Yang Chen (Growler) in TangXia Town, China

See Pictures of Tangxia Town! 1 - 2 - 3 - 4>

TangXia. A town in China, GuangDong Province, DongGuan City. I was based there for three months in 2004, teaching English.

Yang Chen. A Chinese name where Yang is the surname. It means "do exercises every morning." It was given to me by one of my students and good friend, Liang Yan.

Rawle Austin presents...

TangXia Town – The new face of China

With the backdrop of its stunning success at the recent 2004 Athens Olympic games and the confirmation that a major Chinese firm has bought a controlling stake in British car maker Rover, China is yet again in the spotlight. With the Chinese economy forecast to overtake the UK economy at the end of 2005 and become the world's fifth largest economy, the march to superpower status is clearly visible. And nowhere is this more evident than in GuangDong Province in the south of China.

GuangDong is home to the so-called ‘Workshop of the World’, DongGuan City, which is made up of many towns, and has the world’s highest concentration of factories based there.

One such town is TangXia and it has a branch of the world famous Mission Hills Golf course in its boundaries.

TangXia is typical of many towns in DongGuan City and it is located in the south-east of that city. It hosts a multitude of migrant ‘floating’ workers from all over China looking for jobs in the numerous factories situated all around the town. The Chinese industrial revolution is in full swing. Cantonese (GuangDong hua) is no longer the dominant language in the province. Mandarin (Pu tong hua) is now the standard dialect. And don’t let the word ‘town’ fool you. The population is huge, in the low millions! Evidence of the rapid economic growth in China is everywhere and impossible to miss. The whole area is like one massive construction site and every street has at least one building covered in scaffolding. The scale of the work being undertaken is astounding.

New motorways, schools, shopping complexes, hotels and private housing are springing up by the day and the pace is relentless.

Piles of building materials line many streets giving the impression of untidiness but you get a sense that when all the work is complete, something special will have been created.

Once mere countryside, swathes of land are now being used for development. Surrounding hills are literally being cleaved apart to make way for major roads. The hills that are left, and there are many, form a stunning backdrop when driving on the motorway. The sheer majesty of the natural scenery will leave you breathless.

The sound of constant, beeping vehicle horns is an irritating feature but acceptable while all the building work is being carried out.

In the evenings, the town really comes to life as most of the factory workers have finished their daily shift and are looking to unwind and have fun.

Being part of the ‘Workshop of the World’, roughly 80% of the population work in factories and many staff live in those factories. Long working hours are commonplace and time off is limited.

Determined to improve her English language skills, Irene Cai has come to TangXia Town from neighbouring JiangXi Province, as have many people from all over China.

The pay in this region is considerably higher than most other, less developed provinces. Like a modern day gold rush, people are coming here to seek their fortunes.

Like the previous, centuries old American gold rush, crime is an issue and bag snatching is a particular concern.

The wild, wild West has given way to the wild, wild East. The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well and many trading opportunities are present for exporting goods to most countries. Foreigners (wai guo ren) are a rare sight in the area so staring is commonplace, but it is done with warmth, a smile and an innocent curiosity. Always ready to practice their English, shouts of “Hello” and “How are you?” punctuate the air as you walk the streets.

Eating in the local cafes and restaurants are a joy and the food is simply delicious. One such place is the La Mian Guan where the style of food originates from Qinghai Province in the west of China.

The friendly atmosphere is everywhere and the common greeting “Chi le fan mei you?” (Have you eaten?) is testament to the ever present, strong community spirit.

Being here during the Athens Olympic Games you could feel the national pride everywhere due to China’s well-earned success and people are now eagerly awaiting the Beijing 2008 Games.

TangXia Town retains its identity, character and charm and is a great place to see the ‘real China’ in action as opposed to the traditional tourist spots. TangXia is waiting for the world!

Other places visited being, Shenzhen City and Hubei Province. Located in Hubei are Wuhan City and The Three Gorges dam on the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang in Chinese).

See the Official TangXia Town website here>

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