The Colourfulness of Differences
Have you ever had an impression that you are at the right place at the right time and that you cannot understand where that place is and how you ended up there? It seems that a lost tourist is the best tourist.
Throughout history, Yunnan province has been considered a remote and unfriendly area. Therefore, local ethnic minorities were able to maintain the characteristics of their culture, making them different from the Han Chinese. Over the past several years, cultural differences in Yunnan province have become a very interesting and remarkable phenomenon for tourists, but also an important component for tourism development in China.
When you go astray at certain places and notice your surroundings, you get the impression that time has stopped, but you need to know that the feeling is deceiving. Tourism development in Yunnan province has led to social and cultural interaction between local minorities and people of other cultures, which has resulted in drastic differences in the way of life for several nationalities.
Although China invests significantly in tourism development, it is also dedicated to preserving the cultural identities of its ethnic minorities. In any case, investing in tourism includes the aspect of presenting what the host wants to highlight. Very often we return home with many impressions, but… a real treasure is tucked away in places where it is least expected. In our case, this happens when we go astray.
Flamboyance of colours, different shapes and sizes, together with smiles and noise that are interlaced with games. I guess that a farmers’ market is the very last place you would think of! Local farmers’ markets are situated in the new part of Shangri-La, which is not frequented by tourists.
The old part of the city is interesting for visitors and everything related to tourism is actually located in this part of Shangri-La.
You would say, a market like any other. That is probably the case for local people, but for us tourists it is something totally different. Honestly, if you wander off your path and end up at a market, both the buyers and sellers will be equally surprised to see you, the same way you will wonder how you ever came across one of those markets.
If you take a walk through a local market or markets, you will see familiar fruit and vegetables, but you will also see the kinds you rarely see or you have only heard about when watching TV shows about cooking. You should keep in mind that China is one of the leading producers of spices in the world, there are approximately 200,000 hectares of cropland with different kinds of spices, therefore it is practically impossible not to find a particular spice at a local market.
Fish is a staple item at every market and it is impossible to see a frozen one. Only fresh fish is sold at these… let’s call them booths. It does not take much time, it is enough to know what kind of fish you want and a helpful salesperson will gut, clean, and prepare the fish in a couple of minutes. Packaged and ready to go, you just need to take it home. By the way, China takes up almost 60% of global aquaculture production, 48% of the world’s freshwater fish production, and 49% of the world’s shrimp production… Can you imagine a market in China without fish? No? We thought so...
Maybe it sounds funny, but we have got an impression that the markets are… all inclusive! Besides fruit, vegetables, spices and fish, you can also find poultry. You can already guess, everything is fresh and it can be prepared on short notice. The offerings are recognizable to us, Europeans, so you will not be much surprised. On the other hand, do not be puzzled when you see salespeople removing remnants from poultry skin with flames, it is done for hygienic purposes and to ensure food safety. Don’t worry, they know what they are doing.
A market would not be complete without meat. We haven’t seen cured meat, but we have noticed yak meat. This kind of meat is very popular among local people and it is used far more than any other kind. Yak meat is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, proteins, minerals, and vitamins, and much lower in saturated fats and calories than beef for example. This kind of meat is the first choice for local people and their markets are well known because of yak meat.
Honestly… we have not had the opportunity to taste it, but because of the large amounts of yak meat we have seen at the market we believe what the salespeople and customers have told us. Maybe you will have the chance to try the meat instead of us…
Clarification: Yak is a type of large cattle (a large wild or domesticated ox). Its natural habitats are mountains and grasslands, tundras, lakeside areas and deserts. Yak can be 1.8 metres (6 feet) tall and it can weigh up to 1000 kilograms (2200 pounds). They live in the highlands of Tibet and Sichuan in China, and they can be found in India at heights of 4000 metres (13,000 feet) or more above sea level.
In any case, even though the produce, meat and fish can stay outside longer due to optimal temperature at the market, the meat and fish sell very quickly.
If you stay a bit longer at any of local markets, you will realize that a family atmosphere is what makes it recognizable.
Very often there are entire families working at local markets and most of their members serve customers. You get an impression that they do not have business hours, and because of that you can see that some of them sleep while others work.
You know from experience that those who sleep, while others work, are the younger ones.
In addition to everything we have mentioned so far, the Shangri-La markets have something you cannot buy, the salespeople’s smiles.
Although we do not speak the same language, people at the market are willing to go out of their way to help or answer any questions. Do not ask how, but believe that you will understand one another even though you do not speak Chinese.
Honestly… we have wandered off our path and into the lives of local people in the new part of Shangri-La, without a tour guide and with beginners’ confusion on both sides, and we can convey only positive impressions from the Shangri-La markets. If you would like to gain a better understanding of local people’s everyday life, then a local market is the perfect place to visit. Its polite salespeople will let you try the fruit you want; most important, everything is 100% organic!
The markets are open all day long, so you can go there anytime, and in addition to the colourfulness of fruits and vegetables, this is the place where you can see how embroideries are made by hand.
If this technique of making art motives is interesting to you, the craftspeople will be more than happy to try to explain it to you. Of course, the outcome depends on your knowledge of Chinese.
A visit to Shangri-La is definitely an adventure in its own right! The monastery will leave you breathless, the old part of the city is a unique place, but the people you encounter at the markets and around them is the first thing that comes to mind when you start summarizing impressions and talking about the events from your trip across Yunnan province.
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Copyright: triptease.me
author: Ana Kalaba
photo: Marko Rupena
text.en: Dragan Dobožanović
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