Mianyang Aston

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Mianyang is Sichuan’s second biggest city district (population 5.3 million) and lies in the northwest of the Sichuan basin. Recently Mianyang was voted China’s 3rd most livable city in China after Dalian and Xiamen (source: China Daily newspaper) Mianyang locals are understandably proud of their exceptionally clean, beautiful, modern, pollution free city.

Mianyang’s history stretches back to the time of the first emperor of the Han Dynasty, around 200BC. Mianyang County was the birthplace of China’s most famous Tang dynasty poet Lee Bai.

The city currently hosts the headquarters and research facilities of some of China’s largest technology corporate giants (Changhong and Jiuzhou) and thus the population has a relatively large contingent of highly educated people working as engineering and electronic specialists.

Mianyang has all the conveniences you would come to expect from a modern Chinese city with major western brands readily available. The entire of Sichuan province is famous for having a relaxed way of life and good nightlife; and Mianyang is no exception to this rule. Al-fresco dining or drinking is the norm here especially in the spring and summer evenings. There are plenty of bars and clubs available for those who want them. A local highlight would be the Flags bar run by a friendly British expat which boasts a very impressive selection of foreign beers and wines.

Summers are hot while winters are mild here. High winds or heavy rain are quite rare in Mianyang. The city has three rivers (known in Chinese as the Anchanghe, Fujiang and Furongxi rivers) small boat tours are available as well as floating restaurants.

Within an hour or two’s travelling distance from the city are numerous temples, mountains and scenic/historical sights. A mere two hour train/bus journey will take you to Chengdu (Sichuan’s capital) and an over night train journey can be made to the historical city of Xian.

As for the food, Mianyang being in Sichuan province is of course home to probably the most famous school of Chinese cooking “Sichuan cuisine”. However all the major schools of Chinese food can be found here, as well as authentic Korean and Japanese style food.

School

The school is situated on the second floor (first floor for Brits) above a quaint Chinese antiques market. The school overlooks Tieniu Square, a large open area which has impressive fountain displays in the evening; the square overlooks the Fujiang River and has an excellent scenic view over a long stretch of the river as well as the eastern side of the city.

Within 1 minute walking distance from the school is Grandma’s Kitchen, a famous chain of western food restaurants, which provides authentic western food at reasonable prices if you tire of eating out Chinese style. As Mianyang Aston is one of the newer schools opened by Aston, the look of the school is consummate with the ever rising standards of our company and thus the décor and feel of the school are extremely modern. We have a lounge area with comfortable sofas and flat screen TV and our classrooms are themed around the different native English speaking countries of the world. There is a spacious, friendly teacher’s lounge with internet connection, microwave oven, lockers and conference table for meetings, lesson planning, eating and just hanging out.

Apartments

Mianyang Aston currently provides a comfortable two bedroom apartment located at the center of town close to the main park and within a few minutes walk of the main pedestrian shopping area (also about 10 minutes walk from the school). The apartment is on the 5th floor of a small housing community overlooking the Fujiang River. Both bedrooms have air conditioning; there is cable television and broadband internet access, as well as all the other standard modern conveniences and utensils guaranteed to be provided by all Aston school foreign teacher contracts.

 

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Teacher Testimonial

Teaching at Aston has been a wonderful experience . Chinese children are just so adorable and eager to learn that teaching has been really rewarding. This is not to say that i haven't had some "China moments". Coming in to land at the city i was teaching was scary, with thoughts like what am I going to do if there is no one here to meet me going through my head. Getting lost in hainan for five hours without a cell phone or money on me was another.

Describing the difficult times however is the easy thing the difficulty is describing all the warm and touching moments. The student who was not doing well and you manage to break through and watch them bloom.The hundreds and hundreds of people in restaurants and shopping centres that have walked up to me and in broken English managed to utter the words "welcome to China".

The little child who at the end of the Semester wrote a thoughtful note of thanks.The security guard who thoughtfully took the time to learn the words good morning and good afternoon........The list is endless. China and the warmth of the Chinese people will live with me forever.

Howard, 2010

Resources

"Mianyang" on Flickr "Mianyang" on YouTube "Mianyang" on Picasa Mianyang City Guide

Top reasons to pick Mianyang Aston

• Mianyang’s premier English Training School.
• Downtown location.
• A state-of-the-art school design.
• A population of 500,000.
• A delicious blend of Sichuan cuisines.
• Cheap cost of living
• Our proximity to the Chengdu Aston Schools enables us to be a part of their on-going training and development that provides excellent practical advice and support to our teaching staff.
• Downtown Chendgu is less than 2 hours away, with buses leaving every 30 minutes.
• Chengdu (1.5hrs) Wolong (2hrs)