BEST CHINESE FISH-WENLING STYLE

It is one instant that I never complained eating too much fish. And not just fish, but the best fresh fish I have eaten.

Travel Wenling City and although it maybe as small as it sounds, this is a unique adventure of the other side of China especially for Expats who majorly settle in Big cities like Beijing and Shanghai.

There is more than just what we know about this country. A lot to be learned and a lot to be seen in the process.

I had never thought I would have a chance to visit this part of the country (because China is Huge anyways) but when I got one I grabbed it and was never disappointed.

A four day trip that first landed me and my other trip mates one from Moldova at the Taizhou airport. After that me and my trip mates would check in the Wenling hotel and have lunch and what was to follow was nothing but remarkable.

First stop, the Square Mountain. Now you have to understand that this is a unique mountain that stands out from the rest. The Square mountain is located in the  municipal region of Taizhou.

From afar this table mountain conspicuously stands out from the rest as this is a very mountainous area with lots of many small mountains in the surrounding. and looking closely parts of it are in the shapes of a lion, in a different angle you can see the shape of an Elephant and many other images. You can actually see as many as you can depending on how creative you are. But the ones I mentioned above are the most obvious ones.

To go up, the climbing is easily done on the side entrance which leads into concave arc-shaped meandering cliffs, which start about 1000 meters high from the normal ground surface.

The mountain has been compared to the table mountain in South Africa whose top shape is flat like a table having a leveled ground in the shape of a square table.

This mountain is great for hiking with steps to elevate you to the top of the flat surface above as it offers a countless steps of hiking paths up the cliffs. From the top the view is spectacular and you are able to enjoy a good view of the east China sea which stretches about 80000 square kilometers.

This mountain has also quickly become the symbol of this small coastal city attracting many curious visitors from around the world.

A small tower has been built on the top of the mountain for those who would wish to even see further and a Buddhist temple has been constructed here for those who wish to offer prayers after their tour of this mountain.

And this is a unique experience that the journey up and back down the mountain will definitely go down your personal history books as being amazing and unforgettable.

The second day of our trip would take us to the Sunshine/Sunrise pack. Here the first ray of the sun of the new millennium was witnessed. Although we arrived here in the mid morning way after sunrise, it was still worth the climb. A monument stands stall here besides an incredible view of the sea. I must say the space here gives you a perfect view and for the more fashionable ones, well, it would provide a fantastic background for some great personal photos for your memory. A planetarium built here also tells you the history of the Chinese astronauts and you get to understand this science and how and when they traveled in space amongst a host of many other things Chinese culture.

It already sounds like a lot already, but believe me you aren’t finished just as yet. Wait until you walk through the historic stone houses that have been standing here for decades and some even for centuries. The community here is a fishing community thus the title of my report. Here all you can smell eat is the fish aroma from all sides. If protein could be transfused in my system without having to gut it down my throat then I would be very rich in protein. It is annoying for the first few hours when you start smelling it but then again I suppose your nose gets used to it and you forget all about it. However there is a constant reminder that：Fish fish fish is very very available whenever you are hungry. Every where you go all types of fish and its just your choice to make a selection. For the first time I saw and ate different kinds of sea animals that otherwise I had only seen them in books while studying at school or seen them on the national Geographic television when they are airing sea life programmes.

The community living in these stone houses is very welcoming and many of them are mostly women and young children running around. The men are a rare encounter because they are out fishing to provide for the families. But all the same you will still meet them by the Sea

So as the fish gives you the energy to keep cruising through other parts of the city. There is still more you have to encounter you should remember. Use your energy sparingly.

Talk of the man made Chang yu caves providing very entertaining sceneries giving the history of the mining activities in the area. Here you get a chance to go inside caves that would perhaps scare you if you are Speluncaphobic like me. But then once you get in there you get distracted by the beauty and structures inside that occupy your imagination. For sure this is truly amazing especially when you also get a taste of music from performers staging and playing traditional Chinese melodies the best way they know how. Very attractive I should say. And besides there is a pleasant surprise here for Panda lovers because if you think you are done with the very cavy historical view there is still the panda park with 3 huge handsome panda that you will love to watch being fed and some sleeping.

By the time our last day of the trip came, I was already very tired but still wanted to see more of this unique cultural city that if I compared it to any other part of the world I have been to it would be the Lamu town in Kenya. Lots of similarities in lifestyle and the embracing of cultural values

It’s a n up coming city that is worth a visit if you wanna have a true adventure in China.

 

Written by Nillah Nyakoa.

Journalist China.