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

      07/19/2025 - 07/19/2025

      

      

      

      

      

      

      

      

      

      

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       Lijiang is situated near several reconstructed villages that showcase the culture of the Naxi minority, while Erhai Lake features multiple towns along its shores that attract visitors eager to experience the traditions of the Bai minority. I selected a few specific locations carefully, wanting to avoid the mistake we made in Lijiang of spending too much time in largely similar towns. Mei Ling had engaged our taxi driver from the previous day to be our private chauffeur for an outing to the northern end of the lake. On Saturday morning, we rose early and drove to Xizhou to arrive at the market before nine, just in time for breakfast. By the time we reached there, it was raining heavily, but we were determined not to let that deter us. Thankfully, most of the market was sheltered, although we had to be cautious of areas where water was leaking through gaps in the roof. We visited a few stalls where vendors were preparing noodle soups with vibrant yellow mung bean paste, vegetables, and spices. We sat at a small grilled duck restaurant in the butcher section, which required us to add half a duck to our meal. Mei Ling explored the butcher stalls a bit more and returned with a bowl of raw pork meat and skin. I had no idea that raw pork was ever considered edible, even in China. I tried a piece, and it wasn’t terrible, but I couldn’t quite overcome my reservations enough to help her finish the bowl. We continued navigating through the sizeable market, which got significantly busier once the rain let up. The most intriguing area for us was a live poultry market, where some workers were actively slaughtering and defeathering chickens. One worker would hold a chicken still and bend its head back to cut its throat, then toss it into a bucket to bleed out. Another worker would toss the still-moving bird into a vat of boiling water and stir it for a few minutes before transferring it to a machine that removed its feathers through an unseen mechanism. It was a gruesome sight, and the kids were a bit unsettled, but I believe it's beneficial for them to understand what happens before the meat arrives on their plates. Xizhou was established around the tenth century when Erhai Lake was under the Dali Kingdom, governed by the Bai indigenous elite. The town thrived as a stop on trade routes connecting Tibet and central China, with this wealth continuing even after the Mongol Empire conquered the Dali Kingdom in the thirteenth century, absorbing the area into China. Bai merchants maintained effective control of Xizhou and the lakeshore, despite an influx of Han settlers from the east. Xizhou experienced decline after the Communist Revolution but has seen significant restoration alongside many other places in Yunnan since the 1990s. The main street in the old town, Sìfang Jie, was lined with a blend of decaying and renovated buildings, many of which housed clothing boutiques and souvenir shops. We paused in a very modern coffee shop for warm drinks to brace ourselves against the sporadic drizzle. Eventually, Sifang Jie opened up into a large square featuring a stone gate known as Tieming Fang. On one side of the square, there was an ornate entrance to a preserved Bai mansion called the Yan Family Courtyard. The entrance fee was rather steep, and we noticed several large tour groups entering, so we decided to skip it. Mei Ling arranged to meet our driver on the main road encircling the old town. Upon our arrival, he hadn’t shown up yet, which turned out to be fortuitous because we discovered a lovely pond adorned with lilies and an arched stone bridge in the center. Raindrops created a constantly shifting pattern of concentric circles on the calm surface of the water. Along the edge of the pond, which bordered the old town, were reconstructed Bai-style buildings. In a courtyard adjacent to the pond, a team of workers was wrapping a massive bundle of bamboo around a long, partially charred log. I assumed this was part of the preparations for the torch festival, which boded well since I hadn’t confirmed with complete certainty that we were in Dali during the correct weekend for the event. Our driver took us around the northern side of Erhai Lake to reach the village of Shuanglang. En route, we saw fields filled with unfamiliar crops and a continuous chain of hills enveloped by low clouds. Before arriving at the touristy ancient town, our driver stopped at a local market where elderly women were dressed in traditional Bai attire. It's unclear whether this was their everyday clothing or if they were dressed for tourists. Some of the displayed specialties included overflowing baskets of dried fruits and stacks of severed pig legs. Shuanglang is thought to have received its

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