I'm poking around Shaiman Island today. Once again i have to say this trip has turned into a quest to find China in China. There is so much European influence on this island, you really can't tell you are in China unless stand at the riverbank and look out over the Pearl River to the junk boats floating by or the neon advertisements lighting the mainland side of the river.
I did ask at the front desk about the Quingping market and was told I had to check it out. I'd 'find' China there. I set off over the canal footbridge off island to the Quingping Traditional Chinese Herbs Wholesale Market.
This is not your typical American market like Whole Foods or Trader Joes. This is an all out attack on the senses walking through this market. My Mandarin is not impressive and my Cantonese is even worse so even though I really wanted to ask the vendors what I was looking at or the purpose of what I was looking at I could only imagine.
I walked the length of the Qingping Market several times over. I just couldn’t take it all in in one pass. The market has several different sections. Each turn was all the more interesting yet appaling all in one.
There were kittens, puppies, turtles, sea horses, snakes, and fish all for sale for consumption…for those with a Chinese palette.
The quality control of this market if for the most part non existant. I had no intention nor will I ever have any intention of buying anything remotely exotic at the market. Thoughts of Avian Flu and SARS kept popping in my head and after walking though this market. I could really see how such epidemics could be spread. Interesting yet once again appaling . I don't know if I 'found' China but I did find an interesting conversation piece for when I show my pictures of the turtle vendor when I get back to the states.
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