Guangzhou’s Weird & Wonderful Markets

Last week’s visit to Guangzhou was not all work and no play. The conference included one day of specialized tours of Guangzhou, which for me meant a trip to two of Guangzhou’s fascinating specialty markets.

The first, informally known as the Pets Market, was a veritable zoo of small animals. We walked directly into the fish section, where every wall was lined with glowing tubs full of fish of every color of the rainbow. Further on was a stall selling puppies, kittens, and pet-sized pigs — all kept in the same open-topped pen, where prospective buyers could play with them. This was perhaps not the kindest thing to do for the animals, but it made one three-year-old very, very happy. After more than a few minutes of cute ‘n cuddly, we proceeded to see the tarantulas, turtles and other icky things. The turtles in particular did not seem too happy in captivity — we watched as more than one tried to clamber over into the next tub, as if in search of freedom. Perhaps they feared their fates. Although it was meant to be a pet market, we were told that more than a few of the turtles were doomed to end up as turtle soup.

The pet market (花鸟鱼艺大世界) is located near the Huadiwan metro stop, exits C and D.

Next we visited the Traditional Chinese Medicine Market near Shamian Island. We were running out of time, so our guide — a local wildlife conservation worker — didn’t have time to persuade the vendors to bring out the weirdest (and probably illegal) offerings. But there was still plenty to see: dried inflated fish stomachs, dried starfish, dried gecko skins stretched perfectly flat, and so on. None of us were brave enough to buy remedies that were animal in nature. But the shops also sold countless varieties of herbal teas, which were more palatable to a group raised on Western medicine. The teas promised to conquer pimples, weight gain and stomach troubles, among other ailments, and more than one person in our group left with a bag or two.

The Qingping Traditional Chinese Medicine Market (清平东中药材市场) is located near the Huangsha metro stop.

Related posts:

1. In Search of African Guangzhou
2. 3 Hours on the World’s Fastest Train
3. Hong Kong Bird and Flower Markets
4. Guizhou’s Spicy-Sour Specialties
5. How to Eat Well in China: Find Friends

Tagged as: blogsherpa, China, Guangdong, Guangzhou, markets