Sanyue Street

First Encounter with the March Street Market Gathering. Departing from Shanghai, taking a train to Kunming, then transferring to a high-speed train to Dali. Called a taxi to the hotel I booked, planning to return to Shanghai before the National Day holiday. The hotel is located on Yuxiu Road outside the ancient city, a very quiet street, backed by Cangshan Mountain and facing Erhai Lake, with a terrace on the third floor where you can drink tea and enjoy the view. I've been to Dali twice before, and so-called living here is just relaxing and not deliberately going anywhere. But the next day, I heard there was a market gathering on March Street, which was my first encounter because the market days are fixed a few times each month, so it's better to be lucky than to choose the day, and I went there happily. When I got there, it was really lively, the whole street was almost filled with stalls, food, clothing, goods, and the cries of vendors were non-stop. There were many locals, all in high spirits, full of regional characteristics. What I was interested in, of course, were the fruits, cheap and good quality, I bought watermelons (one yuan per jin) and mini bananas (ten yuan for three jin), so sweet! What's even better is that I took a lot of portraits, full of the thick atmosphere of life, love it! It's very convenient to get to March Street, there's a bus stop right at the door. Note, the market gathering days are on the 2nd, 9th, 16th, and 23rd of each lunar month.

📍Dali March Street: Just cross the Cangshan Gate of Dali Ancient Town and over a road to get there - ⏰Only four times a month: on the 2nd/9th/16th/23rd, from 7 am to 7 pm ⏰Generally, it takes 2-4 hours to stroll through the market - ✔️There are all kinds of categories and things, fruits are seasonal and very cheap, fruit earrings and other handicrafts, special small scarves and skirts, plant-dyed clothes are relatively cheaper than those inside the ancient town - 1️⃣Seasonal fruits: 🍓Small strawberries ¥6 per 500 grams, ¥10 for a kilo, large ones ¥30 for a basket of about a kilo, big mangoes🥭¥8.1 per 500 grams, both sour and sweet, pineapples🍍¥6 each, ¥10 for two, and so on - 2️⃣Various fresh flowers ¥10-25 for a big bunch🌷 - 3️⃣Scarves cost 10-15 yuan each, plant-dyed ones are a bit more expensive - 4️⃣Lots of fruit-based handmade jewelry, earrings, necklaces ranging from 10-35 yuan, clip-on versions available for those without pierced ears - 5️⃣Many plant-dyed garments at the market ✔️Distant Mountains Plant Dye: Their clothes are very distinctive, available in various colors, all hand-dyed, slightly pricier but really beautiful - ✔️Wild Plant Faith: This one doesn't have a dedicated store, they set up a stall by the roadside, their styles are also very attractive, but more expensive - ✔️Very Very Good: They have more of a purple range, and all are very beautiful, prices are basically the same as the first two - ✔️Wild Grass Collection·Handmade Plant Dye: This one doesn't have as many colors as the other two, but the prices are relatively lower - 6️⃣Fengyi Brown Sugar Twists: Pure handmade, no additives, ¥5 per bag, ¥10 per 500 grams, available in low sugar and regular sugar, buy five packs to get free shipping📮 - 7️⃣Various clothes: tie-dyed, ethnic style, medieval style, for men, women, and children, all reasonably priced - 8️⃣Handmade tea sets/tableware: 4-20 yuan each, various sizes, all very distinctive - 9️⃣Naxi native cloth/tie-dyed cloth: Lots of beautiful cloth, can be used for tablecloths, scarves, etc. - 🔟All kinds of local specialties and souvenirs like tea, beef jerky, mushrooms, etc., can be bought here - ⚠️Some small tips for visiting the market‼️ 1️⃣You can taste most of the food, we really ate our way through, fruits, oil-immersed mushrooms, wine, flower tea, etc., can all be tasted, and it's okay to try several places to find the flavor you like 2️⃣It's recommended to go in the morning, as there might be more handicraft options available earlier 3️⃣It's a good idea to walk around first, ask for prices of things you want to buy, then continue to shop around, compare prices before making a purchase, you can save quite a bit‼️ 4️⃣Bargain reasonably, shop happily: Although many things here are quite cheap, there's still room for bargaining. Generally, if it says no bargaining, it means you can't bargain at all

I caught the March Street Fair on my second day in Dali To experience the strong festive atmosphere 👒👗💍Apparel: ① Cangshan Fruit (right side) Earrings, necklaces, bracelets, keychains, and more, all available with very unique styles. The average price is around 15, very suitable for buying some gifts for friends, gifts from the forest🌳 ② Mai Bao Handmade (right side) Each bag has a different style, forest-themed, retro, tie-dye, playful, etc. It's a whole array of choices that dazzle the eyes. All are handcrafted original bags by the lady~ ③ Qinghong Grocery (left side) A variety of straw bag styles are available, and you can get one for the price of two milk teas. The straw bags are so well suited to Dali📸 ④ Yunnan Small Bean Coffee Accessories Original handmade accessories by a curly-haired lady Rings, hair clips, brooches, bracelets📿 all are niche and special styles Finally picked up a ring and a hair clip The lady usually sets up her stall in the ancient city's bedsheet factory market~ 🍓🥭🍊Food: ① Dai-style BBQ (right side) Right at the entrance of the market, 25💰/portion, quite a generous amount, the meat is tender and not dry, really super delicious! ② Fruits Mangoes 5 yuan per jin, strawberries 8 yuan per jin or 15 for two jins Sugar apples 15 yuan per jin, pomegranates 10 yuan for three jins Experiencing fruit freedom in Dali is so joyful~ There are also Yunnan specialties like erkuai, rushan, etc. But I recommend Yang's erkuai near the north gate more, sold by an uncle, unforgettable after eating There are also many vintage clothes, tie-dye garments, ceramic cups, etc. to browse slowly, and at the end, there are colorful tie-dye fabrics that are very photogenic 🧺March Street Time: About 9:00-17:00 📆Every lunar month on the 2nd, 9th, 16th, and 23rd

Coming to Dali, you must go to the market with a bamboo basket Experience the local life All kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as special snacks, and peculiar handicrafts Don't miss it - 📍March Street On the second, ninth, sixteenth, and twenty-third of each lunar month The whole street is lively from early morning Go with an empty stomach and come back when you're full The seasonal fruits are fresh, delicious, and cheap There are also wild mushrooms and dried beef for tasting Freshly squeezed juices and various fried foods Roasted milk fan, Erkuai, roasted milk tea... various snacks are dazzling The upper half is some handmade goods Tie-dye clothes, plant jewelry, decorative paintings There is also a mobile coffee car, it's very comfortable to sit and drink tea or coffee 🎈🎈🎈 There is a market with a lively atmosphere And creative stalls If you like shopping, you can shop all morning You will always find something you like This kind of atmosphere will really make people very happy!

Don't talk about the sunrise of Erhai, which is around 8:20 in the morning. At eight o'clock, when I opened the curtains, the clouds were still thick. The sky gave me a reason to continue sleeping, but I still got up and walked towards the sea. There were sporadic light raindrops falling, and the water and sky were tinged with a light blue color. The wild ducks were sleeping, swaying with the waves, and a lonely tree stood in the water. Finally, I couldn't wait for the sunrise. The faint redness in the sky at nine o'clock, seagulls hovering over the sea. Luckily, today is the third month street of the Bai ethnic group. Under the Cangshan Mountain, the tall stone archway reads "One street every thousand years, one thousand years every street". People flood into the street like a tide, and vendors selling animal skins, herbs, honey, pottery, and tobacco fill the hundreds of meters long avenue. Old Li Yulin sharpens his knives and quickly gets to work, soon bringing in a full harvest of mushrooms, sugar, and straw hats. Once again, we drove to Meixi in Cangshan Shibaixi. We climbed up the mountain gracefully, and saw snow-covered peaks in the distance. The mountains were lush with greenery, and the stone paths were lined with plum trees, their branches and twigs slanting. There were clear streams running alongside the paths, and the forest was filled with pine trees and their cones. As we walked, we saw squirrels scurrying by, slightly larger than those we had seen in Guangdong. When we reached the cliff, there was no path ahead, and the rocky wall on the left was rugged. A spring flowed down from it, with crystal clear water. Looking up, we saw a giant rock hanging in the air, with a waterfall pouring down into a pool below. The water overflowed when it was too full, cascading down in steps, and the stream flowed gently. 🏯Location: San Yue Street and Mei Xi, Dali City, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture 🚘Transportation: accessible by driving, taxi, or public transportation. 🥰Highlight: Every year from the 15th to the 23rd day of the third lunar month, the street market is held, where people from various ethnic groups in the surrounding areas gather together in festive costumes to exchange various mountain products and Chinese medicinal materials. In the evening, there are various operas and folk tunes, making it a lively and extraordinary event. Under the Three Pagodas in Dali, there is Meixi with many strange stones and streams. You can collect all kinds of mushrooms by tracing the stream. 🧸Suggestion: In recent years, there have been various goods on San Yue Street. You need to compare more before purchasing. As for Meixi, there are fewer tourists, and for safe consumption of mushrooms, it is necessary to have a dedicated team for picking.