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jinzhou friends

I first came to China in February, 1998. Jinzhou was my "first Chinese home". Jinzhou is situated in Liaoning Province. For those westerners who are clueless about China, Liaoning is in the area known as "DongBei" -Northeast China. For those westerners who are both clueless and still living in the past, this area was once known as Manchuria. Believe me, that past has completely faded away here.

I spent all of 1998 in Jinzhou and made many friends. In 2000, I returned and spent another year and a half here amongst my old friends and many more new friends. You can read a few of my stories about Jinzhou in The Chapters.

After spending a year in beautiful Suzhou, I returned again to Jinzhou in February 2000 and taught there for another three semesters.

Since August, 2001, I am back in Hangzhou teaching at Zhejiang University, one of the Top Five universities in all of China. Still, I miss my Jinzhou friends.

As you may have heard or read, their is an old Chinese proverb which all Chinese know (and even Marco Polo knew) about Suzhou and Hangzhou:

Well, after having lived in both Suzhou and Hangzhou, I can confirm that the proverb is true.
However, neither the author of that proverb, nor Marco Polo, ever lived in Jinzhou.

So I offer Chuck @ China's updated proverb:

Although Jinzhou city is far from "Tian Tang" (Paradise) -too polluted, too dirty- I can assure you that it's people are "Tian Shi" (Angels) - the friendliest and best people I have met in my 4+ years in China.

Here are BUT a few of the pictures of the 天使 (Tian Shi - Angels) in Jinzhou.

meet the angels of jinzhou:
  jz friends 98-99
jz friends 99-00
jz friends 00-01