So what else did we find as we explored the old part of Jianshui a little more? Let’s see.

 

This was the street scape opposite the gate to the Zhu Gardens.

The pomegranate seller made a wonderful still life photo. I wonder how many hours she just stood their hoping for someone to buy her fruit as they emerged from the gardens. It was getting late in the day and at least one basket was empty so maybe it had been worth her while.

There were still a few people out and about along the shopping street.

A china shop in China!

Glazed and unglazed storage jars.

The entrance to a ‘Foreign Nationals Hotel’.

A lot of thought goes into these manholes that incorporate a story.

Another decorated man hole.

A different sort of decoration… a web woven of electric cables!

A shop selling woks, steamers, brooms, hats and hardware items.

More electric cables decorate the roof… and they aren’t Christmas lights!

A REAL hardware shop

A larger house with a courtyard.

The old and the new, side by side.

Different strengths of rice wine are sold from these jars.

Street fruit market

Vegetable market…. bring your own shop on the back of a bike!

 

 

 

Delicious looking mushrooms

A wider variety of mushrooms… all look delicious… pity we can’t do any cooking.

Those mushrooms would taste really good with these cooked ‘chooks’.

Or maybe these succulent crispy ducks. Yum!

Could add some tofu as well.

Might rethink the tofu… not sure about smokers blowing smoke over the food

Thoughtful market seller

These dried chrysanthemum flowers are used to make chrysanthemum tea (pinyin).  The flowers are steeped in hot water 90-95⁰C, (194-203⁰F).  Chrysanthemum tea is said to have many beneficial health properties.  In China it is used to recover from a sore throat, influenza and acne.  The flowers are also used as a compress to alleviate circulatory disorders such as varicose veins.

A potential buyer of the tea.

Then after our interesting exploration around the streets it was time for dinner. We found a cafe with a balcony and watched the city quieten down while we ate a delicious dinner.

The East Gate illuminated at night.

A wonderful sight at the end of a very special day in Jianshui.

David

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