November 26, 2007
Shaping, Yunnan Providence, China
We went to the market at Shaping today. Shaping is a town outside of Old Dali City by about an hour, 30km or so. Its a small town, only a couple of streets, but once a week there is a big market day here.
The first thing I saw as we approach the market, might have been the most amazing thing. Ducks in bags. There are these ducks, some how made to sit inside of these burlap-esq bags and with their heads sticking out on either side. First time ever have I seen something like this. I saw these two people crossing the street each grabbing on the an end of the burlap sack that contained at least half dozen ducks or so. I wish I had gotten a good shot of it.
Shaping has a very colorful market. Full of ethnic minorities in their colorful traditional dress. Full of spices and vegetables. There are carts set up to sell noodles and snacks mixed in with the produce vendors.
Then, there were the stamping pig phenomena. In the pork isle, I saw this man with a large stamp and an ink pad. He would life up the side of pork, take a look, then stamp the hide side of the pork a few times. I asked one of the butchers what does it mean to have your meat stamped, he said that it means it passes the inspection. Interesting…Not sure that one gains enough information just by looking at the meat to decide whether it passes the inspection or not.
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Yesterday in Old Dali City, the school had just let out and the rain had just stopped. The town was suddenly filled with kids in their school uniforms. Old Dali City came alive for me. It was no longer these few streets that are full of shops selling the same trinkets for tourists. It was a real place where real people lived. We were walking through the town square and I saw this boy, maybe 15 or so, still in his school uniform, tentatively handing something to a girl. He blushed, she was embarrassed, he wanted to talk to her some more but her friends came and she became even more awkward. The friends took the girl away giggling and the boy was left standing in the square reliving that short moment he had with her. This is another shot that I wish I had gotten.
It inspired me. It made me want to do a project about the mating rituals of teenage kids in Asia. Somehow, I don’t seem to related as well to teenagers in America. I think it all comes to easily, sex, girls and whatnot. It not special anymore, there is no sense of courtship. But seeing these kids in uniforms, I instantly relate to them, perhaps because I was once in uniform myself. I wonder if kids in Asia are still a little bit more innocent, a little bit simpler, if for nothing else, sex can still be a very big deal in the culture. When it doesn’t come so easily, it becomes a little bit more precious.
