Bird & Flower (and Cricket!) Market

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!