All the 11 expats from different countries pose for a group photo in front of the Jiangsu Jianghai Museum in Haimen district, Nantong, on June 16. [Photo by Xin Siyuan/chinadaily.com.cn]

There is a hidden gem in the southeastern Jiangsu province – where the Yangtze River ends, and the Donghai Sea begins, and where the textile, architecture, education, and kite-, wine- and violin-making thrive – that is Nantong city, or the "first city in modern China."

An immersive culture experience trip consisting of expatriates from the United States, Canada, Italy, Columbia, Egypt, Pakistan, Central Africa, Kazakhstan, Ethiopia, Algeria, and Bosnia-Herzegovina was carried out on June 16-17 in Nantong's Haimen district.

At the welcome ceremony for the trip members, Dean Gordon Munk, a Canadian who has traveled quite a lot around China, cited the city as "seamlessly weaving together tradition and progress, and offering a glimpse into the nation's vibrant history while embracing the innovations of the modern world."

Members of the trip listen carefully to the guide's introduction about Nantong's history and Chinese entrepreneur Zhang Jian's story. [Photo by Xin Siyuan/chinadaily.com.cn]

History tells us how progressive Nantong is, and perhaps every Chinese tends to connect the city with Zhang Jian (1853-1926), an industrious and aspiring entrepreneur who not only established Dasheng Cotton Mills that once led China's cotton-spinning industry in the early 20th century, but also built museums, hospitals, nursing homes, founded and co-founded some 370 schools in Nantong. It was he that earned his hometown the title of the first city in modern China.

A statue for Zhang Jian is established to commemorate his accomplishments in Nantong. [Photo by Xin Siyuan/chinadaily.com.cn]

"I think he is remarkable, and what he did change Nantong. I think he might struggle a lot to do what he did because people, especially ambitious ones, have to go against the flow and convince people to do what they have to," said Lina Paola Angel, a Columbian doctoral student majoring in English language and literature, after she was told about Zhang's legendary life.

Unlike most profit-driven merchants, Zhang did his business to save his homeland, and most of the sales he earned were spent on education, philanthropy, and public facilities. While speaking about China's national industries, the late chairman Mao Zedong hailed Zhang as a lighthouse that should be remembered in the history of the Chinese light industry.

The Qinglong Port, which no longer has any practical functions now, has been transformed into a historical site for sightseeing. The original waiting room for passengers has been turned into a café. [Photo by Xin Siyuan/chinadaily.com.cn]

Marching towards the new epoch, Nantong seeks to develop an economy with minimal cost to the environment. Dongbuzhou Long Beach Park in Linjiang New Area, built where chemical plants used to be set up, crystalizes this development concept, redefining the place with sustainability, culture, and technology.

The hand-made violin is on display at a local violin-making workshop. [Photo by Xin Siyuan/chinadaily.com.cn]

The city of strength surprisingly has a delicate side, with the two elements complimentary to each other.

Nantong showcased how much it focuses on details in pursuit of perfection while foreign visitors watched the sophisticated violin-making process. Beatrice Fanetti, an Italian opera singer and language teacher, was thrilled by how a violin came into being. "I know, of course, how violins are made in theory, but finally, I could see it in person," she said.

Li Guoqiang, a proficient violin maker, is absorbed in carving a violin's volute with all kinds of tools put aside as visitors come by the workshop. [Photo by Xin Siyuan/chinadaily.com.cn]

"Almost all the fine violins are hand-made by experienced craftsmen. Even a small violin component can greatly influence the sound quality," said Li Guoqiang, who has been a violin maker since 2002.