Eighteen Oddities of Yunnan
Eighteen Oddities in Yunnan are eighteen unique traits of the Yunnan province The oddities, which are as follows, are generally presented in the form of a list.
- Eggs are tied up sold in rope-like clusters
- Bamboo hats are used as wok lids
- Three mosquitoes make up a dish - mosquitoes are so large that it is said that just three mosquitoes are large enough to make a meal
- Bamboo is used to make water pipes for smoking
- Erkuai - a local culinary specialty made of rice, whose name translates literally as "ear piece" (called zi ba, in Mandarin)
- The same dress is worn for all four seasons - clothing for all four seasons may be seen on a single day in Yunnan, as climatic conditions may vary widely according to altitude and region
- Young girls are called "Old Lady"
- Automobiles move faster than trains
- Toes are exposed all year round
- Rain here but sunshine there - the weather is often variable between areas just a few kilometers apart
- Girls wear flowers in all four seasons
- Girls carry tobacco bags
- Green vegetable is called "bitter vegetable"
- Grannies climb mountains faster than monkeys
- Trains go abroad but not inland
- Monks can have love affairs
- Children are raised by men - Yunnan women have a reputation for being hard-working, thus many men stay home to take care of their children
- Automobiles move in the clouds - many roads are high in the mountains
Cuisine
Yunnan cuisine is an amalgam of Han Chinese and Chinese minority cuisines. As the province with the largest number of ethnic minorities, Yunnan has a mushrooms feature prominently. Another important characteristic of Yunnan cuisine is the wide use of flowers as food. Tea
One of Yunnan's famous products is Pu-erh tea,
named after the old tea
known for its Yunnan Gold
and other Dianhong teas,
developed in the 20th century.
Music
The music of Yunnan, includes the tradition music of many ethnic groups, including the Miao, Hani and Nakhi (Naxi), the last being the most numerous in the area. The lusheng is a type of mouth organ used by the Miao of Guizhou for pentatonic antiphonal courtship songs. The Hani of Honghe are known for a unique kind of choral, micro-tonal rice-transplanting songs.
