There’s something distinctly westernised about Yangshuo, with its large amount of western food restaurants and its English speaking market vendors. However, one place where this influence is not apparent is in the market where the produce that is available in no way caters to the western idea of what you buy at a food market. There are the expected fruits and vegetables; fresh oranges, kumquats and mangoes imported from Vietnam and spicy szechuan peppercorns and hot peppers. However at the same time as these fruits are part of the normal diet for the people of Yangshuo, so are dog meat, soft shelled turtles, rice-paddy eels and many other meats that may be surprising to a western tourist. The meat is displayed unceremoniously alongside cages filled with chickens, geese, ducks and pigeons that, although alive at the time, probably won’t last long. The sights here could be harrowing to even the most secure meat-eater. To take your mind off the meat stands, admire the freshly made tofu spread out like colourless plasticine over the vendors’ stalls and try a bamboo box full of local specialities such as Baozi or Jiaozi (Chinese steamed buns), that come with soup and will fill you up for a very small price, or some beer fish, which even the Chinese tourists come to try.

Written by  Alessia Horwich.

Add comment

Comments, reviews and questions

There are no posts. Why not be the first to have your say?

Add a comment, review or question

Make a comment Ask a question Write a review

Review title

Your comment

Your rating

Choose rating... Don't go Go Must go

Your name

Your email address