Life in Yangshuo, China

The markets in town are interesting as well as scary just because of the produce they sell! The farmers' market has everything - from dried spices and dried snake to fresh fruits and livestock - meaning anything from hens to dogs, including the carcasses and cuts of meat on display which can be quite a shock! Sometimes at night we go for food at the Night Market (as it is curiously called). It is basically an open-air market with different stalls cooking up things like rat, chicken feet etc. They even provide teeny little chairs and tables to sit at while you eat! We tried beer fish, stuffed snails and stuffed aubergine (eggplant) - all very delicious (and only stuffed with pork and not other things! - so they said!).

There are these children, that we have heard are orphans, that circle the streets and markets trying to sell flowers. One of our friends reckons there is someone called the 'Flower Master' who the kids answer to. Apparently they get fed and have somewhere to sleep every night, but no one really questions who is taking care of them and making all this 'slave-money'. They also have a quota to meet, which is why they can be seen selling from early morning to very late hours of the night.

One recent event in town has been a big blow dealt by the local government toward the local shopowners along the main street, West Street. Apparently, they want the pavement (sidewalk) to be free of restaurant tables and mechandise stalls, and also for locals to change the canopies and roofing fixtures to the council's spec (yet again!). West Street is actually pedestrianised and so it really doesn't make any difference. It's just the council's way of getting more money out of them and controlling them. On talking to the locals we know they are upset, but the typical Chinese way is to not to show their anger, and to conform and don't ask questions. This brings me onto the 'freedom of information' that China has, and how exposure to any kind of information that would allow them to formulate an opinion about things is not allowed. So much is screened and blocked on the internet, and even we cannot access our website in the way that you, our audience, does. Even though we can't view it, friends that we have met are really suprised that we can even access our site just to update it! * Mush