Menglian County Shopping
What to Buy in Menglian County
Menglian Dai, Lahu and Wa Autonomous County (孟连傣族拉祜族佤族自治县) is a multi-cultural County with many ethnic minority groups, including the Dai, Yi, Hani etc. They live together harmoniously and retain their cultural legacy and life practices. When you travel to Menglian Dai, Lahu and Wa Autonomous County, you can buy some things as Dai People Clothes(傣族服饰), Wa People Clothes(佤族服饰), Lahu People Clothes(拉祜族服饰), Buckwheat(米荞), Dry Bamboo Shoots(干竹笋) and so on.
1. Dai People Clothes(傣族服饰)
The river valleys and plains in the south and west of Yunnan Province are home to most ethnic minorities in the province. The areas where the Dai ethnic people live are mainly in tropical or subtropical zones that are best known for the warm weather, luxuriant mountain forests and abundant products. These geological features are fully reflected in the Dai ethnic clothing, which is beautiful and quietly elegant and at the same time, comfortable to be worn and in good taste. The clothing is nothing short of a statement of the Dai people's love of life and their pursuit of moderate beauty. The clothes for men are almost the same in different areas. The upper garment is usually a front-opening collarless jacket or narrow-sleeved short jacket. The lower garment is a pair of light-colored, broad-waist, and pocket-less pants. Most men use white or cyan cloth to wrap the head, with some wearing a woolen hat. They have a blanket over their shoulders when it’s cold. The Dai men are bare-footed all the year round. Their clothes are light and comfortable for doing farm work and look elegant and smart when the wearer is dancing. The Dai women tend to pay special attention to their clothing, focusing on light, beautiful, simple and elegant dresses as well as on the perfect match of colors. Their upper garment is a tight-fit undershirt that comes in different colors and a light-color front-opening jacket with narrow sleeves over the undershirt. The lower garment is a flowery straight skirt with various woven patterns.
2. Wa People Clothes(佤族服饰)
Wa people favor the colors red and black, so their clothes are usually black with red decorations. Men's coats and trousers are short and broad, and they all like bare feet. Besides, they like to take knife and bamboo necklace. Women's clothes are more beautiful. They wear necklaces and bracelets, most of which are made of bamboo or silver. Their ear rings are very distinctive for the complex style incorporating shining silver rings with bird bones and shells. As the Wa women love very long hair, they incorporate their hair into their dances which highlights their charm.
3. Lahu People Clothes(拉祜族服饰)
Lahu ethnic minority has a population of 453,705. Most of them are scattered around the Lancangjiang Lahu Autonomous County and Menglian, Shuangjiang Autonomous Counties, with others in the Simao, Lincang and Xishuangbanna Regions. It is said that they have been living there since the 18th century. Black is their favorite color. Traditionally, the men wear black coats, trousers, and black belts around their heads. Women's gowns greatly resemble cheong-sam (the traditional long dress with high collar and slit skirt)
4. Buckwheat(米荞)
Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is a plant cultivated for its grain-like seeds, and also used as a cover crop. To distinguish it from a related species, Fagopyrum tataricum that is also cultivated as a grain in the Himalayas, primarily in Nepal, Bhutan and India, and from the less commonly cultivated Fagopyrum acutatum, it is also known as Japanese buckwheat and silverhull buckwheat. Despite the name, buckwheat is not related to wheat, as it is not a grass. Instead, buckwheat is related to sorrel, knotweed, and rhubarb. Because its seeds are eaten and rich in complex carbohydrates, it is referred to as a pseudocereal. The cultivation of buckwheat grain declined sharply in the 20th century with the adoption of nitrogen fertilizer that increased the productivity of other staples.
5. Dry Bamboo Shoots(干竹笋)
Bamboo shoots or bamboo sprouts are the edible shoots (new bamboo culms that come out of the ground) of many bamboo species including Bambusa vulgaris and Phyllostachys edulis. They are used in numerous Asian dishes and broths. They are sold in various processed shapes, and are available in fresh, dried, and canned versions. Raw bamboo shoots contain cyanogenic glycosides, natural toxins also contained in cassava. The toxins must be destroyed by thorough cooking and for this reason fresh bamboo shoots are often boiled before being used in other ways. The toxins are also destroyed in the canning process.
Where to Buy in Menglian County
In Menglian County, there are many places that you can buy the local products. Such as,
1. Menglian Jingxinlou Local Products Business Department
Add: Jingxinlou, Jianshe Road, Menglian County, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province
2. Menglian Xinping LocalProducts Department Store
Add: No. 3, Building 8, Ruyi Trade Market
3. Menglian Runquan Local Products Shop
Add: Chengdong Road, Menglian Dai, Lahu and Wa Autonomous County, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province
