Three-Day Highlight of Taizhou: Night Tour of Fengcheng River

Taizhou is a small city. Small cities have stories, small cities have benefits. You see, on the morning of October 6, we visited non-stop: Taizhou Peach Garden, Old Street, Mei Garden, and Wanghai Tower. After lunch, we could still return to the hotel for a two- or three-hour nap. The self-service dinner had both hot pot and barbecue. Dozens of fresh ingredients to choose from, and we ate for almost two hours. Full and satisfied, back to the hotel by bus? Not at all.

After satisfying our palate, we also feasted our eyes! Leaving the restaurant, we went to the dock. Our group of 50 filed onto a painted boat for a night tour of Fengcheng River!

The river winds around the city, connecting the scenery; as the boat moves, the views transform. Taizhou was once called "Water Paradise, Night Tour City." Indeed, compared to night tours of Qinhuai River or Hao River, it has a unique scenery. Under the night sky, buildings on both banks are adorned with brilliant lights. The lights reflect on the river, red and green ripples, layer upon layer, circle upon circle, spreading out, spreading out – a sight unseen during the day. Outlined and highlighted by the lights, we could still make out in the night the attractions we had visited that morning: Qingfeng Pavilion, the Stone Boat, and Wanghai Tower...

A night tour of Qinhuai River is unforgettable for the vivid depictions of the "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai" in the lights – they were eight famous courtesans of the Southern Opera on the Qinhuai River in Nanjing during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Tonight's night tour of Fengcheng River, the river is wider. The Stone Boat at Peach Garden not only had lights, but there were also actors on stage – that was Li Xiangjun from "The Peach Blossom Fan"! Although I couldn't make out what she was singing, her dancing was enchanting, dreamlike and ethereal! Li Xiangjun and the "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai" seemed to form a perfect echo! It made one sigh at the rich and profound historical and cultural charm of the regions south and north of the Yangtze River.

As the boat passed under bridges, each bridge, adorned with lights, was more beautiful and charming than seeing them in the daytime! This reminded me of what I saw on a night tour of the Pearl River in Guangzhou. The Pearl River has many bridges – iron bridges, reinforced concrete bridges – magnificent, matching Guangzhou. Today's "small bridges" spanning the Fengcheng River are petite, matching the small city of Taizhou.

Our group of 50 had chartered a painted boat, and everyone was captivated by the night scenery of Fengcheng River. Quietly, we viewed and took photos, no whispering, and certainly no one dozing off, even though we had been rushing through sights all day and were a bit tired!

The boat had a broadcast with a gentle voice, continuously introducing the scenery along the banks: over 30 attractions along the river form a continuous stretch, gathering the characteristic cultures of Taizhou's history, opera, folk customs, commerce, and more.

It narrated the glory of Taizhou: "The prefecture was established in the Southern Tang, and culture flourished in the Northern Song."