咖啡豆芽
It has been about 3 months since I planted these coffee beans. Here are the first signs of life.
咖啡豆芽
A year from now these babies will be in the ground. In four to five years they will yeild their first harvest.
人山
People mountain, people sea is a good way to describe the atmosphere at Dali’s Third Lunar Month Festival and with festival grounds resting on the foot of Cang Mountain and crowds stretching toward Er Lake, it comes close to a literal description as well. The festival is a market holiday that dates back at least to the Tang dynasty and starts on the full moon (15th day) of the third lunar month. In the past this market was full of Tibetans who came to trade horses, livestock and herbal medicine as well as minorities from all over Yunnan who came to trade tea, fabric and all kinds of dry goods.
人海
The Third Lunar Month Festival reached its height during the Qing Dynasty when Poppy cultivation in Dali was booming and traders came from across asia to buy opium. The festival then declined through the Republican and Communist eras and has never come close to reaching the level of national importance it once enjoyed. The Tibetan horse traders are gone due to the proliferation of automoibles and political barriers to movement and the opium traders have been gone since poppy cultivation was outlawed by the Republican government.
I asked but they didn't have snake oil, only snake alcohol
Today the festival is mostly a local holiday but still brings vendors from all over Yunnan and some from neighboring provinces as well. You can still buy almost any kind of herbal medicine and thousands of other goods from mops and laundry detergent to solar water heaters. There are horse races and minority folk music preformances everyday for a week. As it is mostly a local festival most of the wares target local consumers but non-locals can enjoy the spectical as well as some pretty decent festival food from all kinds of meat and veggie skewers to what seems to be a festival favorite, Yongping style Huangmeng Chicken.
various medicinal roots and whatnot
Of course there are other things to do besides eating or buying herbal remedies, you could get your picture taken with some peacocks or sitting on a camel. Or, you could wander around looking at the monkey heads, one of which is pictured above.
The camel outside my door
Traffic was thick on the narrow road through a small village of adobe houses. Outside the village, cars and motorcycles lined the road as drivers jockeyed for the remaining parking spots on the edge of dusty corn fields. We parked and followed a group of old aunties, wearing embroidered hats and traditional looking clothes, toward the bullfighting ring. The path to the ring was lined with vendors selling rice noodles, boiled goat, barbecue, cakes, fruit and ice cream.
The bullfighting ring is nothing more than a slight depression in a corn field surrounded with people, mostly local farmers. Some squat as near as they can, risking being trampled; there are no boards, the ring is made up only of spectators. Further back, people cram onto trucks and tractors that have been parked outside the ring to make instant bleachers.
Bullfighting in Yunnan is quite different than the Spanish version most people are familiar with. This is bull vs. bull rather than man vs. bull. The fights don’t last long and rarely result in serious injury to the bull. The trainers coax the bulls together to get them to face off. Some need more coaxing than others. I was surprised to see the trainers encouraging apathetic bulls by lightly rubbing the outer edge of the bull’s asshole. Sorry, no picture of that.
Once the bulls face off they do some head gyrations and size each other up. Just as seems they are about to turn away, the bulls rear up on their hind legs and thunderously smash heads in an explosion of dust. They lock horns and try to force each other to turn to one side. Once a bull feels he is about to loose, he turns tail and makes a sprinting retreat. The winner takes chase and they both fly through the rapidly parting circle of spectators with the trainers in close pursuit. The fights often spilled out of the ring and unfinished battles continued to be waged on the surrounding corn fields.
One fight taking place close to me on the edge of the ring abruptly concluded with the looser barreling towards the crowd. This caused everyone to turn and sprint for safety with bulls close behind. Most people broke to the left or right, clearing a path for the bull. I was near the back of the spectators and broke to the right just before a water buffalo ran up my back. Another danger for spectators are the brutal officials working the ring. They carry long, but green and flexible, bamboo staffs which they use alternately as bull whips or to force the spectators to move back by swinging it in their direction and not uncommonly whipping five to ten people. This encouraged a hasty retreat with surprisingly little complaining.
After a couple hours of baking in the hot sun and watching the spectacle we decided to call it a day but it was clear that most spectators would spend all day watching or just enjoying the festival atmosphere. These fights are part of New Year and last for two weeks until the first full moon after New Year’s Day. I was also told that this is a great chance for single young men and women to hook up. Apparently, the tradition is young guys look for unmarried girls and take them home after the end of the fights. Nothing like watching bulls smash heads for a few hours to put you in the mood.
Delicious pockets of lamb for one yuan! Thank you Turpan brothers! 吐魯番兄弟，感謝你們！
Snow falling on Cang Shan yesterday, January 26
Yesterday we finally got some rain in Dali, it had been 4 months since the last significant precipitation. In the winter, rain in town means snow on the mountain.
Cang Shan with fresh snow
Three Pagodas with snowy Cang Shan in background
In unrelated news, today is the end of the cobble stones on Double Crane Street, 双鹤街, where Flying Turtle Coffee is located.
Double Crane Street loosing its cobble stones
Double Crane Street loosing more cobble stones
Shuanglang from Yuji island
The fishing village of Shuanglang sits on the eastern shore of Erhai, across the lake from old town Dali. The east side of Erhai is drier and calmer than the west. The mountains that rise from the banks of Erhai are almost treeless. Shuanglang sits in a microclimate that is, in the winter, a few degrees warmer than Dali and absent the wind that whips through the streets of old town.
Fishing boats on the eastern shore of Erhai
As a tourist destination, Shuanglang has been steadily gaining in popularity ever since Shuanglang native, Zhao Qin, designed and built a steel and glass house on the rocky shores of Yuji island. Ever since, Shuanglang has been attracting fans of Zhao and his stunning architecture and has opened many an eye to the beauty and serenity of the place.
Sunrise at Qinglu
neighboring house designed by Zhao Qin
Tourism is increasing but the streets of Shuanglang are still quite empty. A government tourism company has taken over one of the islands in Shuanglang and has turned it into a theme park style attraction called Nanzhao Folk Island. But most of Shuanglang seems to be taking a different path to development.
The lake, the mountain
Many of the private homes now being built in Shanglang have taken pieces of Zhao Qin’s designs and incorporated them into their own homes. Many of these new building are being constructed by artists or business people from Beijing or other cities but some locals have also copied some of the techniques. The government has made gifts of land in Shuanglang to artists who have then built houses either designed by or inspired by the designs of Zhao Qin; however, most of them sit empty while their owners are busy working or playing in Beijing.
Lakeside seat at Sky & Sea Lodge
There are still an abundance of traditional Bai houses in Shuanglang and many of the locals still fish the waters of Erhai. There is no doubt that change is in the air and this beautiful town will continue to develop as a tourist attraction, but the biggest threat to Shuanglang’s beauty is the ever increasing air pollution in the Erhai valley. If air pollution continues to increase, as it is certain to do, the majestic views of Erhai and Cang mountain will be reduced to smoggy memories.
A lane on Yuji Island
You can take a bus to Shuanglang from old town Dali but it usually requires a transfer or two, the buses leave from near the west gate. A car to Shuanglang from Dali will cost about 200 RMB round trip. The Dali-Lijiang train, which leaves from Dali station in Xiaguan, also stops in Shangguan, just a 10 minute motorcycle taxi or minibus ride from Shuanglang. For a place to stay check out the Sky & Sea Lodge and to sea more pictures and information about Qinglu, Zhao Qing’s glass house, check out his blog.
Erhai, Cangshan
. . . one more picture
fishing boats in Shuanglang
Path of January 15 Annular Eclipse of the Sun
Shanghai Daily reports, Dali is “…the best observation place,” for this week’s annular eclipse of the sun. The partial eclipse will start just after 3:00 pm on Friday January 15th with the annular eclipse starting at 4:40 pm and lasting for about 8 minutes.
An annular eclipse happens when the sun and moon are in direct allignment with your position on the earth but the moon appears smaller than the sun creating a bright ring around the moon.
This will be the second eclipse in six months to pass over Yunnan. The July 22nd total solar eclipse was visible in northwestern Yunnan provice.
I took a trip high into the mountains, 3 hours outside of Zhongdian (Shangri-la) to see the July 2009 eclipse. We drove from Dali (2000 meters) through Zhongdian (3500 meters) to our campsite (4400 meters) in one day and suffered the consequences of altitude sickness that night. But all was well in the morning and despite the fact that it was the rainy season, we still got a pretty good look at it.
July 22, 2009 total solar eclipse
I don’t even have to leave my house to see the eclipse this time but I will head over to Shuanglang (双廊) on the east side of Erhai (洱海) for optimal viewing.
The eclipse will be visible starting in Central Africa and make its way across the Indian Ocean, just clipping southern India before heading into the Bay of Bengal. It will again make landfall in Myanmar before entering China in Yunnan province. The eclipse then moves northeast through Sichuan, Chongqing, Hubei, Henan and Finally ending in Shandong province as the sun sets.
Check out NASA’s interactive google map for more information.
My next post will be on Wednesday; I will profile the village of Shuanglang. That will be followed by next Monday’s post-eclipse post, hopefully with some nice pictures.
Caffeine
Before coffee was harvested or cultivated by humans, it was just shrub growing in the highlands of Ethiopia, trying to spread its seed around by having small animals and birds help with transportation or just dropping it on the ground below. The plant produces a xanthine alkaloid (a.k.a. caffeine) that acts as a pesticide.
This Ethiopian shrub hits the evolutionary jackpot thanks to some goats and a guy named Kaldi. Sometime around the 9th century Kaldi herds his goats into a patch of coffee bushes, they eat the fruit and leaves and absorb the xanthine alkaloid. Kaldi notices the goats are getting jumpy and won’t go to sleep. Obviously curious about why his goats are so hyperactive, Kaldi eats some the the coffee and experiences the same jumpy, nonsleepyness as the goats. Kaldi then runs home, tells all his friends, they tell all their friends and, bing-bang-boom, Starbucks on every corner and Ethiopian shrub now growing in Hawaii, Jamaica, Sumatra, Yunnan, etc.
Caffeine is now enjoyed daily by 90 percent of North Americans and global enjoyment is about 120,000 tones per year, making it the world’s most popular psychoactive substance. Caffeine from coffee accounts for only part of the total.
Caffeine Metabolites
When you drink coffee, caffeine is absorbed by the stomach or small intestines within 45 minutes and is transported throughout the body. Caffeine is metabolized by the liver into the metabolites Paraxathine, which leads to higher glycerol and free fatty acid levels in the blood stream, Theobromine, which dilates blood vessels and increases urine volume, and Theophylline, also used to treat asthma, which relaxes the smooth muscle tissue in your lungs. Once absorbed into the blood, caffeine crosses the blood-brain barrier and starts to antagonize adenosine receptors in the brain, inhibiting the uptake of adenosine. Adenosine turns down neurological activity when you are tired by turning up the blood flow to certain parts of the brain, caffeine prevents this from happening and keeps you alert.
There are now two places in Zhujiajiao, an ancient water town just west of Shanghai, where you can find Flying Turtle Coffee. We are super excited about this and hope you get a chance to go there, drink some of our coffee and explore the canals and bridges of Zhujiajiao.
Flying Turtle Coffee is available at Zher 这儿 (Here), a cafe, bar at 18 Xijing St. (西井街18弄) and at Caotang 草堂, 31 Dongjing St. (东井街31号.)
Fangsheng Bridge
Zhujiajiao (朱家角 Zhu Family Settlement) was founded in the Yuan Dynasty, about 1,700 years ago. It became an important commercial center for the surrounding countryside. Today, Zhujiajiao has a population of around 60,000 and is famous for its 36 stone bridges. The most famous of the bridges is the five arch, 5.8 meter high Fangsheng bridge crossing the Cao River. It was built in 1571 by Xingchao, a monk from Cimen Temple. Story has it that he travelled China for years collecting alms in order to build the bridge. He made quite a name for himself and his bridge is still the highest stone bridge in Shanghai.
Caotang's entrance on East Well St. (东井街)
Wandering through the streets of Zhujiajiao can take at least half a day but if you want to relax and get a feel for the place we recommend staying for a weekend. Caotang 草堂 is one of only two guesthouses in the old town. Located in an historical Qing Dynasty building, Caotang has been fully restored and updated with modern conveniences, including heat, air conditioning and hot water in every room.
Perfect place for drinking Flying Turtle Coffee
The bar/lounge at Caotang provides a comfortable spot to relax after walking around Zhujiajiao (also a good spot to get caffeinated in the morning.) Caotang has the basic range of cocktails and a decent selection of beer including German wheat beer and Xinjiang black beer. If the weather is cold, a shot of Absinthe will warm you right up.
Caotang's hearth
Staying close to the fire will also help keep the winter chill off, as will sipping some delicious coffee. Spring and Fall are the best times to visit Zhujiajiao but winter has the advantage of less tourists.
Canal outside of Caotang
Getting to Zhujiajiao takes about 50 minutes by bus from the station at Pu’an Rd. (普安路，延安路) near Yan’an Rd. in Shanghai. Look for the bus that says 沪朱高速快线 (hu zhu gaosu kuaixian,) it costs 12 yuan. For more information check out wikitravel.org/en/Zhujiajiao. And go to flyingturtlecoffee.com to play our game and find out more about Flying Turtle Coffee.
Play Flying Turtle Coffee’s Twitter based scavenger hunt and we‘ll deliver high quality Yunnan coffee to your door for free!
The Shanghai version of our scavenger hunt has started and we are now expanding it to include cities all over china. To play you need to have a Twitter account and follow @ftcoffee then be the first to tweet the name and address of cafes you frequent. Include @ftcoffee in the tweet and we will send you a bag of fresh Yunnan coffee.
You will get 10 points for each cafe you tweet about. We will send you one bag of coffee after your first tweet but you can get more coffee by giving us more information. For each additional 30 points you will get another bag of coffee. We will also award points for tweets about coffee and other topics, just include @ftcoffee in the tweet.
We will add the information you give to our cafe map and it will be available as guide to cafes all over China.
In this first round we will give away 500 bags of coffee. You can check our website, flyingturtlecoffee.com and click on places to see if the game is open in your city. Thanks for helping us find the best cafes in China!
