Xizhou is a Bai minority town on the western shore of Erhai Lake, about twenty kilometres north of Dali, and its morning market is one of the best in Yunnan. The town itself is architecturally distinguished - a maze of narrow lanes lined with Bai courtyard houses, white walls, painted eaves and elaborate gateways - and the market takes over the centre of it from early morning.
What is sold
The market is primarily for local households, which is what makes it interesting. Stalls sell vegetables grown in the fields around the lake, fresh freshwater fish and shrimp from Erhai, dried mushrooms and chillies, pork and sausage, and pickles and preserves in jars. Look for rushan, the Bai stretched cow's milk cheese, sold in thin folded sheets and eaten grilled with a sweet sauce, and for the local pickled vegetables, which are a speciality. There are also cloth stalls, farm tools, shoes, plastic buckets, tobacco, embroidery thread and cooking pots - the ordinary commerce of a country town.
The people and the language
Most traders are Bai, and older women often wear the traditional dress: a white or blue jacket with an embroidered apron, and a headdress whose colours carry meanings about the wearer's status. Bai is a distinct language related to Chinese but mutually unintelligible, and it is still spoken in the town. Bargaining is done in Mandarin or with gestures and a calculator, and it is relaxed; the prices are not inflated for visitors in the way that they are in Dali's old town.
Timing and practical notes
Come early. The market is at its fullest between about seven and ten in the morning and largely closes by noon. There is a larger, busier market on the traditional market days, which fall on a repeating cycle rather than a fixed weekday, so ask locally or at your guesthouse which day that is. Wear shoes you do not mind getting muddy, bring small notes, and expect to eat standing up - the food stalls are half the point.
Around the town
After the market, walk the lanes to look at the Bai architecture, in particular the decorated gateways and the courtyards visible through open doors. The town is a short drive from the Erhai lakeshore, and the fields between them are used for rice, garlic and vegetables. Several old courtyards have been converted into guesthouses and cafes, but Xizhou remains a working town rather than a resort, and that is its attraction.
