Qingping Market Pictures

I have a whole lot of pics that I've made small enough to fit on the blog, but it's probably going to take me a couple of days to get them all up. Here is a start.
One last pic from Shamien Island. I really don't actually think that this was a couple who just got married, because there were two couples, a photographer, assistance, and a few other photography crews in the general area. I think they must have been doing a shoot for a magazine. Or then again, it could be that this is what wedding photography looks like in China. Both girls were beautiful of course- but the thing that made me snap the pic was the jeans & sneaker peaking out from under her dress. Whether it was wedding photos or a photo shoot for a magazine, at least she was comfortable!
Lee-Anne in Australia...These pics are for you! You had mentioned you wanted to buy a teapot in china...here is the selection at one store in Qingping Market (请平市场)-also known as "Peaceful Market." This is pretty close to Shamien Island and turned out to be an amazing market! It was my first time going, but for sure I'll be going again!


Besides just being great people watching, it was just a great way to immerse yourself in the culture. To get into a market at it's peak time of the day is to understand a little more about Chinese Culture. The sights, the sounds, the smells, it all adds up to the things I love about China. It's very very real and basic in a way that the US has lost. Tonight I went to another market near my hotel with one of my colleagues, and it was absolutely *the* hour when everyone was shopping for their dinner. It was bustling, crowded, loud, sweet, sweaty, dusty, earthy, and fresh, all at the same time. Vegetables so fresh you could almost smell the earth on them, eggs just laid, meat that was less than one day old, carrots the size of your arm, and only because they came from very fertile ground, not because they were injected with fish hormones! When you think Markets in the US, it's farmers markets- many of which have become yuppie weekend hangouts with music & elephant ears. Not even close to this type of atmosphere where people come each day for fresh vegetables and fresh meat to make dinner with. Markets are one of my favorite things to find when I go to a foreign country- food, animal, or otherwise. I find it's always a great microcosm of the country.

When I read in my guidebook about Qingping Market, it said it had become a huge place for trade/sales of exotic animals/chinese medicine, etc during the early 90's. The Police had cracked down on it since them though and now it was mostly chinese medicine but you can still find cats & dogs there. When I think market, 90% of the time I think "food market." So I thought, huh, okay...well at least I'm prepared to see dogs & cats hanging upside down in the market. Not my cup of tea, but glad I had the warning. Imagine my surprise when I got to the "dog & cat" section & saw baskets of puppies, for sale next to little dog clothing, cutsey dog carriers, fancy decorated dog leashes.... They were the PETTING kind of dogs, not the EATING kind of dogs!! So strange my mind just instantly jumped to the wrong conclusion!!

You cannot get the feeling of a market in China through pictures...it's a poor approximation of the experience. You cannot even imagine the vast array of things in bags in these markets. Most of the things I could not even begin to identify- a lot of different varieties of roots, bark, berries, nuts, etc. Also lots of things that were formerly walking, breathing, swimming, etc, although sometimes it was pieces & parts of those guys & not even the whole one. I can't recall if I have a picture of it or not, but the deer hoof with tendons still attached seemed to be very popular this year at the chinese medicine markets. Maybe it was always there, but this is the first I recall seeing it. I was trying not to cough lest they offer up some tendon to sooth my throat. Eeek.

This seemed to be a chinese tour group (matching yellow hats) going through the market, mostly elderly ladies & a few men- they seemed to be enjoying the market as much as I was.
The markets are open really LONG hours. Shops open as early as 8 or 9 and often you'll see markets open even until 8 or 9 or 10 at night. I think there is an awful lot of "down time" during the day- it was about 3:00 on a sunday afternoon & this woman looked like she was ready for a nap!