Return Of The Blog!

In a world that is literally burning, whose moral fiber appears to be eroding exponentially, living in Xuzhou has been a blessing.  There’s a kind of invisible veil one has by living in a place so physically and culturally distant from the ‘in your face headlines’ back home.  The only things screaming out now are whatever appears in my social feeds.  In other words, I now have more peace and tranquility simply by way of being here.

The Story Thus Far

It's been almost a year to the day since my last post on this blog.  I don’t remember exactly why I stopped at the time.  Maybe I had increasing work pressure, perhaps there was little interest.  One reason for the blog was to keep up appearances, which I kind of did in house for a while then stopped altogether in the second half of last year.. It’s a shame I now have lost access to those short posts.  Nonetheless, I aim to continue writing for writing’s sake and as a pastime I enjoy immensely.  I aim to add some posts from the past 12 months to fill in specific gaps and also write on a regular basis going forward.

New Roads Bring New Views

I’ve been fortunate enough to have traveled extensively over the past year.  I went  to Beijing and Shanghai to retrace some steps, only to find the grass was quite a different shade from ten years prior.  I visited nearby Kaifeng, an ancient cultural city whose heyday was during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).  I also visited Hong Kong for the first time in many years, staying in the Wan Chai area on Hong Kong Island. In July 2025 I went to America for the first time, staying in San Francisco, Silicon Valley and New York.  I switched employers at the start of 2026 and found myself enjoying the vast beaches of the Gold Coast while on a working holiday, before heading to coastal Da Nang and then on to Ho Chi Minh City.  Lastly I enjoyed the sights and sounds of Bondi Beach on a hot summer’s day before jetting back last minute to the chilly confines of Xuzhou and to the most comfortable bed I’ve ever had.

Under The Blossom Tree, Even The Quiet Mind Finds A Mirror

It’s now the start of Week 3 of the new semester and I couldn’t be happier.  I have great classes, am thoroughly enjoying the new curriculum, meeting new expats and discovering new places.  I was asked early on by one of my students how many cities I’d been to in China.  I wasn’t entirely sure, I thought maybe around 20.  I did a proper count over the weekend and discovered it was actually 38 - no mean feat!

Over the past week the weather has got chilly again, akin to a bleak wintry day in Melbourne, although much drier.  However, the blossom trees have started blooming.  Around this time last year there was blossom everywhere - along the main University Road boulevard I live off, across campus, and covering half the little mountain behind my apartment complex.  We’re not quite there yet but within a week or two when the temperature hits the high twenties, (in less than a fortnight it’s meant to be 28, currently it’s 10), the crowds will be out enjoying the vistas and the birds will happily be waking me up from their perch on my bedroom windowsill at 4.30am.  Nonetheless, new friends have been made, cider on tap has been discovered and the enormous portion of chicken fried rice with a side of pickled chopped jalapenos is still delivered to my door within ten minutes of ordering (and is still delicious!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

There's all manner of vehicles on the road in Xuzhou.  It's quite rare to see a traditional pedal bicycle, and the norm to see swarms of electric scooters and larger motorcycles zoom up the bicycle lanes.  Often the electric scooters have coverings and are equipped with a back seat but look extremely fragile.  Others have trailers hooked up to them or look kind of like tractors.  Every now and then I'll see a person in a motorised wheelchair going up the bike lane.  I guess they don't have a choice given the state of or perhaps lack of footpaths in many places.  Some of these wheelchairs are quite dated whereas others look like something Inspector Gadget would be quite proud of.  Still, I do find it quite odd seeing wheelchairs slowly maneouvering along in the middle of the road.  I half expect Benny Hill to leap out of one getting chased by a scantily clad lady...

The Driverless Delivery Truck

Recently, I was out on a walk in the early evening.  I was waiting to cross the main road when all of a sudden I heard a loud repetitive noise from a a vehicle that it was reversing.  I looked around and saw this box on wheels.  It was a medium-sized box and then I realised there were no windows, and no driver - it was simply a box on wheels, waiting to turn.  I stood in awe as it turned into the main road and went on its merry way.  This in fact was the first time I'd encountered a driverless delivery truck.  The devious side of me immediately began to think how to trick it, but then again I'm sure it would be armed with high-powered cameras recording everything all around. It turns out there's another driverless delivery truck making a cameo in the second video below at the 21second mark!

Toy Cars

Most cars tend to be electric and a lot of them are great big SUV beasts with glaring headlights that amount to a horizontal beam covering the width of the front of the car.  On the flipside, there's an abundance of miniature cars that aren't much bigger than the coin-operated toy cars one sees in shopping centres back home.  I often see them parked outside and wonder how on earth anyone could fit inside.  There are curvy ones, square ones, rectangular ones - all look like they belong in a cartoon, yet none of them seem particularly safe!  From my apartment window, I took a few videos of the trafiic driving past and can definitely spot these tiny vehicles!  I would like to own one and decorate it with Viking horns perhaps or some kind of predator vehicle, with loud speakers, and turn up to work.  There's a thought...!

Suzhou, The Venice of China, Day 2

I awoke the next day feeling somewhat tired and a bit chilled from not dressing warmly enough the day before.  I hurried down to reception and at 9.25 asked where breakfast was.  I was rudely informed that it was finished.  I went back to my room, slightly perturbed, and located the hotel directory buried in an obscure drawer of the window bench.  Indeed breakfast was served until 9.30.  Oh well, they must have had their reasons...I spent the next hour and a bit planning today's schedule, going constantly between subway maps and Google Maps and online guides.  I didn't really want to repeat yesterday's 30 km of walking (a new personal record according to my phone's step counter).  My first stop though was food and coffee.  Behind the hotel was a small shopping mall with nothing particularly interesting inside that I could find, but it did have a Starbucks on the side.  A croissant and a cappuccino later, I headed out into the sunshine to face the day.

The Lingering Garden

Situated about 1.5km to the north-west is another one of Suzhou's classical gardens, The Lingering Garden.  Built in 1593 during the Ming Dynasty, it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  I crossed over the bridge then turned left down the tree-lined Liuyuan Road, passing street vendors selling chestnuts and baked sweet potatoes.  Inside the garden were immaculate shrubs in great big stone pots, some of which were in their own little courtyards.  The main feature was a big pond with what looked like a teahouse, and a few pontoons.  Again there were squillions of other tourists all pushing and shoving and posing, and more young women all dressed up in traditional garb.

Milk Tea On The Grand Canal 

Next it was time for a boat ride.  I hurried back to Shantang Street Station and checked out the bustling food market outside.  One particular fried bun store was going gangbusters, with at least 50 people lined up.  I went into the next one and got a spherical fried ball of some bready thing and put it in my pocket, before taking the subway down to Xinshiqiao, along the eastern border of the canal that encircles central Suzhou, and forms part of the Grand Canal.  From here I found the pier (albeit with limited signage where to go) and booked a Grand Canal tour.  Luckily for me, the next one was leaving in 10 minutes, just enough time to eat the bread ball.  It turned out to be a super soft savoury donut filled with some meat, kind of like a Chinese Sloppy Joe donut.  Armed with my ticket and still warm fried bun, I walked past traditional-looking, crimson boats moored along the jetties. I handed my ticket to a grizzled boat captain attendant chap and hopped aboard.  It was a standard tourist boat, with large booths down each side.  After I sat I was shown some Chinese translations on a phone asking if I wanted milk tea or black tea.  I ordered the milk tea, which arrived warm in a bottle with little red beans pooled at the bottom, and accompanied by a chunky straw.  It wasn't unpleasant but it also was no cup of Nespresso.

The boat started moving.  On one side was nondescript buildings and the odd little canal leading off, while on the other was a park with lots of blossoms and other flowering trees.  As we started heading south, I heard some flute music behind me, and then one of female boat attendants, now all dolled up, walked to the front of the boat playing traditional sounding songs.  Another one of the attendants appeared, dancing elegantly, swishing her dress all over the place.  There were hardly any other passengers and it seemed slightly over the top.  This entertainment continued throughout the trip, with various musical instruments, singing and dancing.  We came to a huge moon bridge and then headed back this time going all the way up to the Shantang River.  The entire round trip took about an hour and 20 minutes.  It was interesting if not a nice change of pace but I didn't have my socks blown off and was glad to have my land legs back.

The Humble Administrator's Garden

I next took a train to the Humble Administrator's Garden.  This place was huge, covering 13 acres. Being the largest and most famous classical garden in Suzhou does not go unnoticed, and it remains one of the city's busiest tourist spots.  Inside was pond after pond after pond with many pavilions, little buildings,  winding pathways and endless vistas.  It certainly was one of the most meticulously landscaped gardens I've ever seen and quite impressive.  The usual posers were everywhere taking selfies and trying not to stumble on the uneven paths.  I particularly liked the bonsai garden.  Endless bonsai were positioned next to each other in rows, but unlike little ornamental house ones, these were proper trees, painstakingly cultivated in miniature form.  

Suzhou Industrial Park

I was finally all touristed out and tired of the crowds.  My last goal was to head west to the sprawling Suzhou Industrial Park.  This area was initially swampland on the banks of the Jinji Lake.  In 1994 the Singaporean Government participated in a joint venture with the Chinese Government to transform the area into a residential and industrial haven, with wide streets and new-high-rise apartments.  Apparently this area is now the world's largest producer of laptop computers and has a thriving tech industry and is where most of Suzhou's expat community now live.  I was on a quest of utmost importance. though.  Arriving at Ligongdi West Station, and walking along a beautiful park by an expressway and luxurious apartment buildings, and clear canals, I turned right onto Shuifang Rd and found myself in a beautiful shopping and residential area that might well have been the South Yarra of Suzhou.  The footpaths were nicely paved, everything was orderly, and looked nothing like central Suzhou.  There was a noticeable increase in the name of foreign themed businesses.  

Behind the main street was a series of little side streets in between apartments and another canal, filled with more little shops and restaurants.  I walked in a circle trying to find Euro Mart, a European supermarket.  I stopped and asked a couple of ladies outside a cafe.  One of them rushed with me round the corner to a hairdressing salon, and spoke rapid fire Chinese.  A lady came out and in perfect English asked where I wanted to go then told the first lady.  It turns out I was standing all along with my back to the supermarket, and even more strangely was opposite the cafe (yet my helper hadn't realised - perhaps the English name threw her off).  Nonetheless, I thanked her and went inside into a little foodie paradise whereby I could buy Gouda cheese, proper spaghetti sauce, salami and other essentials.  Finally, cheese was sorted!

Despite the heavy shopping bag, I explored the area a little more.  I crossed over a bridge along the nearby canal, noting that it even had fountains in it.  The area was extremely attractive and I imagined what it would be like actually living and working there.  It certainly was one of the better expat areas I've come across.  Up ahead I saw an expanse of water so went over to take a look and some photos.  Unbeknown to me at the time, I was on the edge of Jinji Lake looking east at a few skyscrapers on the opposite shore.  

HELLO, COUNTRY!

Feeling a bit rundown, I called it a day and headed back to my hotel.  I got off at an exit a bit to the south to look around the nearby pedestrian mall and try and find a bar I'd seen on the map.  As I stood outside looking at my phone, a man came up and shouted at me 'HELLO, COUNTRY'.  Before I could answer he started yelling out the names of countries, again not waiting for an answer. 'America, Germany, Italy'.  I told him in Chinese to wait a minute, then showed him my translation of "why are you going up to a stranger in the street and yelling in their face?  Is there something wrong with you?"   He read the English out loud then seemed lost.  Maybe I was a tad harsh but it had been a long two days and I wasn't in the mood for silliness.  

I again walked the same circuit as the night before, not feeling enthusiastic about the offerings, then got lost trying to find a KFC I'd seen earlier.  I found it in the end, a bit frozen and now clearly under the weather, ordered take away and went back to my room for dinner in style and a hot bath.  My interactions in a way summed up my experiences overall here.  I thought there'd be a much larger foreigner presence than what I'd seen and that people might be accustomed to seeing the odd laowai walking around.  I actually found some locals a bit backward, the endless cigarette smoke, and the inability to ride an escalator properly noticeably stuck out.  I'm glad I visited overall, but feel it's not necessarily a city I'd need to go back to.  I also don't recommend walking 50 km over a two-day period on mostly an empty stomach!