After retirement, i had a little hobby with the old man, and i stopped traveling and changed it to “slow and careful”. We've lived in chengdu's old yard, suzhou alley, and we've had tea downstairs in spring county. This time, we picked a place that didn't sound like that。
To tell you the truth, at first we had a drum in our hearts: isn't this a “world factory”? Is it a habit? But for a month, i have to say the right thing: toshio is an undervalued treasure town, unlike elsewhere。
The bottom color of the city: green and quiet
We live in a small area on the edge of pine hill lake, which is out of the window, with wind and sweet air. I didn't think this would happen in the suburbs, but the city was so green, the trees were on the road, the park was on the corner, just like the one next to us called the sand ecopark, and it's not too small, and it's called the worms, the morning exercise, the walking, the fishing。
This place is not just “green”, but it is “reasonable”. Unlike some cities, parks exist, but they're far too far. These green fields are “plugged” in life and can enter the park after breakfast in the morning and with shoes. What we love most is the green road of lake pine hill, which is a circle of more than 10 kilometres down, cycling, walking, sun tanning, with few people and no hearts。
My companion is most satisfied with the climate. Although it is hot in guangdong, the humidity and wind are just as good, with no air conditioning at night and a window to sleep. The air is good, it's not haze-free, it's been here for a while and it hasn't had an asthma attack. For a man of our age, it's more comfortable than any ticket。
It's the ideal way to retire without rushing
East qing and shenzhen in guangzhou are separated, but the rhythm is completely different. It's like a city that's “soft” with time, and can do anything。
We live on the side of the thick street, and there's nothing wrong with living conditions, just supermarkets, vegetable markets, pharmacies and public transport. We go to breakfast tea every morning, a few bucks a cup of snack, and we don't lose guangzhou. Most of the people in the teahouse are in the neighborhood, there are chess players, there are chats, and the waiters know regular customers and walk in like they're in their own yard。
In the afternoon, we went to the town cultural station to listen to the opera or to participate in community-based activities for the elderly. The culture of the towns in the east is particularly evident, with each town having its own rhythm and taste, such as the seafood of the tiger gate, the industrial landscape of peace, and the life of the thick streets. Unlike some cities, it's like it's made out of dozens of small cities, and every corner has a different taste。
Moreover, people here are friendly to outsiders. We went to the hospital to see a minor problem, the doctors and nurses were patient; the bus didn't know the route, and the driver warned. The “slow” rhythm, with few people and no hurry, is not lazy but orderly。
A bowl of powder, a cup of tea, and the taste of toshiya
It's delicious. It's a little hard for both of us. We came from the north and were afraid of eating it, but i didn't know that this place had a thoroughfare and a lot of blending. The point is that raw materials are fresh, fresh and fresh, and more comfortable。
The most famous, of course, is early tea. Two pieces, shrimp dumplings, phoenix claws, fork buns, although regular, are “screw-to-sale” in the teahouse, with thin feet, and the waiter will recommend the new snacks of the day. Our favorite is a small teahouse in changan town, where half of the old cantonese people watch and drink tea, and half of the “dwelling elderly” like us, who are particularly warm。
At night we go to the night market. The dragon's swans, sardines' fishballs, sugar on manjiang's side, not expensive, but a surprise. There's also the local sauna, the fragrance of rice, and it's full of oxen or pork. Toshio's diet is not a pompous “cart food”, but a “life taste” that can be eaten every day and not stale。
And one thing that touched me was that one time we got lost, the sister who sold tofu by the road dropped the shovel and took us two blocks. She said, "you're from out of town. You have to feel like you're not indifferent." that bowl of tofu, i tasted human。
"cultural bones" in the city: it's more than a factory
To be honest, our initial impression of dong zheng was that there were “many factories and many workers”. It is not until it is discovered that the place is culturally and that it is “hidden in the corner, unpaved”。
We went to koshien, one of the four great gardens of chiang dynasty, but the layout was delicate and far-reaching, and every detail was examined. There are also book and art exhibitions, performances, and free of charge to the public. We were there listening to an old solo, sitting on the side of a fake mountain, the sun passed through the shadows, and we thought we were back to old times。
There's tiger gate. It's a historical landmark. We visited the opium war museum and the far-flung cannon, looking at the heavy monuments of history, and it was very uncomfortable. But these are the places where we feel that toshio is not a “cultural desert”, but a city with deep historical memory under the industrial shell。
Even more unexpectedly, the libraries, museums and palaces of culture are scattered throughout the towns, with no ticket collections and extensive activities. We also took part in a community workshop on paper cutting, where teachers, who were retired local teachers, spoke carefully, patiently and talked to us about local customs, were more vivid than guides。
It's the real "neighborhood" that spends less money and does well
I've lived in a lot of cities, and the best thing i can feel is that it's too high. Rental housing is affordable and not costly, but urban services are not reduced。
We rent a 90-square two-bedroom with elevators and a small balcony, less than 3,000 a month. On the same condition, shenzhen, guangzhou, has to double. Food, transportation and medical care are not expensive, and older persons run bus cards, which are basically free of charge. Community hospitals are numerous and easily registered, and doctors are not available。
Transportation is also easy. Town tracks, subways, public transport, no trouble going anywhere. We took a train to hueyzhou, and we could do it the day we got back. Toshio is not the kind of city that "lives by car" and you can live on your legs and bus。
More importantly, it's inclusive. I don't care if you're from the north, from the south, or from the south
Accept you. This “settling” is not based on policy, but on daily dripping。
End: a place that really fits, not the bottom
A month is not a long time, but enough to see the “man-made” and “subsidiary” of a city. Toshio, it's good, it's live, not filmed。
Unlike hangzhou, it's not too refined, nor is it too “sweetly” like xiamen, it's more like an older middle-aged man — with life, efficiency, bottom line, temperature. For retired couples like us, there is no “necessary card”, but there is a “sustainable” comfort。
If you ask me, where is dong-joon? I'd say it's the real and easy part of "making people live." not every city can do that, but it's natural. Stay, you know。
