In Dali, Yunnan, China in 2013, we explored the ancient city (previous post on Dali, previous post on this trip
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| ancient city, Dali, Yunnan, China |
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| flower vendor, ancient city, Dali, China |
The merchandise was an intriguing mix of things. We were the only Caucasian party I saw, so presumably most of the touristy things were aimed at people coming from other parts of China.
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| crowds in the ancient city, Dali, China |
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| shops, ancient city, Dali, China |
Yunnan, in southwestmost China, has been distant enough to most of China's population that for those who could get there it was an inexpensive location with balmy subtropical weather. Better airlines and highways are making it more accessible, which is good for the local economy but will push up the cost of visiting.
I of course noticed the plants in the corners. This is a four-o-clock, Mirabilis, from South America, probably M. jalapa. Although I couldn't tell if it had been planted there, it didn't seem likely. Four-o'clocks reseed pretty well in my north temperate yard, in the warmth of Dali they should do even better.
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| four o'clocks, Mirabilis jalapa, Dali |
The morning glories below are certainly wild. Although most morning glories, genus Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae, morning glory family) are native to the Americas, there are a few thought to be native to India and southeast Asia. But common, weedy morning glories from the Americas were brought to Asia by European traders in the 16th century, so they have had plenty of time to escape and have done so.
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| morning glory, Ipomoea, Dali, Yunnan |
Some vendors sold fruit. The fruit was a fascinating mix of the familiar and the unfamiliar, tropical and temperate:
Below tomatoes, Annona but I don't know which one but most likely a custard apple, and oranges (Citrus):
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| tomatoes, an Annona and oranges |
In the next photo, I was told the fruit on the left are melons (xīguā). Melons (genus Cucumis, cucumber family Cucurbitaceae) are native to Eurasia and the Chinese have varieties that are not sold in the U.S. There are certainly melons with pale smooth skins, though I would have expected them to be larger. We ate some that night and they were pretty tasteless but could certainly have been underripe melons. On the right, those are fresh Chinese dates also called red dates or jujube, which we commonly saw and were rarely very red. They are from a shrub, Ziziphus jujube, (buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae) not a date palm like traditional dates.
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| small melons and fresh red dates |
Here (below) are pomegranates and the very distinctive water caltrops (also called water chestnuts, Trapa natans). Pomegranates are native to Iran and have been grown from Europe to China for more than 5,000 years. I had read about water caltrops but never seen them. I wanted to try them but the ones I bought were bad and the Linden Centre kitchen staff had to throw them out. They are native to Europe where they are rare. Elsewhere in the world they are considered a potential serious weed (link) so I don't think you'll see them in American grocery stores any time soon.
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| pomegranates and water caltrops |
I was told in Dali that the fruit below were lychees, Lichi chinensis (Sapindaceae, soapberry family, which now includes maples and the Ohio and California buckeyes). Lychees are native to southern China, which was where we were. However, pictures on the web seem pretty clear that lychees don't have the funny protrusions on the skin, while rambutans, Nephelium lappaceum (same family, Sapindaceae), from Indonesia and Malaysia but spread to surrounding areas centuries ago, do. I thought at the time they were rambutans but accepted correction. In any event, they were tasty and I recommend them.
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| rambutans, Dali |
Alas, the food provided for us by the tour was good enough that I wasn't very hungry when trying all the interesting fruits. So I mostly nibbled on them.
Markets in south Florida are a cool mix of tropical and temperate fruits, from the Americas and from the Old World too, but American tastes are different from Chinese tastes, so the array in Dali's markets seemed more exotic.
Dali has a bit of the old city wall remaining, and we left the market by walking through it.
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| Dali, Yunnan |
The men in costume (below) wanted money for having your picture taken with them. I was strange enough that they gave me several pictures without actually charging. I gave them all the change I had, but mostly the pictures were a gift. I include the picture for two reasons: here are Disney World style costumes and people finding it worth while to hang out by the old gate to pose with passers-by for photos. But, also, they reinforce how different the traditions and local heroes can be in different parts of the world. In the US, I would surely be able to identify the costumes, whether Mickey Mouse or Spiderman. Here in Dali, despite learning some Mandarin and visiting China twice before, I had no idea what characters these men were representing. There is so much to learn about every culture!
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