Kunming Shopping

This shop is located right outside Carrefour. But there are a lot of other shops who get their supply from Yunnan.

What to buy: HONEY. Many different types of it. From different flowers. With different medicinal property, from skincare to holistic health.
You have to ask the staff what is for what, they also have a brochure but usually they won't let you take it away.

But you may want to make sure that the shop is proper because a lot of shops fill their honey into unwashed plastic bottles which smell of chemical.

Over here it is common to just add honey to warm water, stir and drink. You don't have to use it as spread. It can also replace sugar in your soyabean milk !

What to pay: About RMB 10 to RMB 25, depending on which type, and the size.

Like 500g of pipa honey = RMB 10.

A net over a coalfire to BBQ the Er Quai, which is one of the 18 strange things about Yunnan.

Er Quai is made from cooked rice. This is different from other chinese pancakes (papa) which are usually made from rice flour or wheat flour.

Pots of sauces, both savoury and sweet, and spicy.

Just tell them what you like.

About RMB 1 per piece.

What to buy: BBQ Er Quai.

You may add You Tiao to it. (RMB 0.50 extra)

What to pay: Er Quai = RM 1 per piece.

You can recognise it by its deep-frying wok, and the pieces of potato sitting on a steel net above the wok.

Note: it is deep-fried, not BBQ.

What to buy: The potato is smeared with some sauce, a mixture of furu (fermented beancurd) and doubianjiang(fermented bean sauce).

Then a handful of mint leaves + er gen (nobody likes it, but luckily its amount is relatively few, but do try it just to experience the taste, it has a "cooling" property to counter the "heat" from the deep-fried potatoes) + coriander + rosemary is tossed into the bag.

Chilli powder is an option you can do without if you prefer non-spicy snack.

What to pay: Get a RMB0.50 bag. It will do as an excellent afternoon snack. And it is vegetarian !

If you are not that ladylike, you can eat and walk at the same time.

Kunming is best known for Pu'er tea. As each region in China specialises in production of different types of tea, it is best to find out the specialties of each region.

Shops around town will sell all kinds of tea from all over China, but look out for the local flavour - Pu'er, BanTianYao and QiYeDan.

What to buy: Look for the tea "discus" and "bricks". These are Pu'er tea compressed into shapes of discus or bricks. Good souvenirs.

What to pay: About RMB350 or so for 500g of tea, depending on type and grade.

Flowers are plentiful in Kunming. For low prices, you can buy dried and fresh flowers. According to our guide, roses in winter cost most at 10RMB for a dozen. That is still very very cheap!!

There are also potpourri bags, floral teas and much more.

What to pay: Very reasonable prices

This is a supermarket specialising in Yunnanese products.

What to buy: Seaweed. My mom says the seaweed in Kunming is fantastic, although I am puzzled because Kumnnig is far from the sea.

This is the seaweed you use to make soup.

Throw some sliced pork, or minced pork, and fishballs. Garnish with coriander and chopped spring onion. Yum yum.

What to pay: Cheaper than what you pay in Malaysia

Traditional chinese medicines/herbs.

What to buy: 1. Dang(1) Gui(1) - from RMB 50 per KG.
2. San(1) Qi(1) - the fewer the "heads" the better, good for blood flow - from RMB 380 per KG.
3. Dried red dates - from RMB 20 per KG.

Dried squid.
Dried seahorse.
All kinds of stuff.

What to buy: Gingko nuts is a bargain here. They are ultra-fresh (unlike the mouldy look you may get in many malaysian store) and of good quality.

What to pay: About 18 RMB to 25 RMB per KG, depending on the size, and the poshness of the shop/stall.