Most Chinese people I have encountered seem to get the best from me.

Last Wednesday - Aug 3 - in the early AM, I picked up on a post in Danwei.com about a call for laowei to participate, all expenses paid, in a Photo Festival taking place in Tengzhou, Shandong, next to Lake Weishan.
 After checking this out in my trusty Lonely Planet Chinapedia, I found zip there about either Tengzhou or about Lake Weishan. But I know now that is not too surprising because few Chinese not from southern Shandong know anything about either the city or the lake.

And then my wife pooh-pooed me saying “”Go on, it’s too early to call that Beijing number!”  But I persisted and got her, because she is Chinese, to complete the call. Eight days later I can say without hesitation that I am very happy that she made that call to Chen Jian, as suggested by Danwei.com.

Yesterday, and about 24 hours late because of ferry interruption due to Taifeng Masta, I got back from a four day stay in Tengzhou for the 2005 Yintai International Lotus Photography Festival from Aug 4 till Aug 7.
 My bottom line here is that just about everybody I met and worked with during that time got the best out of me and I got a great China experience at minimum cost to me.

There was plenty of good food to eat, good drink and they gave me about 200 glossy prints (7X5) of different scenes in and around Tengzhou that I photographed.  

Best of all I met some of the nicest Chinese women I have known since arriving in Dalian 10 months ago. BTW I met my wife, who is the light and love of my life in Vancouver many months before I came to China.

I also met 4 interesting and amusing laowai, including a Shuchat from Montreal, Canada and a “beautiful American”. So thanks for the post and great tip Danwei!
 
Since there were 55some Chinese expert photographers from Beijing, Ji’nan and Tengzhou involved in the event, I felt that I was one of the most photographed personas in Tengzhou during those 3 days of photo shoots, some for the contest and some for plain fun. They liked my multicolored bandanas and my good humor. So I won no money prize, but the experience was the best prize for me.
 
Tengzhou is a lively provincial city, which can boast of a largish industrial base of the non-rust belt variety. Clearly, municipal administrators there work hand in hand with industry players to enhance the city and the attraction of Lake Weishan, with its extensive lotus ponds and wetlands. Waters of the lake look relatively clean. I tasted some of the fresh water fish from the lake and it was yummy.

Yintai Foods, a prominent employer in Tengzhou, has built a very attractive botanical themed restaurant and is adding at least one hotel and other leisure features in the area.  

Tengzhou is just an hour or so farther on the Shandong Expressway after Qufu and Tai’an. If you focus on the good things in Tengzhou, you will enjoy the visit.