A group of seven expats from Italy, Yemen, Iran, Costa Rica and Chile toured Taicang city in East China’s Jiangsu province on Sept 9-10. By visiting ancient towns, beautiful rural villages, cultural museum and many other places, they gained a better understanding of the unique charm of the city.
Taicang as a place name is mentioned in a memorial to the throne of geographer “Jia Dan” during the Song dynasty, “Where lies to the east of Kunshan nowadays”, he supposedly wrote, “is called Taicang, also known as Gangshen”.
Taicang is a natural port. Under the Yuan, the city reached its peak between 1271 and 1368. Under the Ming, Taicang’s Liuhe Harbor was the departure point for Zheng He’s treasure fleets. It was also during this period that the shoals in the Yangtze estuary which later became Chongming Island were placed under the supervision of Taicang Prefecture.