Wenzhou Aston

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Wenzhou (‘warm prefecture’) is the economic, political and communication center in the south of Zhejiang Province. Mandarin is widely spoken, but the local dialect is Wenzhounese, which is regarded as one of the most difficult dialects in the country, if not the world.

Due to the cities location, it has become a huge hub for exporting goods. Many Chinese regard Wenzhou as a city for businessmen and women and it’s not unusual to see Ferrari’s, Porches and Audi’s zip through the streets. Despite a large amount of wealth in the city, food, shopping, transportation and other services are inexpensive.

Bordered by rugged mountains and the East China Sea, scenic areas account for 25% of the city’s land space. With short, mild winters and long, hot summers the opportunity to go outside and explore is possible almost any time of the year.

It’s easy to escape the busy city life to go on a day trip to some of the surrounding areas. Transportation is easy and cheap and many of the most beautiful scenic areas are less than an hour away, including Dongtou ‘county of one-hundred islands,’ the Yandang Mountain, Nanxi River and the Baizhangji Fall-Feiyun Lake.

In the heart of the city itself, there’s no shortage of things to see and do. Browse thousands of cheap shopping vendors, visit a temple or pagoda or jump in a bike taxi and create your own site-seeing tour. For those more adventurous, take the five-minute ferry to Jiangxin Island and visit the amusement park where one can go bungee jumping for only $10.

While out walking around, make sure to detour off the main path and check out one of the many parks located in the city. Hills covered in trees block views of towering skyscrapers and the noise of traffic. Many come to these parks to walk around, do tai chi, play mah jong, drink tea or exercise.

This combination of urbanity and scenic beauty provide a unique opportunity to those coming from abroad to work in Wenzhou. Living in the heart of one of China’s major economic hubs, our teachers are able to enjoy nearly all the amenities offered by any Western metropolis while at the same time being within easy reach of numerous scenic locations. Furthermore, Wenzhou’s location makes it an ideal starting point for trips to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Shaoxing, or Xiamen.

Food

One of the top reasons to move to China?

Food is fresh, portions are large and it’s cheap!

Because of Wenzhou’s proximity to the coast, fresh seafood is very popular. It can be found in just about anything: soups, rice, bar-b-q’s and, of course, as it’s own dish.

Not a seafood lover? There are hundreds of other options:

Different varieties of rice and noodle, dumplings, hotpots (pots of hot water and spice containing all sorts of vegetables, noodles, meats and tofu), Muslim eateries, standard Chinese cuisine and street food serving a variety of to-go type quick eats made to order.

Bakeries are very common and shops serving coffee and milk tea are beginning to spring up all over the place.

There are several western food fast food chains and restaurants in the area including: Pizza Hut (which is actually very fancy and serves escargot), Papa Johns, KFC and McDonalds.

Several other restaurants that are popular among the foreign population are:

George’s La Luna Bar and Grill serving Mexican-style food, Naples and Amico’s Italian-style eateries and India Restaurant (serving Indian food). Sushi spots are becoming increasingly popular, as well.

The city has a vibrant nightlife with bars, nightclubs, street vendors and restaurants operating to all hours.

School

Wenzhou Aston is located in the heart of ‘European City,’ surrounded by numerous shops and restaurants, including several western restaurants and a western food store.

Established in 2007, Wenzhou Aston transformed into Wenzhou Aston A+ in 2009. As an Aston A+ school, we use state-of-the-art teaching equipment, including CD-Roms, DVD’s and smart boards.

The school has three classrooms, a computer lab, reception area and office. Currently, there are four Chinese teachers and two foreign teachers, but as students continue to enroll, those numbers are increasing. We pride ourselves on keeping class sizes small, no more than eight students per class, in order to increase classroom participation and provide any necessary one-on-one time with our students.

Apartments

The teacher’s apartment is equipped with all the essentials such as a full size refrigerator, microwave, stove, cooking and eating utensils, furniture and a western toilet.

Located only ten-minutes walking distance to the school, there is no need to worry about transportation costs to and from class. (Although, it’s very cheap to take a taxi or bus to any other part of the city).

Numerous shops and restaurants are also within walking distance from the apartment, including hundreds of Chinese restaurants, a Pizza Hut, Papa Johns, KFC, several coffee shops, a western food store, La Luna (a foreigners bar that serves Mexican-style food) and Trust-Mart (basically Wal-Mart). There is also a gym nearby which not only has standard treadmills and exercise equipment, but also offers classes, such as spinning and yoga.

Resources

"Wenzhou" on Flickr "Wenzhou" on YouTube Our Flickr photos Wenzhou City Guide

Top reasons to pick Wenzhou Aston

• State of the art teaching equipment
• Small class sizes
• Central location
• A mix of the old and new China
• Surrounded by mountains and the sea
• Cleaner air than many other Chinese cities
• Cheap cost of living, offering the opportunity to save plenty of money.
• One of the world’s largest exporters of shoes, handbags and eyeglasses = lots of cheap shopping!
• Yandang Mountain (1 hr), Fuzhou (2 hrs), Hangzhou (3.5 hrs), Shanghai (5 hrs)