Pioneering New Frontiers in China: Xizhou and Shuanglang - Emerging Adventurers

      07/19/2025 - 07/19/2025

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      Similar to Lijiang, which is near various reconstructed villages showcasing the culture of the Naxi minority, Erhai Lake is surrounded by several towns that attract tourists interested in the customs of the Bai minority. I selected a few specific places to avoid the mistake we made in Lijiang of visiting too many similar towns. Mei Ling had enlisted our taxi driver from the previous day to act as our personal chauffeur for a trip to the northern part of the lake. On Saturday morning, we set off early, aiming to reach Xizhou before nine to enjoy breakfast at the market. By the time we arrived, it was pouring rain, but we were determined to proceed. Luckily, most of the market was sheltered, although we had to watch out for areas where water was leaking through the roof. We stopped at a couple of stalls offering noodle soups made with bright yellow mung bean paste, vegetables, and spices. We settled at a small grilled duck restaurant located among the butcher stalls, which meant we had to order half a duck. Mei Ling explored the butcher area further and returned with a bowl of raw pork meat and skin. I had never considered raw pork as edible, even in China. I sampled a piece and found it tolerable, but my reluctance prevented me from helping her finish the bowl. We continued through the sizeable market, which became busier after the rain ceased. The most captivating section was the live poultry market, where workers were actively slaughtering and defeathering chickens. One worker would hold a chicken, bend its head back to cut its throat, and then drop it into a bucket to let it bleed out. Another person would then plunge the still-moving bird into a vat of boiling water, stirring it for a few minutes before it was transferred to a machine that removed its feathers by an unseen mechanism. It was a gruesome sight, causing the kids to be a bit unsettled, but I felt it was important for them to grasp the reality of how meat arrives at their table. Xizhou's establishment dates back to around the tenth century, when Erhai Lake was part of the Dali Kingdom, ruled by the Bai indigenous elite. The town prospered due to its location on trade routes connecting Tibet with central China, a fortune that continued even after the Mongol Empire conquered the Dali Kingdom in the thirteenth century and incorporated the area into China. Although many Han settlers from the east moved in, Bai merchants retained de facto control over Xizhou and the lakeshore. After the Communist Revolution, Xizhou experienced decline, but like many other Yunnan locations, it underwent significant restoration beginning in the 1990s. The main street of the old town, Sìfang Jie, featured a mix of crumbling and renovated buildings, many of which housed clothing boutiques and souvenir shops. We paused at a modern coffee shop to enjoy warm beverages against the intermittent drizzle. Eventually, Sifang Jie led into a large plaza adorned with a stone gate known as Tieming Fang. An elaborately designed entrance to the preserved Bai mansion, the Yan Family Courtyard, was located on one side of the plaza. Though admission was steep, and with large tour groups entering, we opted to skip it. Mei Ling set up a meeting with our driver on the main road encircling the old town. By the time we arrived, he had not yet shown up, which allowed us to admire a lovely pond covered with lilies and a stone bridge arching over it. Raindrops created a dynamic pattern of concentric circles on the calm water. Bai-style reconstructed buildings bordered the pond adjacent to the old town. Nearby, a group of workers was wrapping a large bundle of bamboo around a long, partially charred log, which I presumed was a preparation for the torch festival; I had not been entirely sure we were in Dali at the right time for it. Our driver took us around the northern end of Erhai Lake to the village of Shuanglang. Along the route, we passed fields with unfamiliar crops and endless hills obscured by low clouds. Before we reached the touristy ancient town, our driver stopped at a local market, where elderly women dressed in traditional Bai attire were present. Whether this was their everyday wear or part of the tourist industry remained uncertain. The market displayed specialties like overflowing baskets of dried fruits and numerous severed pig haunches. Shuanglang is thought to have gotten its name, meaning "two galleries," from the two short peninsulas flanking the lakeshore village. The village is pedestrian-friendly, save for shuttle buses that transport visitors from the pailou gate at the north entrance to the Daoyipang Peninsula at the southern end. I wanted to walk the entire route, but Mei Ling didn't want our driver to be overworked

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