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

      07/19/2025 - 07/19/2025

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      Just as Lijiang is nearby several restored villages that maintain the culture of the Naxi minority, Erhai Lake features several towns along its banks that attract tourists interested in the customs of the Bai minority. I carefully selected a couple of locations to avoid repeating the error we made in Lijiang of spending too much time visiting similar towns. Mei Ling had enlisted our taxi driver from the previous day to act as our personal chauffeur for an adventure to the northern part of the lake.

      On Saturday morning, we set off early and drove to Xizhou to reach the market before nine, just in time for breakfast. By the time we arrived, it was raining steadily, but we weren’t going to let that deter us. Most of the market was sheltered; however, we had to be cautious of places where water leaked through the roof. We visited a few stands where vendors prepared noodle soups with bright yellow mung bean paste, vegetables, and spices. We sat down at a small grilled duck restaurant within the butcher section, which meant we had to order half a duck to our meal. Mei Ling explored the butcher stalls further and returned with a bowl of raw pork meat and skin. I was surprised to learn that raw pork could be consumed, even in China. I tasted a piece, and it was decent, but I couldn’t shake my reservations enough to help her finish the bowl.

      We proceeded through the sizable market, which became significantly busier once the rain subsided. The most fascinating area for us was the live poultry market, where some workers were actively slaughtering and defeathering chickens. One worker would hold a chicken and bend its head back to cut its throat before dropping it into a bucket to bleed out. Another would toss the still-flapping bird into a pot of boiling water and stir it for a few minutes, after which it was put into a machine that removed its feathers through an unseen mechanism. It was a grim process, and the kids were slightly disturbed, but I think it’s beneficial for them to understand what happens before the meat reaches their table.

      Xizhou was established around the tenth century when Erhai Lake was part of the Dali Kingdom, ruled by Bai indigenous elites. The town thrived due to its location on trade routes between Tibet and central China, and this prosperity continued even after the Mongol Empire conquered the Dali Kingdom in the thirteenth century, integrating the region into China. Bai merchants maintained de facto control of Xizhou and the lakeshore, despite the influx of Han settlers from the east. After the Communist Revolution, Xizhou entered a period of decline, but like many other locations in Yunnan, it has undergone significant restoration since the 1990s.

      The main street in the old town is Sìfang Jie, lined with a mix of crumbling and restored buildings, many of which are clothing boutiques and souvenir shops. We stopped in a modern coffee shop for warm drinks to shield us from the intermittent drizzle. Eventually, Sifang Jie opened into a wide plaza featuring a stone gate known as Tieming Fang. One side of the plaza showcased an ornate entrance to a preserved Bai mansion called the Yan Family Courtyard. The entry fee was quite high, and observing large tour groups entering, we opted to skip it.

      Mei Ling arranged to meet our driver on the main road surrounding the old town. When we reached the meeting point, he had not yet arrived, which turned out to be fortunate because there was a lovely lily-covered pond with an arched stone bridge at its center. Raindrops created ever-changing concentric patterns on the calm water’s surface. Reconstructed Bai-style buildings bordered the pond adjacent to the old town. In a courtyard next to the pond, a group of workers was wrapping a large bundle of bamboo around a long, partially burned log. I assumed this was preparation for the torch festival, a positive sign since I had been uncertain whether we were in Dali during the correct weekend for the event.

      Our driver took us around the northern end of Erhai Lake toward the village of Shuanglang. Along the way, we passed fields of unfamiliar crops and endless chains of hills shrouded by low clouds. Before we reached the touristy ancient town, our driver took us to a local market filled with elderly women in traditional Bai clothing. Whether this was their usual attire or if it was part of the tourist industry remains unclear. Some of the specialties for sale included heaping baskets of dried fruits and piles of detached pig haunches.

      Shuanglang is thought to have gotten its name, which means "two galleries," from the two short peninsulas flanking the lakeshore village. The village is mainly pedestrianized, apart from the shuttle buses that transport visitors from the pail

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