Laomeng Sunday Market

Enjoy these photos taken at Laomeng Market August 2oo6. If you have been recently, tells us how it has changed.

Laomeng Sunday Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan: Five minorities at One Market
Click here to see the photo video with music: https://youtu.be/H0NaaHfpLaA
Laomeng Sunday Market 老勐 市场
aomeng Market 老勐 市场

(Yunnan Province)

Five minorities at One Market

Laomeng Sunday Market, five minorities at One Market, that is what we were promised. The hotel owner in Yuanyang had told us to get there early, as many of the hill tribe people have to walk all the way back and the market starts breaking up at around noon.

Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

Laomeng Sunday Market: Arrival

So we got to Laomeng at about 8.30, where we were among the first to arrive. We walked once round the town and had a look at the few stalls already set up by a small number of colourfully dressed Miao ladies and some older Yi women.

Yao minority Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

Most of them seemed as curious about us, as we were about them. By the time we got back  to our starting point, dozens of vans, carts and other vehicles had already arrived, unloading hundreds of passengers and all kinds of goods.

Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

They brought with them a kaleidoscopic mix of colours, as ladies from the Hani, Yao, Yi, Miao and Black Thai ethnic groups spilled out from the back and descended upon the market for a few hours of frenzied buying and selling.

Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

For the next 3 hours we were treated to a visual feast that left us drained and out of film. Our driver had filled us in on some of the intricacies of the local costumes, so we were more or less able to distinguish between the women from the different ethnic groups. However, The men on the other hand were fairly indistinguishable, wearing pretty much the same peasant clothes and large wide-brimmed hats.

The Miao 苗族 at Laomeng Sunday Market

miao minority Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

Firstly, the Miao. The most colourful group are the Miao. The women of this ethnic group wear short, pleated skirts in electrifying colours such as bright orange, turquoise, yellow, pink or neon green.

miao minority Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
苗族Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

The skirts are held in place by tight, embroidered belts and further embellished by lavishly decorated aprons, worn at the back (to protect their clothes when they are carrying loads, or sitting down on their haunches).

Miao minority Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

Their lower legs are covered by leggings, usually black, although the trendiest young ladies can wear coloured ones, adorned with dangling pieces of silver, or coins. Their outfits are completed by a final, embroidered strip of cloth, wound around the head as a kind of turban, peaking at the front.

miao minority Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Miao with different style hats Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

Given the vibrant nature of their attire, it isn’t surprising that their Vietnamese relations are known as the Flower Hmong. 

The Yao 瑶族 at Laomeng Sunday Market

Yao minority Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan

Secondly, the Yao. In stark contrast with the Miao, the Yao are probably the most fascinating to look at. Their all-black outfits of loose, flowing tunics and trousers, topped by incredible black boxed hats (resembling a Fez) lend them at once a forbidding and mysterious aspect.

Yao minority Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
瑶族 Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

The stern black of their costume is only livened up by tresses of fuchsia coloured wool, pinned to the front of the ladies’ tunics, and the heavy silver earrings and necklaces they wear. The proud Yao ladies stride through the crowds mostly unsmiling and they are reluctant to have their pictures taken.

Yao minority Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

The Hani 哈尼族 at Laomeng Sunday Market

Hani minority Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

Thirdly, the Hani. Hani women also tend to wear a tunic or jacket over trousers, like the Yao, though their tunics are shorter and tighter. And like the Miao, they wear a  protective apron at the back.

hani minority Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Hani and Miao buying apples Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

Their colours are subdued, blue and black are the favourites, but some green and petrol- blue can be seen too. If a Hani lady’s headdress is very colourful and decorated, this means that she is single. On the other hand, if her jacket is decorated with silver coins, she is married.

Hani minority Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

The Yi 彝族 at Laomeng Sunday Market

Yi minority Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan

Forth the Yi, The Yi ladies are almost as colourful as the Miao, but they wear trousers, not skirts. On top, they wear brightly coloured jackets, often with short sleeves.  The colours can vary, but light blue, pink, yellow and mauve appeared to be all the rage.

Yi minority Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Yi and Hani Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

The top part of the jacket is covered with a semi- circle  made of embroidered flowers. At the back, instead of an apron, they tend to wear two embroidered lozenge-shaped appendages.

Black Thai 壮族 at Laomeng Sunday Market

zhuang black thai Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Black Thai Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

Finally, the Black Thai were the least in evidence and dressed very simply in black, as their name suggests. Their ladies wore straight black skirts and short-sleeved blouses.

Zhuang black thai Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Black Thai Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

As to location, the market spreads out all over the town, which is small enough to be explored thoroughly in a couple of hours. Like most markets in China, each area or street is dedicated to a different product.

Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

The square given over to vegetables and fruit is one of the highlights, with colourful ethnic women squatting down behind their wares, mostly small piles of exotic-looking vegetables, herbs or spices, spread out on a piece of cloth.

Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

Purchases in this section are usually wrapped up in banana leaves.

Lunch

Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Food Stalls Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

Another, larger square combines meat and simple food stalls with stands selling clothes, cloth, wool and other items necessary for sewing, embroidering or knitting. The latter are particularly popular with the younger ladies.

Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Yao Lady having lunch Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

Lunch is a simple affair, with stalls selling noodle dishes with plenty of meat, vegetables and spicies.

Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

On the outskirts of town, there are corners dedicated to selling chickens, piglets, or watch dogs. 

Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

It’s a great place to watch and take photos as well, because once the market is in full swing, nobody will pay much attention to you, even though you may be the only foreigner in town, which is what happened to us.

Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

Don’t come to this market looking for souvenirs; there are few things for sale that would interest tourists, which should hopefully keep tour groups away. We had a look at one of the colourful Miao skirts and were a bit taken aback by its price: although it was handmade and weighed a tonne, we thought that 300Yuan was a bit steep.

Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Going home Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

True to our landlord’s prediction, by midday the market began to wind down and the vehicles filled up again with their multi-coloured cargo.

Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Heading Home Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

As we were driving away, we could see lines of people heading off into the forest and up the mountain paths, back to their villages.

Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Packing up for the day Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

Practicalities:

Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

Laomeng is situated in the south of Yunnan, not far from the Vietnamese border. As the town lies in a river valley, the climate is hot and humid and the surrounding countryside is extremely green and fertile, allowing for two rice harvests a year.

Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

Regarding its ethnic composition, Laomeng straddles two prefectures, Yuanyang and Jinpin. Of these, Yuanyang is home to many Hani and Yi who tend and cultivate the stunning rice terraces the area is famous for, while Jingpin is home to the Miao, Black Thai and Yao.

Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

The first two live low down near the rivers, in the sub-tropical fertile lands, while the Yao dominate the high mountain areas and ridges and therefore the poorer lands.

Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

As for Laomeng town, there are a couple of basic hotels, small eateries and shops, but not much more, and the buildings are definitely on the drab side.

Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

However, the market converts the town into festival of colours and sounds and it would probably make a good base for exploring the area.

Coming and Going:

Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

From Yuanyang there are plenty of mini buses to Laomeng. The journey can take more than 2 hours, depending on how many passengers the bus stops to pick up and drop off.

Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

You can hire a minivan for about 150 Yuan to take you to the market and back, including several hours waiting time. Buses from Laomeng also go to Jingpin and surrounding villages.

Laomeng Market 老勐 市场 Jinping Yunnan
Rural Scene Outside Laomeng Laomeng Market 老勐 市场

Click here for Jianshui near Laomeng

Laomeng Market Jinping Yunnan

Next week we’ll be publishing an updated article on Laomeng Market.
The incredible market near the Yuanyang Rice terraces.

Coming next: Laomeng Market, Jinping, Yunnan

Click here for new post: https://holachina.com/?p=10719

Various ethnic minorites buying and selling at Laomeng Market

Novedades en la parte española de Hola China

Gracias a Alfredo, nuestro corrector infatigable, hemos podido colgar bastante material nuevo en la parte española de Hola China. Para empezar, en la sección de Gemas Ocultas hay dos nuevos textos, uno sobre la ciudad antigua de Lanzhong, y otro sobre el pueblo de Xizhou.

Langzhong:


Esta pequeña ciudad con una gran historia está situada al lado del río Lialing, a unos 225 kilómetros de Chengdu. Es, a la vez, última morada del famoso y infame general Zhang Fei de la época de los Tres Reinados, lugar de nacimiento de Luo Xiahong, inventor del calendario chino, y guardián de muchos tesoros de la arquitectura tradicional de Sichuan …
Xizhou


No te detengas en Dali, el antiguo pueblo mítico y paraíso de mochilleros, hoy convertido en parque temático, atestado de turistas. Sigue en tu camino y, a solo 33 kilómetros, llegarás al pueblo encantador de Xizhou, con unos ejemplos impresionantes de la arquitectura Bai, cuyas calles apacibles recuerdan el Dali de antaño …

También hemos abierto la sección de Grandes Mercados en español. De momento cuenta con 3 textos sobre los mercados de Wase, Anshun y Laomeng.

Una excursión al Mercado de Wase:


Llegar al Mercado del pueblo Bai de Wase, que se celebra cada sábado, no fue tan fácil como habíamos pensado. Para empezar, la mayoría de la gente en Xizhou, la ciudad al otro lado del Lago Erhai donde nos alojamos, nos dijo que el ferry ya no existía, y que deberíamos ir en autobús, utilizando cualquier de los numerosos autobuses que dan la vuelta al Lago. Para complicar las cosas aún más …

…Wase esta situado en el lado este del Lago Erhai, unos 350 kilómetros al norte de Kunming, la capital de Yunnan. … Aparte del atractivo del mercado, el pueblo está lleno de bellas casas y mansiones Bai, caracterizadas por sus paredes de adobe y sus portales pintadas…

El mercado dominical de Anshun:


La recepcionista nos miró con cara sorprendida y preguntó: “¿Mercado? ¿Qué mercado?” “El mercado dominical”, respondí desesperado, y en un chino cada vez menos coherente. Desgraciadamente es lo que suele pasar con mi dominio de dicho idioma, sobre todo cuando la respuesta a una pregunta no es del todo lo que uno esperaba …

… La ciudad de Anshun, que se encuentra a solo dos horas de autobús desde Guiyang, la capital de la provincia de Guizhou, es una ciudad moderna, normal y corriente … No obstante, nos habían dicho que el mercado dominical de Anshun merecía una visita y, de hecho, no nos defraudó …

El mercado de Laomeng


El propietario de nuestro hotel en Yuanyang nos había dicho que deberíamos ir pronto, ya que mucha gente de los tribus tiene que volver andando a sus cabañas en lo alto de la montaña y que, por lo tanto, el mercado empieza a vaciarse alrededor de las doce …

… Habían traído una mezcla caleidoscópica de colores, en forma de muchas señoras y señoritas Hani, Yao, Yi, Miao y Thai Negra, todas vestidas en sus mejores galas, y dispuestas a pasarlo bien. ¡Y hacer sus compras y negocios al mismos tiempo, claro! …
Durante las siguientes tres horas disfrutamos de toda una fiesta visual que nos dejó sin aliento, y sin carretes …

Para saber más tendréis que ir a Hola China.