There are many things that make Yunnan – one of our favourite Asian destinations – unique. We take a look at eighteen of the oddest…
All professional tour guides in Yunnan learn the province’s “18 Oddities” (十八怪); a rhyming list of eighteen sights, experiences and traditions that make Yunnan unique. Some are lighthearted, others outlandish, but it was surprising just how many we had photographic evidence or personal experience of, so they must be true! There are many different versions, but – after a decade of leading driving journeys through Yunnan (click here to see all our Yunnan itineraries) – here is our own list:
1. 汽車開到雲天外 Cars drive amongst the clouds Whether you’re driving through a “cloud sea” or along a precipitous mountain road, Yunnan offers many opportunities to drive over, under and through the clouds…
2. 老太爬山比猴快 Grandmas can climb faster than monkeys While we don’t have a photo of this, a group once stopped to buy apples from an elderly lady perched in an apple tree near Lijiang on our Searching for Shangri-La itinerary. In many communities, much of the physical work is done by women, leaving them strong and – apparently – admirably agile, even in old age!
3. 清香茶葉對著賣 Fragrant tea is sold in great piles Yunnan is one of the native homes of camellia sinensis, and tea bushes and trees can be found growing wild here. Some of the world’s finest teas are grown and processed in Yunnan – particularly in the region’s extreme south, which we visit on this journey from Kunming to Chiang Mai.
4. 過橋米線人人愛 Everyone loves crossing-bridge noodles Locals, visitors, young and old; many people enjoy Yunnan’s most famous dish, crossing bridge noodles (過橋米線). We are no exception, although – as we’ve written elsewhere – there’s much, much more to Yunnanese food than this!
5. 這邊下雨那邊曬 It’s raining here, but over there it’s fine The saying that Yunnan’s “four seasons are all like spring” typically describes the province’s (mostly) mild climate, but it may as well be referring to the weather’s changeability here. Particularly in mountainous regions, it’s not uncommon to move from sunshine to showers and back again several times over the course of a single day!
6. 和尚可以談戀愛 Monks can “talk about love” In southern Yunnan, many young men will join a Buddhist monastery for a few years to finish their educations. One young monk in Xishuangbanna told us that it’s hard to find a girlfriend if you haven’t been a monk at some point!
7. 腳趾常年都在外 Your toes can be out all year round Thanks again to the mild weather, you can happily wear sandals throughout the year in much of Yunnan. However, it’s best not to take this one literally – we recommend packing proper shoes (and plenty of warm socks) for winter trips to the northwest!
8. 竹筒能當水煙袋 Bamboo is used for smoking water pipes These stout lengths of bamboo look rather odd with single cigarettes stuck into their bases, but they’re much used by gentlemen in rural Yunnan, presumably because they make rough-and-ready tobacco (such as that pictured below) taste a little smoother!
9. 背著娃娃談戀愛 Girls go courting with babies on their backs It is the custom in some communities for newlywed wives to return to their parents’ home to have their first child. Only when the baby has been born, will the woman move in with her husband and his family, finally getting to know him properly and courting at last.
10. 汽車還比火車快 Cars are still faster than trains This may have changed since the high-speed railway linking Kunming and Lijiang opened earlier this year, but rail has traditionally been much slower than road here, thanks to Yunnan’s many mountains. And regardless of how fast the trains go, Yunnan’s rail network is still very limited. To reach most places – especially to enjoy the province’s quieter corners – you will still need to take to the open road…
11. 雞蛋用草串著賣 Eggs come packaged in grass The original environmentally-friendly packaging!
12. 牛奶做成扇子賣 Milk is made into “fans” Yunnan is the only place in China where cheese has traditionally been made and eaten. In addition to rubing 乳餅 (rather like halloumi), rushan 乳扇 (literally “milk fan”) sees curds formed into a thin layer that is dried, curled and deep-fried, then served sprinkled with sugar.
13. 石頭長到雲天外 Stones grow in the skies While this “oddity” refers to Yunnan’s many rugged and mountainous regions, it also reminds us of Shilin 石林. 90km east of Kunming, where slender fingers of limestone erupt from the fields like a forest of petrified trees in the Shilin (Stone Forest) National Scenic Area – a spectacular, if extremely popular, sight.
14. 有話不說歌舞代 Dance and song take the place of words 25 of China’s 56 ethnic minorities can be found in Yunnan. Many minority communities have strong traditions of song and dance, from haunting Tibetan melodies to the Dai’s exquisite peacock dance.
15. 常年能出好瓜菜 Good vegetables grow all year round Rich soil and a mild climate make Yunnan a farmer’s (and a cook’s) paradise. Market stalls groan with fresh, locally grown produce, even in the middle of winter. However, Yunnan’s bumper harvests aren’t restricted to farms and fields – each August, tonnes of wild mushrooms are collected in the province’s woods and forests, as guests on our special mushroom-hunting journey will discover…
16. 鲜花四季开不败 Fresh flowers bloom in all four seasons Flowers flourish here as well, with many species endemic to the region, including the rare blue Himalayan poppy.
17. 粑粑餅子叫餌塊 Rice cakes are called “ear pieces” One of Yunnan’s most delicious secrets, erkuai 餌塊 are chewy rice cakes – named for one of their most typical shapes – that are grilled or fried and served with a spicy dipping sauce.
18. 四季服装同穿戴 You can wear the same clothes all year round While this “oddity” is another nod to Yunnan’s delightful climate, we feel it could equally refer to the traditional clothing that is still sported in villages across the province. In a world of increasingly homogenous casualwear, it’s something quite special to see people going about their business wearing styles of dress that have remained constant for generations…
And that’s it! Do you have any of your own oddities from a journey in Yunnan? Thank you for reading,
19-28 April, 2019 Adventures in Yunnan A family-friendly adventure in Yunnan’s northwest
26 Apr-4 May & 15-25 Nov, 2019 Searching for Shangri-La Discover the beautiful back roads of northwest Yunnan
4-19 May & 22 Oct-6 Nov, 2019 Lands of Silk & Snow Cross Yunnan from south to north en route from Luang Prabang to Lhasa
2-10 Aug, 2019 Yunnan on a Plate: Wild Mushrooms Uncover the magical world of Yunnan’s wild mushrooms
6-19 Sep, 2019 Summit to Sea: Yunnan to Vietnam Cross a beautiful swathe of Yunnan on your way to the South China Sea
1-11 Nov, 2019 From Yunnan to the Lanna Kingdom Discover rice terraces and the tropical face of China en route to Chiang Mai
23 Dec 2019-3 Jan 2020 From Shangri-La to the Lanna Kingdom Celebrate Christmas with us on the road from Shangri-La to Chiang Mai
