Eighteen Oddities in Yunnan (
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
:
云南十八怪; pinyin: Yúnnán Shíbā Guài; sometimes called Eighteen Wonders of Yunnan) are eighteen unique traits of the
Yunnan
Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...
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.
#
Eggs are tied up sold in rope-like clusters
photo
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#Bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...
hats are used as wok
A wok (; Pinyin: ; Cantonese ) is a deep round-bottomed cooking pan from China. It is believed to be derived from the South Asian karahi. It is common in China and similar pans are found in parts of East, South and Southeast Asia, as well as ...
lids
#Three mosquitoes 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 pipe
Plumbing is any system that conveys fluids for a wide range of applications. Plumbing uses pipes, valves, plumbing fixtures, tanks, and other apparatuses to convey fluids. Heating and cooling (HVAC), waste removal, and potable water delivery ...
s for smoking
# Erkuai - a local culinary specialty made of rice, whose name translates literally as "ear piece" (called ''zi ba'', 糍 粑 in Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
)
#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 Shilin, 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 cobblestone
Cobblestone is a natural building material based on cobble-sized stones, and is used for pavement roads, streets, and buildings.
Setts, also called Belgian blocks, are often casually referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct fro ...
s
#Keys are hung on waist belts
#Small, lean horses are hard-working
#Fresh fruits and vegetables are available in all four seasons
References
*Li Kunwu (李昆武, 2004). ''Yunnan Shiba Guai'' (云南十八怪; Eighteen Wonders of Yunnan Province). China: Yunnan University Press. .
External links
Eighteen Oddities in Yunnan pageEighteen Oddities in Yunnan pageIllustrated Eighteen Oddities in Yunnan page
Culture in Yunnan
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