Eighteen Oddities in Yunnan
Encyclopedia
Eighteen Oddities in Yunnan (Chinese
: 云南十八怪; pinyin: Yúnnán Shíbā Guài; sometimes called Eighteen Wonders of Yunnan) are eighteen unique traits of the Yunnan
province of southwest China
. The oddities, which are as follows, are generally presented in the form of a list, which is promulgated in promotional materials advertising the province to foreign and domestic tourists.
The items on the list are not fixed, so other versions of the list may include other oddities, including:
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
: 云南十八怪; pinyin: Yúnnán Shíbā Guài; sometimes called Eighteen Wonders of Yunnan) are eighteen unique traits of the Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
province of southwest China
Southwest China
Southwest China is a region of the People's Republic of China defined by governmental bureaus that includes the municipality of Chongqing, the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou, and the Tibet Autonomous Region.-Provinces:-Municipalities:...
. The oddities, which are as follows, are generally presented in the form of a list, which is promulgated in promotional materials advertising the province to foreign and domestic tourists.
- EggsEgg (food)Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...
are tied up sold in rope-like clustersphoto - BambooBambooBamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
hats are used as wokWokA wok is a versatile round-bottomed cooking vessel originating in China. It is used especially in East and Southeast Asia.Woks are most often used for stir frying, but can also be used in other Chinese cooking techniques, such as in steaming, deep frying, braising, stewing, smoking, or making soup...
lids - Three mosquitoMosquitoMosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
es make up a dish - mosquitoes are so large that it is said that just three are large enough to make a meal - Bamboo is used to make water pipeWater pipeWater pipes are pipes or tubes, frequently made of polyvinyl chloride , ductile iron, steel, cast iron, polypropylene, polyethylene, or copper, that carry pressurized and treated fresh water to buildings , as well as inside the building.-History:For many centuries, lead was the favoured material...
s for smoking - ErkuaiErkuaiErkuai is a type of rice cake particular to the Yunnan Province of southwest China.The name literally means "ear piece," a reference to the shape of one of its common forms. It is often served stir-fried with vegetables, and málà , a fiery mixture of dried red chilis, Sichuan pepper, and salt...
- a local culinary specialty made of rice, whose name translates literally as "ear piece" (called zi ba, 糍粑 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 vegetables are called "bitter vegetables"
- 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
The items on the list are not fixed, so other versions of the list may include other oddities, including:
- Stone grows in the clouds - Yunnan's ShilinShilin (Stone Forest)The Stone Forest or Shilin is a notable set of karst formations located in Shilin Yi Autonomous County, Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China, approximately from the provincial capital Kunming. The tall rocks seem to emanate from the ground in the manner of stalagmites, with many looking...
, or Stone Forest resembles stalagmites growing out of the ground - Locusts or grasshoppers are eaten as a delicacy
- Fresh flowers are served as a vegetable
- Water and fire are worshipped as gods
- People sing rather than speak
- Tea leaves are sold in piles
- Non-slanting walls are built with cobblestoneCobblestoneCobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size...
s - Keys are hung on waist belts
- Small, lean horses are hard-working
- Fresh fruits and vegetables are available in all four seasons