Garden Expo 2023 in Cangzhou

We have been living in Cangzhou for a week and a half now, but we have not yet gone on any sightseeing tours. Organizing and working on the new apartment is keeping us from doing that (I may share some anecdotes about it after my trip to China). Finally, we have some time left, and we want to make use of it. The first destination is the Garden Expo 2023. We take the bus to the north of the city. There, old industry meets historical grounds along the Imperial Canal, which have been transformed into a large garden complex. Numerous themed gardens have been created around a lake, primarily from the region, but also from other areas of the country. The garden styles include pathways integrated with ponds, bridges, and sculptures. Particularly in pavilion architecture, using different materials and colors, one can observe many regional cultural peculiarities. The gardens also have a design theme, such as the Tangshan Garden, which, on 7000 m², dedicates itself to the motto “窗前影.万象新” (“Shadows before the window. Everything is new.”). The Baoding Garden carries out the motto “街市院落、园林.水岸” (“Market courtyards. Gardens. Riverbanks.”) over the same area size. And it continues like this. For us, the visit is limited to selected themed gardens, as one can become overwhelmed by the impressions. The old technical constructions and boats from the canal culture are particularly interesting. The many pavilions and flowers provide beautiful photo opportunities, but a large fertilizer factory in the background to the east of the expo area disrupts the view. However, it serves as a reminder that Cangzhou is indeed an industrial city and not just a royal retreat of the imperial families. Also noticeable are the many play areas for children, which make the site a great family outing destination.
At the end of the lake, an exhibition building has been constructed in the old Chinese style, where the history of Cangzhou is highlighted in two exhibition halls. The explanations are only in Chinese, which means I will have some translation work to do and will address this on my website lioncity.mozello.de at a later time. In any case, I myself am one of the objects at the expo that sparks conversation. I often hear “Waiguoren” in the conversations around me, which means “foreigner,” and children come running and stare at me as an exotic being. This includes a funny episode during dinner with friends of my wife's sister. A little girl stared at me for a long time and kept touching her nose. Perhaps she fervently hoped that her nose wouldn't grow as big as the nose of that long-nosed foreigner. 😀