Manzhouli's Cabbage Bazaar

Oct. 9, 2014
Day 84
Northern Inner Mongolia Trip, Part VI

* In cased you missed the earlier parts, here they are:
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V

One day while walking through Manzhouli, I stumbled upon an outdoor bazaar. Like most markets in China, this was a vibrant place, with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables for sale. It was also crowded, with hordes of people and vehicles jockeying for position in the street. I love walking through bazaars; they give me a sense of day-to-day existence in faraway places. Cultural differences can put up barriers between me and the local people, but markets also help me connect me with others in this shared journey through life.

Here are a few photos I took in the Mazhouli market. Do they give you a sense of daily life in Inner Mongolia? Do you see any similarities to your hometown?

Picture of street.

Manzhouli is a small city, near the tripartite border between Mongolia, Russia and China.

Picture of field.

Nearby are the vast grasslands of the Eurasian steppe.

Picture of market.

In the city, there is a bustling market.

Picture of motorcycle.

Some motorcycle owners sell their wares directly from their vehicles.

Picture of band.

Others try to force their vehicles through the large crowd.

Picture of oranges.

Even this far north, oranges are aplenty.

Picture of band.

And there are a wide variety of vegetables.

Picture of chickens.

You can even buy live animals, like chickens...

Picture of bunnies.

...or bunnies.

Picture of meat.

And of course there are plenty of dead animals for sale.

Picture of chestnuts.

One man sells chestnuts.

Picture of walnuts.

Nearby, another man sells walnuts.

Picture of cabbage.

But in the fall, the biggest item at the market is cabbage.

Picture of cabbage.

Piles of cabbage.

Picture of leaves.

Sometimes the leaves are sold individually.

Picture of cabbage.

But usually the heads are kept whole and laid out to dry.

Picture of people.

It's cold this time of year. Scarves and winter coats are coming out.

Picture of man.

But as long as the goods get sold...

Picture of man.

...and the money comes in, everybody's happy.

More photos from the Manzhouli market

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