Cordyceps Sinensis, viagra of the Himalayas, Yarsagumba, caterpillar fungus. All of these names belong to the strange claw like bundles which I spied recently in the back streets of Lijiang old town. Said to be a potent health tonic and an aphrodisiac, its value (twice its own weight in gold) has provoked adulteration, counterfeiting, violent land disputes and now market speculation giving rise to excited reports in both the food pages and the investment pages of some of the world's leading periodicals. (Wall Street Journal: Forget Stocks - Chinese Turn Bullish on Booze and Caterpillar Fungus and the Huffington Post: Caterpillar Fungus Transforms Tibet With Huge Cash Influx). Some of China's biggest banks have started funds to invest in it, it is traded on exchanges around the country as a new asset class and has become an extraordinary tonic for the Tibetan economy, now making up 8% of their GDP. No wonder my elderly hawker friend was happy to have that little bundle back after our little photo session. | Click here for more photos of Lijiang Revisited |
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Westerners in China rarely get used to seeing China's smallest fellows having their old fellows so exposed to the elements. It is a conversation I am yet to have with the locals, firstly because it's generally not the most pressing issue on the agenda, but also because I feel I'm on decidedly shakey ground should I decide to tackle the subject of chinese wedding tackle and its over-exposure with my still limited Chinese vocabulary. One may be tempted to question this seemingly unsanitary custom, if only for the sake of the poor little fellows' comfort - the poor sons of the north during those very long cold winters! However another concern perhaps needs to be considered: does China's garbage disposal system and often rudimentary plumbing have what it takes to cope with the washing of or disposal of the nappies of the sons of 1.2 billion?
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