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Yunnan 18 Oddities

Yunnan is famous for it's Eighteen Oddities (云南十八怪 Yúnnán Shíbā Guài) - peculiar or unusual cultural facts, customs or foodstuffs which set this south-western border province apart from the rest of China. The Oddities are very much a product of Yunnan’s varied physical geography (from Tibetan highland to tropical Xishuangbanna), climate, remoteness from the Chinese heartland, and the influence of the many minority ethnic groups who inhabit the region. They contribute to making Yunnan one of the most alluring travel destinations in China.

 

In the course of the research for this web page we discovered that no two sources agree on exactly which are the official 18 Oddities - it seems that there may actually be more than 30 peculiar things about Yunnan, depending on which promotional material you read!

 

As a charming spot in motherland , Yunnan is so rich in natural resources to be reputed as "Animal Kingdom " , "Plant Kingdom" and "Non-ferrous Metal Kingdom ". Twenty-five kindhearted , hospitable and plain minority nationalities have been offered favourable living conditions by this vast red -soil highland . Its fasinating scenery , delightful climate and culture attract a large number of visitors from home and abroad . At present Yunnan has become a well known tourist city in China .

 

Since ancient times , old generations has combined history and culture with their wisdom , diligence , honesty and bravery on this red -soil lan , no sooner has one fallen than another steps into the breach .

 

Yunnan is situated in high and mountainous border land with a varity of living surroundings and landshapes that gradually formed colourful customs and culture . As strangers know little about these customs , " the Eighteen odds " have been spread far and wide long before . However , the increasing communication and developing economy have made "the Eighteen odds " a past story . We collected and introduce them to you to let them detect and understand Yunnan minority customs , history and civilization so to arouse people to ardently love every and all mountains and waters of Yunnan .

  • Oddity 18 Small, lean horses are hard-working 06/23 17:05

    Hardy mountain ponies have been used for centuries to transport goods through the mountainous Yunnan terrain. Most famously, bricks of Pu’er tea were carried in caravans on the Cha Ma Gu Dao (Ancient Tea Horse Trail) from the tea-producing areas of Simao and Xishuangbanna to the outside world.

  • Oddity 17 Monks can have love affairs 06/23 16:48

    In Dai ethnic group, it is the custom to marry men into women's family. Guys will be married off at a certain age, while a girl at certain age will bring a husband to her own family.   The Dai peopl

  • Oddity 16 Keys are hung on waist belts. 06/23 16:43

    Dai women in Xishuangbanna wear long, colourfully patterned skirts held at  the waist by silver belts. As a traditional custom married women sometimes hang keys from their belt, a symbol which indicat

  • Oddity 15 Rice is cooked in a bamboo tube 06/23 16:41

    A very popular street-food in Xishuangbanna is the Dai speciality zhutong fan – slightly sweet sticky rice (with peanuts) steamed and barbequed in a small bamboo tube. The bamboo bark is cut away and the inner wood can be peeled back in strips to reveal the succulent and tasty rice inside, held together by the bamboo tube’s inner membrane. It’s also known as xiang zhu fan, after xiang zhu, the special thin, wide-jointed, variety of bamboo used.

  • Oddity 14 Grannies climb mountains faster than monkeys. 06/23 16:38

    Yunnanese women, especially those of the Naxi minority nationality (below right), have a reputation for being hard-working, diligent and business-minded. Even in old age they are physically fit, thinking nothing of putting in a hard day’s labour in the fields (below left) or collecting firewood and great bundles of pine needles in the mountain forests.

  • Oddity 13 Everyone craves Across-the-Bridge Noodles 06/23 16:33

    This is the most famous dish in Yunnanese cuisine and is extremely popular with locals, especially in Kunming where there are numerous dedicated restaurants. The dish is similar to a hotpot or Swiss bouillon fondue, except that the meat stock (of chicken, pork and duck) is kept boiling hot by a thin layer of oil on top of the soup.

  • Oddity 12 Girls Hang Tobacco Bags. 06/23 16:27

    Women of the Lisu minority nationality are fond of smoking and chewing tobacco, and hang embroidered pouches from their waistbelts to hold the leaf. The bags have become part of their cultural identity and national costume, and are often exchanged as gifts.

  • Oddity 11 Toes are exposed all year round. 06/23 16:23

    Another climate-related Oddity, this refers to the inhabitants in some mountain areas going about their daily work barefoot (or wearing simple open-toed rice straw shoes). The year-round mild weather enables this. In the poorest, remotest villages it is still possible to see some of the older generation tending their fields in this manner.Some people from the mountainous areas wear straw shoes with holes all year round since the four seasons are mild.

  • Oddity 10 Young Girls Called Old Lady 06/23 16:17

    A custom that has developed over the recent year with Xiaguan and Chuxiong people is the “Old Lady” custom. Unmarried girls, aged between fourteen and eighteen years, are called “Old Lady”. This is said to wish her good health by promoting intimacy and goodwill.

  • Oddity 9 Green vegetable is called "Bitter Vegetable". 06/23 16:13

    Thin green featherlike overlapping vegetables, like vanilla, are grown in the southern part of the province. Its name comes form old old customs but not from its taste.
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