All of Ethnic Markets and Schedule in Yuanyang County, Honghe

Yuanyang Market Days are regularly held by most minorities in most places, once a week, every times in 5 days and so on. It is an occasion for some to earn something extra by exchanging their own items; for others it is their weekly shopping experience. However more significantly, it is a major social event in their calendar. ladies will dress up in their best and most colourful traditional dresses to go to the market. Most of people are very friendly and warm and do not mind to be photographed if one ask politely (for photographers, zoom lenses are more appropriate and less intrusive). Some of the minorities at these markets stay in more remote villages and are not large in numbers. It will not be easy to visit and see them in their villages; yet they come out in numbers at these markets.

These markets are quite similar in most places. There are every day items such as clothing, household items. In most of these markets, farm implements and livestock such as pigs, horses, donkeys and so on are also on sale. There are also products and services which are specifically tailored to particular communities; in a market at Duoyihe, we saw a dyeing service for cloth. On top of all this, there are also plenty of local foods worth trying. Market Days normally last a whole day from 8am to 4pm.

On both sides of the street, you will saw people selling their wares, people walking with newly acquired products, people carrying loads of products elsewhere. Most prominently the Hani people, the same architects of the fabulous rice terraced fields. Their dark blue dress with fine finish, and purple, green and blue headdresses. A woman walking with a cock, women debating the price of a duck, an old man in a pensive mood looking away from his sewing machine…

Market Schedule of the Ethnic Minorities

 The meaning of Chinese zodiac
Mouse：23:00-1:00
Ox：1:00-3:00
Tiger：3:00-5:00
Rabbit：5:00-7:00
Dragon：7:00-9:00
Snake：9:00-11:00
Horse：11:00-13:00
Sheep：13:00-15:00
Monkey：15:00-17:00
Rooster：17:00-19:00
Dog：19:00-21:00
Pig：21:00-23:00