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Bird & Flower (and Cricket!) Market

8/30/2019

In the US, gone are the days of butchers for meat, bakers for bread and farmers for produce. Although cities in China also house supermarkets, butchers, bakers and farmers still exist. One of my favorite markets is the Bird and Flower Market, where locals go to purchase plants and pets. The most fascinating pet to us Americans is the cricket. The cricket market is huge in China, both in terms of the number of crickets bought and sold, as well as the size of the crickets themselves. Just check out the pictures below!

Crickets and birds are popular because of the noises they make. Their owners love the chirping. I find the sound incredibly annoying, but the cricket culture is fascinating. There is also a cricket fighting culture, which allows the owners to compete, but also gives those attending the matches an opportunity to bet on the fights. I have not had the pleasure of attending a cricket bout, but I'm not sure that I would want to.

Come to China with Chow Fun Tours and check out the local markets!

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The Local Industry

8/23/2019

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The locals who offer to carry bags up the endless stairs through Ping'an Village should be the young men. However, the 60-90 year old grandmothers, carrying basket backpacks, lug our bags to our mountainside hotel. The Americans with whom I travel initially reject the notion of handing over their bags for a variety of reasons. Americans' first instinct is concern that their bags will be stolen...that these little old ladies will run up the side of the hill, into the woods, with our bags, never to return. Once assuaged, the second concern is for the well-being of the old women who will surely pass out if they walk up the hill, let alone carry our heavy bags. But this is part of their livelihood. The tips they receive is how they make money to survive. They could not be happier that we have chosen to visit their village and utilize their services.

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Xiahai Temple

8/16/2019

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I don't want to write about Xiahai Temple because it's little known to foreign travelers. I don't want to give away my "off the beaten path" secrets. Since I have very few readers, however, I don't think there will be an influx of tourists the next time I am in Shanghai.

The most striking thing about Xiahai, in my opinion, is the preponderance of gold: buildings, monks' robes and fish. The color is warm and inviting, which is just how I would describe the temple and the grounds.

When we visited in May, the only people on the grounds were employees, monks and local people coming to light incense and pray. When there are no other tourists, one's presence is felt, which is generally positive or neutral. The people are often enchanted by those different from themselves. They like to share their place of worship. On our recent visit, one of the men praying overheard our local guide telling us about the temple and the Buddhist religion. The man stopped her and told her to make sure to tell us about how the mayor of Shanghai saved some of the Xiahai statues from certain destruction during the Cultural Revolution, an act that surely would have been punishable if discovered.

My goal when I travel is to find hidden gems like Xiahai. Join me on an adventure, off the beaten path.

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Sweet Potatoes and Eggs

8/9/2019

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Perhaps it was the potato itself, the cooking over hot coals or the joy on the faces of the women peddling their bounty. It was the best sweet potato I've ever eaten. The women sell the potatoes and hard boiled eggs for about 20 cents each. I'm not really sure to whom they sell. Most foreigners would be disinterested in the ash-covered potatoes, but they would be missing out. I guess domestic Chinese tourists would be their target market.

The women live in or around Ping'an Village, in the Longsheng (Dragon's Backbone) Rice Terraces in the Guilin area of Guangxi Province. The rice terraced farms in this area are about 800 years old. Most of the people who live and work there are from the Zhuang and Yao minority ethnic groups. The hats the women are wearing are part of their Zhuang traditional clothing, as are the black jackets with blue sleeves. The women pictured range in age from 70's to 90's.

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Dancing in the Park, Shanghai, China

8/2/2019

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In every neighborhood park around China, the mornings are filled with music and merriment. Dancing, singing, playing instruments, laughing, playing cards, practicing Tai'chi, socializing, playing ping pong or badminton and exercising. I envy this joyful aspect of Chinese neighborhoods and communities. By comparison, American parks are virtually devoid of activity. This community aspect of Chinese culture is particularly important to the retirees who are eligible for retirement at age 60 (women) and 65 (men).

I try to get up early on several mornings, whenever I am in China. I look at the map, find the closest park (never more than a 15 minute walk) and join whatever is going on that morning. One of my favorite destinations is People's Park in Shanghai. Across from the Radisson, there is a crowd on almost every day of the week, playing music and dancing. The music selection is more Greek than Chinese. It does not matter that I am an uncoordinated dancer, the local people welcome all to participate.

I hope you get the opportunity to join me at People's Park on a Chow Fun trip soon.

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Bird & Flower (and Cricket!) Market

The Local Industry

Xiahai Temple

Sweet Potatoes and Eggs

Dancing in the Park, Shanghai, China

Lauren Drazen

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