Stores, Malls or Markets in Yunnan Sheng

Some of Yunnan's local specialities that you may like to consider buying or trying includes:
1) Cigarettes
2) Chinese Tea especially Pu Er
3) Flowers (that's why Yunnan is called a blooming city)
4) Yunnan medication especially those made of Notoginseng, or called Sanqi or Sanchi.
5) Jade
6) Chinese Bacon

Any tea shop in Yunnan

What to buy: Pu'er tea is one of the most popular tea in China. Yunnan is the province that produces it. Yunnan is famous for it's "Ancient Tea Route" due to the great demand of Pu'er tea. It was the Mongolian who brought the tea back to their country and discovered that it tasted better when it is aged. The taste of pu'er tea is strong. Some people don't like it because it kind of smells like fungus. Pu'er tea comes in the form of a disc (about 9" dia.) and wrapped with brown paper. It also comes in a smaller bowl shape call 'Tuo Cha' which is about 5cm dia., and also small brick shape. An aged pu'er tea can worth a lot of money in an auction! It is a collectable item!

Which tea to choose when you are an ignorant foreigner??? All tea shops have hundreds of types!

The following websites have description of various types of Yunnan tea:
Pu-erh Tea Company
Generalities on Chinese tea

Both Lijiang and Dali are simply packed with tourist/souvenir shops. Check also around the Three Pagodas temple near Dali along the main road. Finally, the Stone Forest (S of Kunming), the Western Hills (next to Kunming) and part of the Tiger Leaping Gorge (N of Lijiang) are very touristy and full of people harrassing you to buy souvenirs. The Flower and Bird Market in old town of Kunming is another good spot for souvenirs.

Note that postcards are not that easy to find! In the most touristy places, you may find packages of postcards sold as is (so 2 or 3 are really nice, the rest you could have done without!) in the back of shops.

Finally, do not forget to bargain!

What to buy: - Yack horn combs.
- Dali marble: polished pots of all sizes and colors, framed "landscapes", ash trays, a few sculptures.
- Stone Forest: colorful embroidened cloths made by the local Yi.
- Embroided little bags, wallets, cell phone bags (!) in Lijiang and Dali
- Bamboo flutes with a round buldge which make a lovely sound when properly played! Bamboo water pipes.
- Tiger Leaping Gorge: spices, rocks and minerals, I saw a few antiques (bronze stuffs like an old bell), stone and mineral necklaces, mushrooms.
- Clothes (see tip below).
- Tea (see tips above).
- Rice wine
- Chinese medicine (fun to see the stuff they sell; I would not know what to buy!)

What to pay: Cheap for a US tourist

The Colors of Yunnan shopping complex is rather pretty. Designed for the busload of organized tourists, it has many large stores selling all kinds of local craft, souvenirs, herbs, teas, etc.

What to buy: The best items and probably the most popular are local dried foodstuffs and dolls. There is also a teahouse for sampling of local teas.

What to buy: Shangri-la, this is a place in Yunnan, as well as a local cigeratte brand. What a nice packaging. The taste not bad though. It's difficult to find a cigarette brand in China that I can smoke, this one I can! A bit expensive, selling 10Yuan per pack, considered expensive in local standard.

What to buy: Yunnan is famous of its wild fungus. Among all fungus grown in Yunnan, many of them are safe to be ate. And among all the "eastable" fungus, the wild "Cow's Liver Fungus" rated highest and most expensive. They are with very high nutrition value and believed to be good for your body. Fresh one cost 60-100 Yuan per kilo.

In construction