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Anji shows another side of China to visiting students
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FOR the scores of foreign students who descend upon Shanghai’s universities every year to study Chinese, the city’s urban jungle offers a seemingly endless stream of opportunities for exploration and cross-cultural discovery.
One group of overseas students recently expanded its horizons even further on a trip to Anji County in east China’s Zhejiang Province, an area known for its tranquil bamboo forests and striking natural features.
Over 500 foreign students from over 100 countries and regions spent two days in the area as part of a trip organized by Tongji University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Located about three and a half hours by car from Shanghai, Anji is perhaps best known as the filming location of one of the gravity-defying sword-fight scenes in Ang Lee’s film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”
“There are around 60,000 foreign students in Shanghai,” said Sun Yixue, deputy dean of Tongji University’s International School. “They need not only classes in the Chinese language but also cultural experience.”
Like many schools that welcome foreign students, Tongji and Jiao Tong universities arrange outings to destinations outside of Shanghai every semester. This time around, the Anji Tourism Commission helped support the excursion.
“Given how close we are to Shanghai, this makes promoting our tourism resources internationally much easier,” said Zhu Yi, the commission’s deputy director.
Today, Shanghai Daily introduces some of the sights seen by these students.
Grand Bamboo Sea
The name offers a hint as to the size of this bamboo-shrouded oasis.
Dozens of varieties of bamboo cover this 60-square-kilometer expanse. When the wind kicks up, millions of flexible bamboo trees bend and sway in the breeze like a sea of green waves. For this reason, it’s best to visit during windy days. But even when conditions are still, strolling amid the lofty bamboo trees instills a sense of isolation that belies the area’s closeness to Shanghai.
Other fun things to do include being carried in a sedan chair, touring the area in a cart pulled by an oxen or descending a zip line.
Crafting lessons are also offered on how to weave straw into the shape of insects or birds.
Admission into the Grand Bamboo Sea Park is 45 yuan (US$7.25) per person.
Before entering, it might be a good idea to stop by the restaurant at the front gate to enjoy some local specialties. Although the menu is extensive, bamboo shoots are, of course, a must-try.
Hidden Dragon Hundred Falls
This 60-plus-meter waterfall is the tallest of its kind in Zhejiang Province. As its name implies, dozens of smaller falls came together to form the waterfall’s main body.
Around the waterfall are a series of large, peculiar stones, many of which have special names based on their appearance — for instance, one rock jutting out of the rushing water is called “the turtle” for its seemingly reptilian features.
Many say the waterfall is best visited in summer, when its cooling waters offer the most relief against the season’s scorching temperatures. Winter is also an enjoyable time to visit, when the entire waterfall is frozen in place by a husk of countless icicles.
Moved by the beauty of Anji, professor Sun Yixue of Tongji University composed the following verses in the style of the ancient Chinese poets. His idylls are thusly translated:
Anji’s Waterfall in Bamboo Forests
Down from the sky a mighty waterfall is snaking,
Mountains green, it splashes.
In bamboo rows of dragons lurk,
Muting all beasts from howling;
On the cliff, tiny grasses are smiling,
Embracing rays of sunshine;
Into the stream converges water dripping,
To know its falling depth;
Mountains gazed upon from afar,
Oh, listen, chirping, chirping, chirping;
Is mist the trace of man’s haze?
In winter snow we are praying,
Clad in jade whitening,
Spring bamboo shoots favoring,
Silencing men of letters.
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