Aussie guests enjoy Taizhou city's culture, beauty

Over 30 teachers, students and staff from Coomera Angelina College in Australia on Sept 20 traveled to Taizhou city, East China's Jiangsu province, on an educational excursion.

There, they experienced traditional Chinese culture and appreciated the city's beautiful ecosystem and environment.

At the Taizhou Museum, the guests saw displays of garments unearthed from the tombs of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in Taizhou. Nearly a hundred pieces of clothing for officials, women with titles, scholars and common people showcased the attire and style of literati and commoners at the time.

They also made sachets filled with herbal medicine, which were exquisite and can be used as a sleep aid and mosquito repellent.

Shen Yucheng, originally from Kunming city in Yunnan province and grew up in Australia, said he experienced embroidery for the first time and learned about the profound and long-standing history and culture of Taizhou.

In the afternoon, the guests visited the Mei Lanfang Memorial Hall, where they watched Mei Lanfang's classic play The Drunken Concubine, performed by 72-year-old Peking Opera enthusiast Feng Ling.

Many Australian students went on stage to try on the costumes and try drawing Peking Opera face makeup to experience the unique charm of the art form.

"I really like Chinese culture. I have heard my teacher explaining Peking Opera knowledge in class before," said student Gemma White. "Today, I saw a live performance and experienced its movements, which was very cool," she added.

The guests also went to the Xinghua Lizhong Water Forest to appreciate the beauty of over 100,000 metasequoia trees.

Australian students try on Peking Opera costumes and learn basic movements and gestures. [Photo/WeChat account: tztour]