzhou, called Wuhan Hill, and took me up there to see the beautiful Hangzhou skyline from the citadel atop the imposing hill. In the 13th century, Marco Polo allegedly called Hangzhou "The most magnificent city in the world".
