Ten-Li Long Street

There is a place a block away from where I work and it’s literally made of traditional homes from the era of Eastern Han Dynasty.

For those of us who aren’t history buffs….

That means it’s more than 2000 years old!!!!!

This community of traditional homes are sooooooo old and part of the Taizhou City Culture, that the buildings and the people who live here are protected and can never be evicted nor torn down. Ever.  This is the Ten-Li Long Street.

Apple, Caroline, Greta, and I, took a walk down this part of town the other day. I was just blown away with the state of the homes. Not only were they well preserved but there are no windows nor doors on the first floor. 

The way they open and close their homes is by using the wooden board of the wall of their home and moving it to the side to go in or out. This is can also work as a window.

On the second story each home there are were tiny glass windows that once used to be made of a thick paper or fabric (which was expensive back in the day, so mostly paper). You feel transported back in time. If it weren’t for the modern clothes people wore and the motorcyclist that occasionally would pass us by, I could have been smack dab in the middle of everyday life in ancient China. We saw people selling seeds, drinks, food, and other supplies right in their homes. People use their homes as tiny little shops.

There were little old ladies who would just gather by their houses and sit and chat and watch people who passed by. (No doubt talking smack and other juicy gossip.) When I passed by, old ladies look at me and instantly start talking in loud excited voices among themselves. One of the ladies said something to me with a big smile and my coworker Caroline, translated for me. She told me I looked strong. I'm sure that's not exactly what she said, but I'll take the compliment.

The further away from the main buildings, the more commercial the community gets. There is even a temple hidden away and in front of it there is a large plaza where community plays and local opera takes place. A few feet away from that are more store with all sorts of Chinese costumes for plays and other theatrical thingamajigs. There are stores of old traditional and handmade instruments like the Erhu, or the Pipa, or Guzheng. I even got to witness a live performance of a man testing out the instrument he had just made! You can see the bow is still not finished being stung up.

I tasted my very first Chestnuts, roasted right in front of us and still piping hot! I can safely say I’m not a big fan. They tasted like drier version of steamed lima beans.

This concludes my cool trip down history lane. And the best part is that this community is 2 minutes away from my work or 16 minutes away from my house! Until next time! 

Zai Jian!